Royalty: Always about the Brand!
The Big Idea:Â The Royal Family has a brand consultant.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. The Crown is a distinctive brand asset.
The palaces: Check.
The crest: Absolutely.
Martin Lindstrom’s book, Brandwashed, covers this topic.
The key: Royal Families around the world spend a lot of time thinking about brand management.
What do you need to know? Managing a brand takes diagnosis, strategy, and execution.
The mourning period for Queen Elizabeth is about her: yes. But it is also a coordinated effort to make the transition to King Charles stick.
Go Deeper: With the Queen’s death, countries are questioning their relationship with the crown.
How can you use this?
Think in terms of brand management:
- Who is your target market?
- What is your position?
- What brand codes will you use.
The Royal Family knows that their target market is much of the world. For the last 70 years, Queen Elizabeth has given the UK a lot of “soft power” in the world.
The position they want to take up is one of stability and service.
The codes they will use will change, slightly. Because Queen Elizabeth was a symbol of the monarchy, her passing will leave a void. Making the images, speeches, and appearances Charles is making important: he’s now the embodiment of the brand.
Will it work? Time will tell.