After this week’s backlash, maybe he should pick up the phone to seek strategic advice from someone outside of the inner circle—as in 1957, when Queen Elizabeth II approached the journalist John Grigg to help her make the British monarchy relevant again after he publicly criticized the institution in his magazine, the National and English Review.
Leaving the past behind
A brand’s strength and reputation is often built on its history, values and story, but it is driven by its vision for the future. What does this painting say about history? What does it say about the future?
Dressed as the head of the armed forces and commander in chief, emerging from a red mist, the royals’ past is on display. And while the King has apologized on behalf of the empire for its colonial “involvement,” has everyone really forgiven and forgotten? Is the royal family so out of touch that they do not see how this image would be interpreted?
A core tenet of good brand strategy is a deep understanding of your audience and a point of view on how your brand can play a meaningful role in their lives. What role are we to understand for the royals in our lives from this painting? If the royals want us to see them differently, then they need to be looking forward, not backward, and offer a clearer vision for the meaningful contribution they can make to the lives of their subjects.
Future-proofing
A common exercise used in brand strategy development is to ask leaders, “What headline do you want to see written about your brand in the future?” This reveals how they want to be known, and gives strategy folk a few clues about where they should try and take the business.
How does Charles want to be remembered? How does he want the royal family to be seen? Charles’ request to include the monarch butterfly as a double metaphor—about his ascent to the throne, as well as his environmental activism—is both awkwardly on the nose and invites criticism about the family’s use of private jets and game hunting. Looking at this portrait doesn’t give us any sense of a changed future.
What it takes to change
The effort to change perception must be equal to the gap between current and future states—a big change requires a big gesture. So, in many ways, expecting this portrait to do or be anything other than a picture is folly. Change for the royals won’t come from a new framing or brave color palette; it must come from genuine changes in behavior.