As of this posting It's early Jan. The best promotional time for this product is Valentines Day (mid Feb) if you get this going now, you can make it on time for the usual V-Day event when sales would be the highest all year.
The Pledge of Mara is a bad buy. It's also a misleading purchase since it is marketed to benefit lower level, inexperienced players who will not understand how giving up a set bonus piece will really be something most players want to avoid right about when this purchase will become most valuable. Yes, it has roleplay value, but that's about it, making it less than what it can (easilly?)
and should be.
Problem:
The majority of the "exp grind" happens once your hit the lower to mid CP levels and at that point yes, having two people in the group not getting a 5 piece bonus from one of their sets is very much a hindrance. If a player is leveling up then they are already usually disadvantaged with skills/dps and this just makes it worse.
Suggested Solution:
Get rid of the actual ring. Turn it into a 'Ceremony of Mara" and make the ring an effect, like Werewolf or Vampire that gives you a permanent status. it would only work for the two players who get that specific buff. Players would actually value it, AND ZoS could even sell "Divorces" that would allow players to remove the effect (and thereby purchase another "ring/ceremony") with someone else! Include the ring as a housing item or token inventory item if you like. Make the pledge and divorce character specific (like WW/Vamp) not account, so that each character needs a marriage. Players will, complain a little, but the overall population will almost certainly be OK with that.
For the players who already purchased this, give them a free pledge (one character) or do nothing. The people who care will get over it and the people who don't will buy the new pledge anyway.
This solution would not only 1) increase sales; 2) make the product being sold actually have fair value; 3) create an additional incentive to attract new players and; 4) create an additional source of revenue as players marry and remarry other players.
I relinquish any rights or claim to these ideas or names if ZoS actually wants to implement them. My motivation in to contribute to make this game better. Which includes making it more profitable whenever that profit also rights a wrong and benefits the players.
P.S. Make the divorce more expensive than the wedding, just for added realism.