LONDON — With sales last year of more than $4 billion, Pandora is already one of the world’s biggest jewelry brands but its ambitions stretch way beyond balance sheet growth. The Copenhagen-based company is leveling up its design and working to embed itself in popular culture with the aim of becoming the go-to jeweler across generations — and geographies.

From its ad campaigns, courtesy of Fabien Baron, to its latest “Be Love” message and its push beyond signature charms into lab-grown diamond jewelry and more sculptural collections, Pandora is fast outpacing its branded competitors in terms of sales, demographic reach and appeal.

Its choice of campaign faces such as Pamela Anderson, Winona Ryder and Selma Blair — all of whom are in their 50s — and Iman, who will turn 70 in July, is a clear statement of intent. It’s also a radically different approach from its competitor Swarovski, which tapped the 31-year-old Ariana Grande as brand ambassador last year.

“We are about inclusivity, and about making sure that everyone can get their piece of beauty and design. We are a brand of style and substance and we chose these women because they are people of substance,” said Berta de Pablos-Barbier in her first interview as chief marketing officer of Pandora.

Asked whether those campaign stars — whose career heydays were in the ’80s and ’90s — resonate internationally, and with a younger audience, de Pablos-Barbier said the faces don’t matter as much as the vibe.

“What is important is that you, as a consumer, connect with the message that love is transformative, and that if you bring a little bit of love into the world, it can make a big difference. That concept is universal. All humans, no matter where they live, can connect with it, even if they don’t recognize the faces” in the campaigns, she added.

In the U.S. and Europe, that message has been resonating. De Pablos-Barbier said that one in two Italians owns a Pandora item, which is not surprising given the country’s robust jewelry industry and love of gold.

In Spain, Pandora is the number one jewelry brand, with sales growing at 10 percent year-on-year due partly to finely tuned social media campaigns.

The U.S. remains Pandora’s largest market, generating around one-third of revenue, and there are further plans for expansion in the region.

On June 6 in Las Vegas — just in time for the annual JCK/Couture jewelry fair — Pandora will open a new-generation flagship designed as a “brand house” that will offer immersive, and “future-facing” retail experiences.

Because Las Vegas is Pandora’s top global market for lab-grown diamonds, there will also be a dedicated diamond bar, as well as a craftsmanship studio highlighting the brand’s design process.

There are plans for an “interactive charm bar” inspired by a Vegas card dealer’s table, as well as dedicated engraving stations. The store is part of a five-year flagship expansion plan, with 15 to 18 flagship locations expected globally.

Pandora is also expanding Essence, a contemporary collection that launched last year, offering sculptural designs inspired by nature. Essence has so far been a success. In the fourth quarter of 2024, it notched revenue of 232 million Danish kroner, or more than $35 million, with demand fueled by customers who were new to the brand.

The summer campaign, which breaks on Thursday, features inlaid, man-made stones and Murano glass carved into symbolic and animal shapes. The pieces are made from 14-karat gold plate and sterling silver, with design inspirations drawn from the seaside.

Pandora’s colored glass, animal shapes, charms and other add-ons are carefully designed to appeal to a global audience, and to allow customers to express their individuality.

Charms can be clipped onto necklaces of various lengths and bracelets, rings can be stacked different ways, and beads can be strung or unstrung onto chains depending on whether the wearer is in a maximalist or minimalist mood. There are also personalization and repair services across the store estate.

“The products are versatile, they encourage the creativity of the consumer. That versatility also means we can adjust the styling in our campaigns to make sure they reflect the taste and the different cultural codes in the Middle East, France, America or Japan,” de Pablos-Barbier said.

Even the colors are considered.

De Pablos-Barbier said that in China turquoise is a symbol of the beginning of life, while in Western cultures it might be tied to a birth month or a particular memory or moment. “People bring different meanings to their pieces, and that’s the purpose of Pandora, to help people express all their different [loves],” she said.

De Pablos-Barbier has spent much of her career thinking globally and acting locally. Most recently, she served as the president and chief executive officer of the LVMH-owned Champagne brands Moët & Chandon, Dom Perignon and Mercier, where she spearheaded innovations.

Prior to that, she was chief growth officer of Mars Wrigley and chief marketing officer of Lacoste, where she led the brand’s global repositioning. She also has experience in high jewelry, serving as vice president of marketing and communications at Boucheron, which is owned by Kering.

She said that with any product, be it Champagne, chocolate or luxury fashion, “globally, you make sure that you are connecting your brand to a universal belief that is a human truth. You make that ruthlessly simple — and consistent. For us it’s ‘Be Love,’ a message that travels across cultures and countries.”

She added: “You then use that layer of meaning to talk about the brand in different languages and with cultural codes that suit the local consumer. You do it with the same product, which is the beauty of the work.”

Despite its double-digit growth last year, Pandora still has far to go.

“We are not really big in the Far East, and we haven’t really cracked China yet. We are interested in Japan, and we’re getting good signs from some of the other markets, like Southeast Asia and [South] Korea, but all that remains a big opportunity,” she said.

Pandora also has to figure out how to tackle its highly penetrated markets, such as Italy, where like-for-like sales in the fourth quarter were down 10 percent due to weaker traffic, macroeconomic challenges and an intense promotional environment.

Pandora said earlier this year that it plans to invest more in the region, “driving cultural relevance and brand heat at a local level, including earned media.”

De Pablos-Barbier said the brand also wants to tweak the way it sells lab-grown diamonds. There are plans to build dedicated spaces in stores, make the offer more distinctive from the rest of the jewelry, and promote the new Microfine Diamonds range.

In 2024, Pandora said its lab-grown diamonds posted 315 million Danish kroner, or $50 million, in revenue with like-for-like growth of 43 percent.

The company said the diamonds have had a “tangible positive halo effect on the brand,” and while growth is expected to continue, the global rollout will proceed at a slower pace than originally anticipated.

Pandora said the 1 billion kroner, or $100 million, revenue target for the lab-grown rocks remains a key ambition, though it is now expected to be achieved beyond 2026.

For fall, de Pablos-Barbier said there is more newness in store, with a series of new charms and a gold-plated “maximal” collection, which Pandora will market internationally, paying close attention to the local markets.