Published on: October 3, 2019
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Hi, I'm Kevin Coupe and this is FaceTime with the Content Guy.
The New York Times had a story the other day about one of the best promotions imaginable - at any of the 216 Helzberg Diamonds stores around the country, when you buy wedding rings you also can get married by an associate who has been ordained as a Universal Life minister.
All you need is a marriage license.
"We are here to serve the customer and offer as many services as we can, and we do think we will be performing quite a few weddings at our stores," says Beryl Raff, CEO/chairwoman at Helzberg.
Some background. Helzberg came to the decision to offer this - the ultimate in value-added services - when it saw that from time to time, people asked to be married in one of its stores. Now, in order to respond to what it sees as a need, it is hoping to get as many of its 1,700 sales associates ordained … which isn't all that hard. (It takes about five minutes on the Internet.)
There's also a real consumer insight at work here. The Times writes that the Helzberg folks did a survey "of 1,000 young adults ages 23 to 38. Ninety-one percent who hoped to get married said they would consider eloping. The top three reasons were to save money, avoid having to plan a ceremony, and keep their ceremonies more intimate."
Now, this might not be what I'd want to do. To be honest, it wouldn't be what I'd want for my kids.
But I totally get it … and not just because I happen to be an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church who has performed two wedding ceremonies over the past 18 months. While I get that some folks think that having someone like me perform a wedding ceremony reflects a lack of seriousness, I actually believe that it has more to do with being very serious … they want a ceremony that is specific and that is performed by someone who has some knowledge of their lives and hopes and dreams. We've all been to too many services performed by an actual minister who does it all by the book … and I don't mean the Bible … in a way that ends up being boilerplate and meaningless.
Again, getting married in a jewelry store by a clerk wouldn't be my hope or dream. But if that's what people want, and if Helzberg is smart enough to position itself to take advantage of that fact, well … Mazel tov!
Savvy retailers find their opportunities … and then work them. Relentlessly. Helzberg sees this as a match made in heaven.
That is what is on my mind this morning. As always, I want to hear what is on your mind.
- KC's View: