Chapter 3: Social and Ethic Responsibility

Cartier is a very well respected maison, not only for their exquisite quality of jewelry and profitability, but also for the social and ethic responsibility they take on.  Cartier integrates long-term economic, environmental, and social factors while maintaining its competitiveness and maison reputation.


Cartier pays attention to the interest of every affected stakeholder in every aspect of the firm's operation including, management, customers, suppliers, employees, and the local community. Their corporate responsibility policy outlines the ethical standards that the maison adheres to and the standards that they expect their supplier to meet in return for their business. Cartier's principles were inspired by the Council for Responsible Jewelers Practices  which sets an international standard on responsible business practices for diamonds, gold and platinum group metals which addresses human rights, labour rights, environmental impact, mining practices, product disclosure and many more important topics in the jewellery supply chain. As part of their corporate responsibility, Cartier adheres to the Kimberley Certification Scheme(KPCS) and the Word Diamond Council voluntary system of warranties which are both aimed at ending conflict diamond trading. (Conflict diamonds are  rough diamonds used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments.) The  KPCS is a system initiated jointly by government, the international diamond industry, and civil society representatives with the support of the UN, to put an end to trade in conflict diamonds. It applies to all rough diamonds mined since January 1, 2003. This system requires all rough diamonds to have numbered certificates guaranteeing the diamonds are conflict free.


As part of their corporate responsibility, Cartier provides fair employment opportunities and benefits to their employees. These benefits include a 401(k) plan, healthcare coverage, and paid time off for full time employees as well as an employee discount based on the position held.


Cartier provides employee training programs designed to inform employees about the company products, policy and history in order to assure an excellent customer experience. The company is dedicated to providing customer satisfaction and ensure that customers get a high quality product as well as an accurate characterization of the piece they purchase including the diamond cut, color, clarity, they type of gold/silver use and provide adequate documentation. Cartier has a customer satisfaction policy guaranteeing the quality band authenticity of each piece. In exchange for the high quality, guarantee backed jewelry, customers give Cartier their business.



 

Aside from their thick responsibility, Cartier takes on a great deal of social responsibility. In 2012, the Maison Cartier established the Cartier Charitable Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland with the goal of improve the wellbeing and safety conditions of those who live in undeveloped regions, demonstrating the company's concern for social welfare. The foundation awards grants to non-profit international organizations and partners that excel in their field of exercise, whose values are similar to those of Cartier.  The maison is partnered with non profit organizations such as UNICEF and AMREF to work on improving social welfare in the developing parts of the world including, but not limited to, Ghana, Nigeria, South Sudan, Afghanistan, the Philippines, India, and Cambodia.

 Partnered with Women for Women International, Cartier participates in the program aimed at women's social and economic development which provides women in conflict areas with knowledge, skills, and resources in order to push them towards stability and self sufficiency. Other causes that the Cartier Charitable Foundation contributes to include UNICEF's emergency response program in the Philippines aimed restoring access to safe water and basic sanitation that were damaged in a severe storm that occurred in November of 2013, as well as a program aimed at improving access and quality of education for girls living in rural, vulnerable districts of India where is gender discrimination is prevalent, with over 3 million girls out of school, and a program aimed at providing adequate nutrition for children who are going to school, partnered with WFP(World Food Programme).

In attempt to contribute to improving the lives of the people living in communities that depend on gold mining, Cartier supports the global program that was launched by Terre des Hommes Suisse  that is aimed at improving living and working conditions of those living in the Amazonian region of Madre de Dios, Peru, the local communities there, and their children.

Being that Cartier was founded in France, the French culture played a significant role in determining the moral standards that the corporation upholds. The French are know to embrace, style, sophistication, and the arts, taking pride in their public space that gives off a regal tone. In order to show their apprication for the arts, Cartier founded the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain in 1984 which became a unique example of corporate philanthropy in France.The Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain is a creative space for artists, where the general public can discover art aimed at raising public awareness for contemporary art.

Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain

Chapter2 : Strategic Planning for a Competetive Advantage

       Cartier implements a wide array of different marketing strategies, targeting different consumer groups, ultimately boosting sales by means of diversification. Cartier highlights their strengths to boost market value, further gaining respect and recognition for their reputation as the King of Jewelers. What draws people to Cartier is not only their highly respectable reputation for creating elegant, timeless pieces, but also Cartier's ethical business practices aimed at giving back to the environment. This draws people who are concerned with the environment to Cartier's integrity and concern for their environment as well as their ethical anti-corruption business practices. Cartier also employs the most skilled jewelers to carefully construct the delicate and highly artistic pieces, which creates a better quality end product.

     Cartier allocates resources into the community around them, into various charities, as well as reinvests it into the company to further developed strategic marketing tactics and research how to target a wider array of clients who will stay faithful to the brand, becoming more and more intrigued with each new release.  Cartier implements a marketing mix, distributing their jewelry in many different countries, in the capitol of the countries where the wealthiest residents reside, promote their jewelry by lending it to celebrities to wear to the Oscars as well promoting their jewelry at charity events and galas. To target a richer audience who has an acquired taste for luxury, Cartier strategically places ads in The Wall Street Journal, aiming to reach out to those working in finance and have money to invest as well as spend on luxury items, specifically promoting their most high end line, the Cartier Royal line.

Cameron Diaz wearing a $58,100 Cartier ring to the 82nd annual Oscars

     Cartier has many strategic advantages over it's competitors including ethical business practices, support of their community, a customer satisfaction policy that guarantees the superior quality of the jewelry, and brand recognition and respect that dates back to the late 1800s. In 2010, Cartier decided to showcase their rich history and invited French commercial director Bruno Aveillan to construct the dynamic commercial which took two years to assemble. This master piece, L'Odyssée de Cartier,  takes the viewer on a wondrous, enchanting journey through the 165-year old(from the date it was released) history of Cartier, capturing the very essence of what makes Cartier stand out amongst other luxury brands. This 3.5-minute commercial captivates the heart of the viewer, mesmerizing their very soul, compelling them to try to understand the underlying world of Cartier that is being portrayed. L'Odyssée de Cartier also incorporates all of the Cartier jewelry brands into the clip, the LOVE Collection, The Panthere Collection, The Trinity Collection, and Cartier watches.

Bruno Aveillan, Director of L'Odyssee de Cartier

      L'Odyssée de Cartier dramatically increased Cartier's market share, giving them a significant competitive advantage over any other luxury brand in the world. With their commercial, they intrigued the entire world, putting people at their toes, excited to view the commercial the day it aired on television. Cartier was able to bring together the strategies of market penetration and market development, increasing market share among existing customers while attracting new customers to their brand. This marketing tactic worked to their advantage, further pushing Cartier as the leading in world class, ultra luxury jewelry.
   
      Among many of Cartier's competitive advantages is their rich history in the art of fine jewelry making. Cartier isn't a brand, it's a maison. “The difference between a maison and a brand is that a maison has to have been established a long time ago, whereas a brand could have been created last month. A maison is always global, universal in fact, whereas a brand could be very local. A maison has to have a physical location, which we have all over the world, whereas a brand could be on the internet. And lastly, a maison is interested in its roots. Building on what Winston Churchill said, ‘the branches of a tree cannot go further than its roots’ and we have long roots.” - Cartier CEO Stanislas de Quercize. This is part of the essence of Cartier that attracts so many people worldwide to the luxurious and enchanting world of Cartier jewelry. 
      

Chapter 1: Company History and Mission Statement

     

Company History

     Founded in Paris in1847, by Louis-Francois Cartier, the firm known as Cartier quickly became recognized for its exemplary workmanship and taste. Louis-Francois Cartier began his esteemed career at 28, after an apprenticeship with master watchmaker Adolphe Picard resulted in Cartier taking over the master’s workshop, 29 rue Montorgueil, Paris. He expanded the premises, and built his reputation on knowing how to satisfy the most extravagant of desires.


Louis-Francois Cartier

     

 29 Montorgueil, Paris 1847

                                

By 1853 Louis Francois was able to move his business to the more fashionable Palais-Royal district at 5 Rue Neuve des petits Champs. He became a favorite of Princess Mathilde, the cousin of Napoleon III, whose patronage opened the door to Parisian society.

Princess Matilda wearing Cartier

In 1874 Alfred Cartier took over the company from his father Louis Francois. In 1898 the Cartier firm made a final move in Paris and they still remain at 13 Rue de La Paix, in the heart of Parisian elegance and luxury. The rue de la Paix was one of Paris’s most expensive streets, and offered everything an elegant wealthy woman may wish to purchase. Cartier set a trend by moving to the rue de la Paix and other jewelers followed suit by relocating to the rue de la Paix and nearby Place Vendome. That area of Paris soon became the center of international jewelry.

13 Rue de La Paix at the time

As the brand became increasingly well-known, Cartier expanded their empire, opening a London branch in 1902 and in a New York branch in 1909. Alfred Cartier entrusted his three sons to manage the Maison de Cartier. The eldest son Louis directed the shop in Paris. Alfred Cartier’s younger sons Pierre and Jacque left on voyages to explore the world. They later established themselves in other areas, Pierre in New York, and Jacques in London. Businessman, jeweler and collector, Louis Cartier was handsome, distinguished and elegant. He proved popular among the Parisian women and was well thought of by the aristocracy, which he used to increase Cartier’s list of distinguished clientele. One of his most important clients was the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, who once described Louis Cartier as "the jeweler of Kings, the King among jewelers".

Cartier London

Cartier NYC present day at 5th Ave

Among Louis Cartier’s most important and lasting innovations was introducing the combination of platinum and diamonds to create garland style jewelry. Cartier wove the platinum into extremely fine threads in order to bring out the sparkle of the diamonds, making platinum a legitimate and irreplaceable precious metal in jewelry making. Spurred by the economic prosperity between the wars, Cartier simultaneously created and fulfilled the demand for original and exceptional jewels; many made to order. In addition to attracting the world’s most eminent private clients, the courts of England, Russia, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Siam officially granted Cartier their royal patronage. From the outset Cartier designed watches that were elegant, small, accurate, and a statement of the times in which they were made. Cartier was unique among wristwatch designers and manufacturers because they owned their own retail outlets and were therefore able to stay abreast of changing fashion trends.

Cartier Platinum Crown

Santos watch

 Their genius for design often meant they set the fashion themselves, instead of following it. In 1904, Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, asked close friend Louis Cartier to design a watch that could be used during his flights, since pocket watches were not suitable. Louis Cartier created for him the Santos wristwatch, the first wrist watch made for men. The Santos first went on sale in 1911, the date of Cartier's first production of wristwatches. During the early twentieth century any man wearing a wristwatch made a very daring statement, as the classic pocket watch was considered the only timepiece a gentleman should carry. Cartier was a major influence in persuading the Parisian aristocracy to accept the idea of wristwatches for men.

Alberto Santos-Dumont

The Santos was promoted to show that the adventurous gentleman could wear a wristwatch in all elements of his life. The ability to create many unique wristwatches was of great advantage to Cartier because customers were able to select from various designs, or order custom made pieces. Because the shops only sold their own brand they had no competition from other jewelers in store. Cartier’s wristwatches were fast becoming the status symbol of the rich, and people became eager to purchase all the unique models that were being manufactured. Cartier’s timepieces were taken to a new level by Maurice Couet, a designer who in 1913 introduced the famous Mystery clock, the hands of which appear to float magically on faces of rock crystal.

Cartier Mystery Watch

The "Tank" wristwatch introduced in 1917 during the First

World War was Cartier's most famous model. Louis Cartier was inspired by the tough new war machines the Americans introduced to Europe, and the subsequent tank design, a rugged yet beautiful watch, became a classic. Throughout the First World War Cartier continued to produce inventive and original designs. Cartier introduced many innovations into the jewelry market. Primarily known for their work with diamonds, the firm designed lavish pieces, often incorporating other stones in new and unusual settings for contrast and color.

Cartier "The Tank"

Sylvie Raulet writes about the atmosphere in Paris after WWI in “Art Deco Jewelry” (Rizzoli): “After the First World War, all the arts participated in an unprecedented cultural revolution. The Golden Twenties witnessed an exceptional alliance of taste, talent and money.” The Cartier firm reached dizzying heights of Art Deco splendor. Louis Cartier’s fascination with exotic motifs led to the creation of diamond, ruby and platinum earrings from which hung jade roundels carved with elephants, and a gold and enamel bangle with two carved-coral chimera heads facing each other in the center.

Cartier designs also incorporated Far Eastern, Indian and Egyptian themes – influenced by the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922. The Cartier firm, as well as other leading jewelers of the era “renounced flora and fauna for the play of geometric shapes, juxtaposed or superimposed on one another.” In the inter war years two more branches of Cartier were opened in fashionable beach resorts, Cartier Cannes in 1935 and Cartier Monte Carlo in 1938.

Cartier in Cannes

Cartier in Monte Carlo

While France was occupied by German troops during WWII, Cartier interpreted the national symbol of a caged bird into jewelry designs. When the Nazi regime was finally extinguished and Paris was free once again Cartier created the “freed bird brooch” as a tribute to liberation. The symbolic brooch consisted of a small singing bird made with gems of blue, red, and white representing the French national colors, mounted on top of a gold cage. Louis and Jaques Cartier both died in 1942.

Freed Bird Cartier

Caged Bird Cartier

 Their brother Pierre became the president of Cartier International in 1945 and from then on stayed almost entirely in the shop in Paris until he retired to Geneva in 1947. In the late 1940's Cartier London was run by Jean-Jaques Cartier, while the New York branch was headed by Claude Cartier. In 1962 Claude Cartier sold Cartier New York but remained president of the company until 1963.

Jean-Jaques Cartier

 By 1968 Cartier had evolved from a family business into an enormous multinational organization. In 1972 Joseph Kanoui led a financial syndicate which bought control of Cartier Paris. Robert Hocq became president of the company. He once again united the three branches of Cartier and took over the management of the London and New York branches in a move to re-establish Cartier's image of prestige and importance. In 1983 Cartier launched a campaign to buy back its historical pieces to create a collection that is witness to an exceptional heritage and legendary status.
Cartier is dedicated to excellence and precision in the craft of jewelry making and stands as one of the world’s most esteemed and respectful Maisons in the luxury goods industry. Cartier is the jeweler of the kings, and the King of Jewelers.

Mission Statement

Cartier has always toyed with the rules of elegance, opening doors to enchantment the Cartier ateliers work magic in jewelry, recasting precious materials in a potent blend of excellence and rarity.