MUMBAI — De Beers Group has released performance figures for its recent 'Love, From Bestie' campaign, which ran across natural diamond retail partner stores in India over the Friendship Day weekend on August 1st and 2nd, 2026. The initiative aimed to position natural diamonds within non-traditional relationship milestones, focusing specifically on friendships.
The campaign was deployed across 60 participating natural diamond retail stores nationwide. According to the company, the in-store experiences drew more than 2,000 visitors and registered a conversion rate of 15% over the weekend. Participating retail locations offered activities such as professionally shot portraits, personalised nail art, custom bag charms, and 'BFF Contracts'.
At the center of the commercial offering is the Bestie Bracelet Collection, designed around pairs of bracelets intended to represent bonds between friends. The initiative was promoted through digital, social, television, print, and out-of-home channels, featuring celebrity duos including Sara Tendulkar and Banita Sandhu, Mallika Dua and Shweta Tripathi, and Sanaya Irani and Drashti Dhami.
Additional promotional outreach included a Friendship Day podcast hosted by Tweak, featuring young changemakers discussing Gen Z relationship trends, alongside lifestyle publication collaborations focusing on professional and corporate friendships.
The retail rollout was supported by the Indian Natural Diamond Retailer Alliance (INDRA), an initiative developed by De Beers alongside the Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC). Through INDRA's digital network, participating stores utilized localised digital assets, customizable event creatives, and targeted outreach tools for the campaign.
Commenting on the initiative, Toranj Mehta, Country Head – Category Marketing, De Beers Group India, stated that the campaign was designed to recognize relationships beyond traditional milestones by drawing parallels between the time required to build enduring friendships and the natural formation of diamonds over billions of years.
Established in 1888, De Beers Group operates diamond exploration, mining, marketing, and retailing activities globally. The company employs over 20,000 people across the diamond pipeline with mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia, and South Africa, and operates as part of the Anglo American plc group.
"The 'Love, From Bestie' campaign demonstrates how legacy brands can successfully expand their addressable market by reframing traditional products for newer consumer segments. By targeting Friendship Day and leveraging localized retail alliances like INDRA, De Beers has effectively diversified its marketing approach beyond traditional wedding and anniversary milestones. Achieving a 15 percent conversion rate across 60 stores indicates strong initial retail engagement, proving that innovative positioning and experiential retail can drive measurable consumer interest in established categories." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes
Recent StartupLanes Articles
Browse through our 30 latest publications on venture capital, startups, and angel investing.