Editor's note: Kelly Hancock handles communications for the Qualitative Research Consultants Association. This case study was presented at the 2011 QRCA Symposium on Excellence in Qualitative Research.

Is it possible to take nine countries, nine languages and nine vastly different cultures and capture them in a single platform that informs very emotionally-driven decisions? That’s exactly what the Platinum Guild International aimed to do with its Web site redesign.

The Platinum Guild International, an organization that promotes platinum jewelry worldwide, initially launched its site, PreciousPlatinum.com, in 2003 and refreshed it in 2006. By 2009, with the site experiencing low traffic, low levels of engagement and high bounce rates, organization leadership realized that the site again needed some improvements.

The Platinum Guild seeks to convey a consistent message globally but regionally-focused microsites were popping up that were impacting the primary, organization-wide site, says Huw Daniel, president of the Platinum Guild International’s U.S. office. Different markets were starting to drift away from each other and as each market introduced a new initiative, it wasn’t integrated into the main Web site. “A review of our online strategy revealed that the site wasn’t clearly defined; each market was defining the role differently. We had completed a global brand repositioning and realized that the Web site was undermining this. We needed to bring all markets back to the central global positioning: Pure – Rare – Eternal.”

Further, many consumers were visiting the site because they thought they could buy jewelry there. But the site was never meant to be used for e-commerce, as the Platinum Guild’s purpose is to create desire by showcasing beautiful platinum designs and provide practical advice and expertise to help jewelry buyers make informed decisions. This misperception caused a lot of peop...