Whether a monarchist or republican, or somewhere in-between, for marketeers the Royal Wedding is a huge opportunity to deliver marketing messages to large audiences and engage with consumers.
Even if you’re not actively using the Royal Wedding as marketing opportunity it’s interesting to look at how people will be watching and interacting on the day to understand how the media landscape has changed since Prince Charles and Lady Di got married back in 1981.
Back then, the publics’ options for watching the Royal Wedding centred around BBC and ITV broadcasts, with friends and family watching together in the same room. The 2011 Royal Wedding will be a very different occassion.
BBC and ITV are still here, broadcasting to the nation (ITV is even going commercial-free for the ceremony due to OFCOM rules), however the watching audience is no longer restricted to sitting around the television box at home.
The Royal Channel on YouTube will be steaming the whole service live (taken from the BBC feed without the commentary), and the BBC website will also be streaming the wedding via its Royal Wedding homepage. Many smartphone users will also be able to tap into these live streams.
Wedding talk
In 1981 conversation about a Royal Wedding was limited to turning to the nearest family member and saying, “What do you think of the dress?”. In 2011 wedding chat (whether for or against) can take place on Twitter, Facebook or other social networks.
Clarence House has its own Twitter handle with live updates for those that follow @clarencehouse, as does the BBC with @BBCRoyalWedding. For those wishing to join in with the Twitter chat, the suggested hashtag is #rw2011.
On Facebook the monarchy already have their own fan page to help curate the conversation, showcase photos and provide more information.
Comparing the Royal Weddings of 1981 and 2011 shows how far the media and social landscapes have changed. What used to involve face-to-face interaction and a shared experience, around a communal TV set, has morphed into an experience potentially shared worldwide and watchable from any location you can find internet access.
Marketers need to understand these changes in consumer behaviour if they are to ensure their marketing messages are reaching the right audience, and integrated campaigns that cover a wide range of platforms are now an essential starting point for almost all marketing communication plans.