The Royal Wedding: A Fairytale PR Opportunity

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for last 5 months, you may have noticed the media frenzy surrounding the impending Royal Wedding. Whilst regular updates on the guests (Fergie has not been invited,) best man (Prince Harry, of course) and bridesmaids (small Royal children) have fuelled the nation’s anticipation, the real stars have been the creative minds behind the many opportunist PR campaigns.

Following the announcement of the engagement at Clarence House, QVC released the Epiphany Platinum Clad Diamonique Oval Cluster Ring, a replica of the engagement ring for snip of the price at only £34.42. VisitBritain created a royal wedding itinerary complete with a tour of St Andrew’s, where the couple “went from students to soulmates.”

Boutique Hotel, Ten Manchester Street, offered all engaged couples called William and Kate a complimentary afternoon tea with chilled bottle of champagne, and confectionary brand Swizzels Matlow, created a mosaic image of the couple using Love Hearts, though it takes a few minutes of to realise the couple is William and Kate.

Even toy brands got a piece of the action. At Toy Fair Sylvanian Families launched its Royal Wedding Celebration Set featuring two rabbits called Catherine Chocolate and William Balmoral, with the help of a Wills and Kate look-a-like for a photo call. Lego issued a series of images depicting their take on the big day using mini figures and building blocks to represent the monarchs and Westminster Abbey.

Topping the list of more bizarre announcements: Benidorm Tourist board invited the happy couple to honeymoon on the island with a promise of “unforgettable days very near of your British people.” Whilst Revolver Entertainment has gone to the lengths of producing a film – Will & Kate: The Movie – a fictionalised documentation of their love story, shot in LA.

So why has the wedding served PRs to well?

Firstly, love them or loath them, the Royals get column inches. Like a good celebrity brand ambassador they have high profiles and are of interest to both the media and the Great British public. Secondly, weddings are one of the few events that almost any brand can be linked to. From Travel and Tourism to Food and Drink, and everything in between, there is a Royal Wedding themed story within almost every industry.

Thirdly, it’s a celebration, and celebrations mean special limited edition offers, products and services i.e. something ‘new’ to approach media with. Another key factor is that details of the day have been kept under wraps meaning PRs can take advantage of the nation’s curiosity to speculate and make assumptions to help their clients take centre stage.

Although it might seem like an easy target, securing standout coverage with a Royal Wedding-related campaign takes skill and PR nous. This has been demonstrated by the varying success of the stories over the last 5 months.

All that’s left for Wills and Kate to do is say “I do,” marking the start of their happily ever after, and the end of the PR coverage fairytale.

Video on Demand bolsters not bashes trad linear TV

An article caught my eye that confirms an old suspicion of mine.

Seems that most people use video on demand to catch up on shows missed on old fashioned TV. The number using VoD to find new shows has declined rather than risen. Interestingly the habit of catchup TV means viewers are engaging more not less with their television viewing.  While they watch TV, they are concurrently surfing the web, making transactions and talking about what they’re watching on social media networks and sites.

So it looks, like radio, TV may get a renewed  lease of life  from new media technologies that weaves the format into our lives in new and more interesting ways. It all goes to show how new waves of technology rarely wipe out the old either rapidly or entirely.  A plural not singular digital media future.

Could the same apply to the future of the print media, I wonder?

Team Rooney Vs Team Ferguson

How did he do it and what can we learn?

The first thing I noticed about this “campaign” is how he positioned his reasons for getting a massive pay increase. He argued that the issue was not that he wanted more money. Rather, he had concerns about whether Man United was still competitive. He wanted assurances that the club would invest in a new squad to win competitions.

Whether you believe this or not, Wayne was in a position of power. He had not yet signed a new contract, he was available for a free transfer and he is the most famous face of English football.

This saga emulates the current trend of greed in sport which Wayne achieved by using a powerful PR strategy. He has pinned his increased salary to a new contract and gained a huge pay rise but at what cost?

He has done this at the expense of massive public scrutiny and a massive backlash of fans. Many are currently talking about avoiding buying his name on their shirts – this will have an adverse effect on future lucrative sponsorship deals.

In order to get the public back on side, Wayne is going to need to reconnect with us ‘average Joes’.  He needs a big gesture showing his commitment to his fans and to his club and this would go a long way to helping us believe he is in it for more than just the money.

Here is what Ronaldo said about it..

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,,11661_6473792,00%20en-USS_01DBC.html

Multitasking UK: What will advertisers do next?

The UK has been named a nation of ‘multitaskers’ thanks to social networks and increasingly sophisticated mobile phones, according to new research from Ofcom.

The research reveals that a fifth of all media is consumed at the same time as another form of communication with people spending almost half of their waking hours glued to a screen, on the phone to friends or listening to the radio.

Although TV is as popular as ever, almost one-fifth of the time spent watching TV is now accompanied by laptop or mobile activity. A finding supported by YouGov this week which found that that more than half of UK respondents (58%) are regularly consuming at least one other type of media while watching television.

With television being seen as one of the staples of the advertising industry it will be interesting to see how they react and engage with their target markets moving forward. Brands could sponsor online elements of shows that incorporate your social network, for example real-time quizzes and voting amongst friends. Alternatively, e-commerce professionals as it could offer the unique opportunity to directly link products shown on TV to internet retailers.

Whatever the next generation of advertising will look like we know that the picture below will no longer represent the typical television viewers today.