How should one draw the royal line?

Event based marketing is not new and whether it is building your message around a seasonal event such as Christmas or Easter, or a major sporting occasion like the Olympics, the results speak volumes for brands and media owners alike. But where the event is run by commercial organisations, such as the Olympics or F1, the restrictions around what brands can or can’t do are well documented and strictly implemented.
 
When it comes to Royal events, the rules seem to be less clear. The Advertising Standards Authority Committee of Advertising Practice has issued guidelines but they are very generic and centre around the principle that advertising should not feature members of the Royal Family, or imply that the Royal Family endorse or use the product or service without the prior permission of the family member. You can be certain that if the funding for the Royal Family was to ever become solely reliant on commercial sources, the rules would be in place and administered with a fervency not seen since the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Royal branding

According to the Centre for Retail Research, the Royal Heir will bring a boost to the economy of some £240 million. A proportion of this will come from official commemorative memorabilia. But what about those products that are merely running themed campaigns to connect with the birth. Proctor & Gamble will no doubt lead the way with a Pampers connection, but we would expect that to be tasteful and well within any guidelines. However, is Paddy Power’s stunt of sending actors dressed as babies wearing crowns to the gates of Buckingham Palace and London Hospital (where the Royal Birth is expected to take place) brand enhancing for the Royal Family? Should the Royal Family not protect their brand image more stringently when it comes to who jumps on the band wagon and how?
 
Krispy Kremes have named their donut of the month ‘the new kid on the block’, Argos are on TV asking viewers to send in name suggestions, and Haribo have reportedly trademarked ‘Haribo Royal Babies’ and ‘Haribo Royal Jelly Babies, although we are yet to see them on sale. Would we see ‘Rowntree’s Modern Pentathlon Fruit Gems’ getting past the strict regulations surrounding the Olympics? I suspect not.   

Blue or pink

One brand that, justifiably perhaps, has ventured into the advertising arena off the back of the Royal Birth is the luxury maternity brand Seraphine, worn by the Duchess of Cambridge, with bus sides created by JWT. The brand and agency worked together to create something that respectfully connected the Royal Event with the brand, driving crowds to the stores. The result was a simple, elegant design appearing on buses around London, primarily Kensington, asking ‘Is it a girl? Is it a boy?’ This will later change to ‘Congratulations M’um’ after the baby is born.
 
The ‘Kate effect’ has gripped the high street, with Seraphine, Hobbs and TopShop all reporting a boost in sales. There will be no stopping brands connecting with the Royal Family and Royal events. Recently 200 Royal Warrant holders celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation at a four day event at Buckingham Palace. An event with a very commercial purpose to promote British Industry and clearly endorsed by the Royal Family. But how and where the Royal Family draw the line on communications that involve their name or activities, should undoubtedly be strengthened if they are to build their brand on the popular events and occasions that garner such exceptional public interest.

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