The World Gold Council has unveiled its latest campaign in India – ‘The Moment is Gold’, a refreshing narrative that reimagines the role of gold jewellery in our lives. Moving beyond its traditional association with weddings and festivals, the campaign positions gold as a symbol of individuality, aspiration, and everyday celebration. With a strong focus on Gen Z and Millennials, it encourages today’s consumers to embrace gold not just for milestone occasions, but for the countless little moments that make life meaningful.
In this special interaction with MediaNews4U, Arti Saxena, Head of Marketing, India, World Gold Council, shares the inspiration behind ‘The Moment is Gold’, the insights driving the campaign, and how the Council is working to reshape gold’s relevance for a new generation of consumers.
Q) What inspired the World Gold Council to create ‘Moment is Gold’ and shift the narrative from milestone occasions to everyday moments?
Arti Saxena: This campaign is the result of extensive groundwork and insights we’ve gathered over the past few years. If we look at the gold market, demand has been largely stagnant over the last decade. For example, gold jewellery contributed about 80% to overall gold demand earlier, but last year that number fell to 70%. In the first half of 2025 alone, gold jewellery demand dropped by 17% in volume terms, even though value went up by 20%—driven solely by rising gold prices.
Another key concern is that gold as a category has become highly commoditised, with advertising largely discount-driven. For millennials and Gen Z—who make up nearly 65% of India’s population under the age of 35—this has created a disconnect. Our consumer research consistently shows that younger audiences are more drawn to travel and experiences, while gold often lacks emotional relevance for them.
We had previously launched the ‘You Are Gold’ campaign, and ‘Moment is Gold’ is a natural evolution of that journey. Traditionally, gold buying has been strongly tied to major festivals like Dhanteras and Akshaya Tritiya, or life milestones such as weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays—which together account for nearly 55% of total gold demand. While these occasions will remain our strength, what we observed is that younger consumers live in the present. They value instant gratification and celebrate everyday wins—big or small—that bring meaning to their lives.
With ‘Moment is Gold,’ we want to emotionally reconnect with this generation by celebrating those meaningful everyday moments and positioning gold as a way to mark and style those experiences. This approach allows us to go beyond traditional buying occasions and make gold relevant to the way young people live, express themselves, and celebrate today.
Q) Gold has traditionally been linked to weddings and festivals. How do you plan to reposition gold as part of everyday life, especially for younger audiences?
Arti Saxena: Our approach to repositioning gold for younger audiences is twofold. First, it is about reimagining the storytelling. We want to move beyond traditional occasions and place gold meaningfully in everyday moments that resonate with today’s generation. In our new campaign, gold is not portrayed as a passive accessory—it plays an active, contextual role in the narrative. The intent is to show how gold can be part of life’s meaningful, present-day experiences.
Second, we are addressing a long-standing consumer concern highlighted in our surveys—that gold is often purchased with love and emotion but then stored away in lockers. We believe gold should not be hidden but enjoyed and celebrated. To bring this philosophy alive, we have consciously taken a bold creative approach, even featuring unconventional jewellery choices in our campaign. The very first film showcases “heartful” gold jewellery designed to be worn and cherished, not locked away.
By combining emotional storytelling with this fresh perspective on wearing and celebrating gold, our objective is to ensure that gold becomes part of everyday moments, making it relevant, aspirational, and meaningful for younger consumers.
Q) Who are the creative partners behind this campaign, and how did they help bring the idea to life?
Arti Saxena: Our creative partner for this campaign is BBDO India, led by the renowned ad veteran Josy Paul. We ran a rigorous pitch process earlier this year, and BBDO was unanimously selected as our creative agency. Since March, we have worked closely with them to bring this campaign to life.
The starting point was always consumer insight. We examined our extensive consumer surveys to identify barriers, triggers, and gaps—especially among Gen Z audiences. We mapped these insights against emerging behaviours, such as the tendency of younger consumers to celebrate experiences and invest freely in categories like gadgets, fashion, and cosmetics. This raised an important question: if they are confident showcasing these lifestyle choices, why should gold jewellery be any different?
BBDO helped us translate this thinking into creative storytelling by reimagining gold’s role and designing narratives where jewellery is not locked away but actively worn and enjoyed. Their ability to challenge conventions and humanise the insights was instrumental in shaping “Moment is Gold.”
Importantly, this was a deeply collaborative process—not just between our India team and BBDO, but also with our colleagues in London and global stakeholders. Together, we redefined how gold can be positioned for today’s generation, making it relevant, aspirational, and meaningful.
Q) In terms of audience segmentation, are you focusing more on urban, digitally savvy youth or do you also see strong resonance in Tier 2 and 3 cities? Will the campaign be primarily digital-first, or will it also include traditional media and experiential touchpoints?
Arti Saxena: Our strategy is very much digital-first, because that is where the younger audiences—Gen Z and young millennials—are most active. Interestingly, this holds true not just for metros but also for Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, where we see a significant segment of digitally savvy consumers. With the rapid adoption of smartphones, social platforms, and connected TVs, younger audiences across India are consuming content digitally, and that is where we are directing a substantial portion of our media investment.
That said, our approach is not limited to digital. Television remains an important part of our mix, particularly for high-impact programming such as reality shows, which attract strong youth viewership. We are also running targeted bursts in print media, which serves a dual purpose. Print continues to be perceived as highly credible and allows us to reinforce messaging not only with consumers but also with industry stakeholders. Given that gold has historically been advertised heavily in print, it’s important for us to engage the industry and ensure the idea of celebrating “everyday moments with gold” is embraced and amplified.
Overall, this is a multi-integrated media strategy: digital and social platforms, connected TV, mainstream television, and selective print. Each channel plays a distinct role—digital for engagement and precision targeting, television for mass impact, and print for credibility and industry influence.
How do you see this campaign influencing consumer buying behaviour in the short term and changing perceptions of gold in the long term?
Arti Saxena: Our objective with this campaign is not to sell a specific product or collection. We are not positioning “Moment is Gold” as a transactional initiative, but rather as a long-term strategy to help consumers fall in love with gold again. The focus is on building emotional relevance and shifting perceptions, especially among younger audiences who currently view gold more as a commodity than as a meaningful part of their lives.
Of course, we do have well-defined KPIs to measure the effectiveness of each campaign burst. However, the true impact we are aiming for will take time. Changing mindsets, addressing the gaps identified in our consumer surveys, and strengthening gold’s relevance in everyday life is not something that can be achieved overnight.
This is why we see “Moment is Gold” as a multi-year journey. Through consistent storytelling, integrated media strategies, and content-led engagement, we will continue to reinforce this message and gradually move the needle. Our goal is to ensure that in the long term, gold is not just associated with milestone occasions, but embraced as a part of the everyday moments that people value and celebrate.
Q) What benchmarks or success metrics will you use to measure the impact of this campaign?
Arti Saxena: That’s a very relevant question, and it ties closely to the KPIs I mentioned earlier. Since this is the first burst of the campaign, our immediate campaign-level KPIs are centred on reach, viewership, and most importantly, engagement. These help us understand how effectively the campaign is capturing attention and sparking conversations.
Beyond these campaign metrics, our core focus is on changing perceptions—particularly among younger audiences. We want to address the gaps identified in our consumer research and ensure gold becomes more relevant to their everyday lives. To measure this, we conduct extensive pre- and post-campaign studies, supported both by third-party global surveys and by our own consumer research. These give us clear indicators of how audience attitudes and associations with gold are shifting.
Ultimately, perception change and driving relevance are the most critical benchmarks for us. While immediate engagement is important, our long-term goal is to move the needle over the coming years through multiple campaign bursts. This is a sustained effort, and with each phase, we aim to build momentum towards repositioning gold in the minds of younger generations.
Q) Could this campaign pave the way for new product lines or collaborations tailored to younger audiences?
Arti Saxena: At this stage, we don’t have specific plans for new product lines or collaborations. Our immediate priority is to launch the campaign, gather feedback, and assess its impact. We also work very closely with the industry, engaging in continuous dialogue and ideation. As the campaign unfolds, we will take inputs from our partners and stakeholders, and if future opportunities for new initiatives emerge, we will certainly explore them.
For now, our focus is on strengthening the gold jewellery category as a whole. The objective is to build relevance and emotional connection with younger audiences, ensuring that gold is seen as meaningful, aspirational, and contemporary. Once this foundation is reinforced, it could naturally open avenues for innovation in the future.
Q) What is the campaign period you are focusing on, and how long will this campaign remain active?
Arti Saxena: This first burst of the campaign launches on 9th September and will run for about six weeks. However, this is only the beginning. Our strategy is designed as a long-term journey, and you will see us return in a bigger way in 2026 with extended phases of the campaign.
While this burst leverages a multi-integrated media strategy, future phases will go beyond media to include diverse forms of content and influencer collaborations to strengthen the narrative and drive deeper engagement. Over the next two years, audiences can expect to see consistent, creative extensions of “Moment is Gold” as we continue to reinforce relevance and emotional connection with consumers.
Q) On a personal note, what does a “gold moment” mean to you?
Arti Saxena: For me, every small or big moment in life is worth celebrating, and that philosophy resonates deeply with the thinking behind this campaign. While the insight about cherishing everyday moments came from our Gen Z consumer research, I find it equally relevant to my own life. Today, it’s no longer just about waiting for one big milestone—it’s about celebrating the little wins and special experiences that make us or our loved ones feel valued.
Personally, I often choose to mark these moments with gold, especially through self-gifting. I have been buying gold for various occasions over the years, and the idea of using it to celebrate myself is something I strongly believe in. To me, that makes this campaign even more meaningful, as it reflects not only consumer sentiment but also my own way of embracing and enjoying life’s many “gold moments.
