Michael Hill’s ambition was to break out from decades as a discount retailer to become a premium jewellery brand, in doing so capturing more of the market, finding new growth in higher-value customer segments.
Years of retail-led promotion had trained shoppers to buy from Michael Hill overwhelmingly on price, eroding quality perceptions and commoditising the product. Qualitative research confirmed Michael Hill was seen more ‘like a suburban accountant than a fine jeweller’(1) . This is a problem when you sell engagement rings!
The brand was fatigued, overly masculine and mass.
Brief; be the anti-thesis of mass.
Creative north star: Contemporary Nostalgia.
Michael and Christine Hill are the original independent jewellers.
We looked to our origins to inform our future. Our new colour palette references the landscapes and regions of our birthplace in Whangārei NZ. Our new brandmark reflects the window displays that earned the brand early fame.
