.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} In a follow-up to last week’s column on using branding to avoid the wrong kind of customers, let’s stay with the category of jewelry stores.

Last week, I used Josephs as a local store that has embraced its brand, fully recognizing that it will attract some customers while repelling others. A jeweler in Philadelphia has the same attitude but delivers his message in a completely different way.

Steven Singer asked himself what 21- to 30-year-old men wanted. He came up with an answer: lingerie-clad women wading through bubbles.

In fact, Singer is betting the store on it. Steven Singer Jewelers is quite the departure from traditional jewelry advertising. Its promotions include in-store bubble bath parties (yes, with the aforementioned scantily clad women), chicken wing eating contests and giveaways on Howard Stern’s radio show.

Steven Singer Jewelers is proving that you don’t have to look or sound like a Harlequin novel to sell diamonds.

He started out with billboards saying “I hate Steven Singer” throughout Greater Philadelphia. That drove people to the Web site, www.ihate-stevensinger.com, where they read stories from men who hated Steven Singer because they had to give up their great bachelor lives and now they’re married.

Unconventional? I’ll say. Attention-getting? You tell me. Sales are up 15-20 percent annually since Singer adopted his advertising strategy.

Singer is perfectly content that his “boorish” campaign offends some people. He knows exactly whom he wants in his store, and he’s talking their language.

What do you think about Singer’s brand? The upside is obvious – great sales. Is the downside worth it?

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com.© 2007 Drew McLellan