Royal Wedding: Boon or Bust for Brands?

So he’s done it. He’s done what millions of blokes do every year. That awkward one knee thing. Except when he does it, it becomes a cottage industry. It becomes a global talking point. It becomes a bone of contention. A Republican-Monarchist debate. A change in the national mood. And a Daily Mail wankfest.

Taking a step back (unlike the Daily Mail who’s taken 16 steps/pages forward this morning) or Paddy Power whose ad has already used the Royal Couple’s image (http://twitpic.com/37lyak), what does this mean in media and brand terms over the coming months? Is it an opportunity or is it something to be avoided? What are the things that make it a ‘boon’ or a ‘bust’ for your brand and what can you do about it?

On the ‘boon’ side, the clearest positive for brands is the mood of patriotism the wedding is likely to generate, creating a greater domestic appetite for ‘Britishness’ and a more positive ‘retail’ mood. With the world watching, British brands will also have a great shop window in which to display their innovations, creativity and quality. Media obsession will mean journalists will look for the ‘wedding angle’ in everything, creating a ‘cottage industry’ of tie-ups, media partnerships and promotions. Ultimately, there will be a whole new market created in wedding-related goods, from classic merchandise such as the ‘Mug’ to higher-quality, more subtle packages and products.

On the ‘bust’ side, the obvious watch-out is the ‘perfect storm’ of marketing and PR clutter which will spring up at key points along the next 6-8 months, interspersed with the likely fatigue and disinterest which will hit once the initial media frenzy has subsided (a cycle which will continue relentlessly). There is also a fine line to walk between taking developments into account when planning and over-commercialising what is ultimately a personal occasion – opportunism in the asence of relevance or humour will be punished. Finally, if a brand messes up, oversteps the mark or is too crass, millions of critics await on Twitter. A foot out of place will be instant news.

In five – what brands might do:

1. Know your place – brands need to know whether they have a right to talk wedding and if they do, what is the narrative for their involvement, their context and the tone to adopt;

2. Know the media cycle – the build up will be so significant that the ‘wedding trajectory’ must be fed into planning, if only to avoid key dates and potential media obscurity;

3. Be respectful or be funny – brands with a more relevant link should be subtle and luxury in feel, those who don’t should use humour (but not cruel humour);

4. Brit abroad – British brands can capitalise on the wedding abroad, where people will also be celebratory and interested but less informed, simply by dialing up their Britishness;

5. Be flexible – allow some flexibility to respond to the media agenda and think with a journalist's mindset about how your brand can enhance or bring credibility to an editorial environment.