#ARIGHTROYALMESS

There hasn’t been a case of child exploitation like this on our screens since the mini pops and their ill-fated, adult-themed music performances.

The wait for a royal baby dominated every news channel. Literally nothing else could’ve happened that day. The media frenzy meant a seat on the bandwagon was the hottest ticket in town. Every brand was waiting with baited breath for the sex of the child. Not because they’d had a punt on Paddy Power, but because there was an incredible opportunity to hijack. It’s real time baby! You can imagine the brand FOMO that ensued.

I remember when tactical advertising was relevant but this was just a free for all, an opportunity to grab the crown jewels of real-time marketing. One thing this did show was that no matter how tenuous the link, brands were prepared to take a punt. There were a handful of good/clever posts but a Buck-house load of others that were just there to be there. So, who get’s a pardon and who goes to the tower?

STARBUCKS

Totally irrelevant but I guess this is quite a cute play on Starbucks annoying cup name thing. The irony of them not paying tax is not lost though – they don’t even fund the royals. Cheek!

THE SON

Literally, only the Sun could do this. It’s big, bold and bloody simple. You can’t knock them for being in the royal space, they kind of own it anyway! What would they have done if it’d been a girl?

COKE

Yeah ok, wait for the fun size limited edition bottle with ‘fill in the blank’ on it.

OREO

Lauded after the Superbowl post, I’m not sure they belong here. It seems a bit desperate to get in on the act.

DELTA

Small parts, not suitable for children under 3. He won’t be flying Delta. Fact.

CHARMIN

People will say it’s fun, but it’s completely off brand.

PLAY-DOH

Simple and cute without trying hard. At least it’s for kids and shows a bit of creativity with the product.

NINTENDO

Possibly the worst of the lot.

 

SO, WHAT’S THE CONCLUSION TO ALL THIS?

By tapping into the collective public mood real-time marketing is exciting and can offer real value to brands – but the brand shouldn’t suffer or be compromised because of it. It’s not just about getting something out there because everyone else is. We used to wait a couple of days for memorabilia tat – now we seem to be getting a lot of it on our plate instantly.

 

PS.

Crown off to the Guardian and the ‘Royal baby’ filter they added to their site.