How British Advertisers Have Prepared for the Coronation of King Charles III

It’s one of the biggest events in Britain this year, but despite being covered by TV, radio and digital media, few advertisements will be muscling in on the attention around the coronation of King Charles III. But that hasn’t prevented brands from trying.

The coronation will be a very different affair from those of previous monarchs, and while it is a holiday weekend across the nation, the joy and celebration are likely to be muted. The ceremony will be a very old-fashioned affair, performed in front of various generations who have never seen anything like it. And the sentiment is much changed from the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

According to research from Hall & Partners, which interviewed 2,000 people in the U.K. and U.S., nearly a third of Americans (29%) and 23% of Brits feel the monarchy is outdated. The same number of Americans also believe the royal family are out of touch, alongside 20% of Brits.

This follows the general outpouring of grief and respect after the queen’s passing last year, which saw Britain spend over a week in mourning, with millions of people paying their respects in their own ways (including queuing for hours to view the queen’s body lying in state at Westminster Abbey).

According to research firm YouGov, the majority of Brits (70%) believe that brand tributes to the king are simply PR opportunities, based on a poll of 2,605 adults. Less than 1 in 10 (9%) think brands sincerely wish to pay respect to the king, which follows research that found similar negativity around brands paying respects to the late queen last year.

According to Sprinklr, a customer experience management platform that tracks social media engagement, the coronation has received more than 1.8 million mentions ahead of the May 6 ceremony—while anti-monarchy sentiment has been even louder, with #NotMyKing notching 2.65 million mentions.

But the bunting is still out and cheap memorabilia with King Charles’ face looking solemn now appears on teacups and plates across the land. And the ads are not far behind.

The crowning command to advertisers

Once the date of the coronation was confirmed, British advertising watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) was quick to outline the rules around featuring the monarchy commercially.

The main rule is that “members of the royal family should not be shown or mentioned in marketing communications without their prior permission.” Harry and Meghan will be pleased.

However, more vague mentions such as “Congratulations, your majesty” are potentially acceptable, while ads or unofficial memorabilia must also be careful not to imply any royal endorsement, with marketers “strongly advised” against using the royal emblem too.

Permission to use any image or emblem is given through the Lord Chamberlain’s Office.

Another snag for advertisers is that despite around six hours of live coverage on Saturday across BBC News, BBC One, ITV, Sky News and CNN (just to name a few), no ads will interrupt the proceedings. This means one of the largest television audiences in years will not be available for brand engagement, although each channel has also produced special programs that will be open to advertisers.

“The coronation of [His Majesty] King Charles III is a once-in-a-lifetime television event,” said Emma Gormley, managing director of ITV Daytime. “Here at ITV Daytime we’re producing many hours of bespoke content, as well as special standalone shows, to celebrate and commemorate this historical occasion with our audience, both at home and globally.”

Capitalizing on the coronation

So how have brands been getting in on the act?

Heinz has rebranded its tomato ketchup to become Kingchup and is selling limited edition bottles. Spirit brand Pimm’s has released a limited edition coronation bottle ideal for the many street parties that will be held. To also tie in, Premier Foods has rebranded its range of products including gravy brand Bisto, Mr Kipling’s range of cakes and even Ambrosia Devon Custard to feature blue and red bunting and Union Jacks. Crisp producer Walkers has released two specially created flavors with King Prawn Cocktail and Regal Lamb and Mint, with regally themed packaging.

The highest profile above-the-line ad campaign (there haven’t been many produced) has been for supermarket Aldi, which took the opportunity to rekindle an old war with rival retailer Marks & Spencer over the similarity and IP ownership of their popular caterpillar cakes. Playing up an in-joke, the ad sees a group of people enjoying a coronation party each dressed as caterpillars. All is well until Colin (the name of the M&S caterpillar) arrives to a distinctly cool reception.

Aldi has predicted record sales of food for the occasion, expecting to sell more than 30 quiches every minute of the week running up to the coronation.

It has also released special coronation-themed toys of King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla as its brand mascot Kevin the Carrot.

News U.K. media titles The Times and The Sunday Times have released a print campaign featuring images of a young Charles and drawings of a crown on his head, who has waited his whole life for this moment. The ads include the line “The Wait Is Over” and promotes their coverage as “the definitive guide.”

With the lack of media advertising opportunities, brands have stuck more to stunts and in-store activations; for example, Mars-owned chocolate box brand Celebrations created a sculpture of the new king using only its chocolates. This has been viewed more than 2 million times on Twitter alone and received international media coverage.

“Celebrations and our chocolate Charles is in no way affiliated to the palace, and the bust has been created for celebratory purposes only,” stated the tweet—just to be on the safe side.

Not to be outdone, Mondelez-owned chocolate brand Cadbury has made its own chocolate crown as a PR stunt while it also released an 850g The King’s Coronation chocolate bar featuring a crown on the packaging’s center.

Meanwhile, another supermarket chain, Tesco, opened up its first pub called the King in the Castle, which is located in London’s Farringdon neighborhood featuring a menu made with food sourced from the shop.

And its rival Asda has a double-decker bus activation wrapped in white, purple and gold, alongside some British bunting, with celebratory activities being held on it to promote products from suppliers such as Unilever, Heineken, PepsiCo and Diageo.

“Tesco and Asda’s respective campaigns reflect this sentiment, prioritizing accessibility and affordability as they stake their claim as the family favorite of the festivities,” commented Jamie Ray, co-founder of influencer agency Buttermilk. “By partnering with agency experts to curate unique customer experiences such as a VIP coronation bus and an ‘affordable London pub,’ the superstores maximize touch points for their brand partners to build awareness and association among consumers.”