Royal Jubilee 2022 and the rules for marketers.

Abi Roman

With the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee almost upon us, many marketers may still want to get in on the action unofficially. However, before you leap on the Royal bandwagon, you need to be aware that there are strict rules and guidelines to be followed to avoid ending up in the Tower.

Events connected to the monarchy have gripped our nation ever since Queen Victoria’s wedding back in 1840 when the Satirist wrote “We are all going stark, staring mad. Nothing is heard or thought of but doves and cupids, triumphal arches and white favours…”.

Royal weddings, births, Coronations and anniversaries have always been a symbol of national pride and celebration, and now more than ever, they are the perfect way for brands to connect with the shoppers.

In June, the Queen celebrates her 70th year of service with a year-long programme of festivities throughout the UK, the Commonwealth and around the world. An extended bank holiday from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June will be the focus for people to celebrate this historic milestone, with public and communal events planned and it will be a logical time for marketers to run their campaigns around.  Although the official guardian of the Queen’s image and rights is the Lord Chancellor, the majority of the main rules that you will need know can also be found in the CAP Code, overseen by the ASA:

  1. CAP Code Rule 6.2 says you should not feature the Royal Family in marketing communications without their permission – which you are unlikely to ever receive.
  2. Rule 3.52 bans you from using the Royal Arms or Emblems, or referring to a Royal Warrant without permission either
  3. The rules around souvenir products are quite strict to. You cannot imply a Royal endorsement or imply that a product is official memorabilia so watch out if you are developing royalty themed prizes for your promotion.

For more definitive guidance on the use of Royal logos, photographs and Titles visit the Lord Chamberlain’s Office’s website here and in the meantime have a cup of tea and enjoy some ‘royal promotion’ inspiration by brands wishing to celebrate with their customers;.

KFC Royal Bucket
To celebrate Harry and Meghan’s 2018 royal wedding KFC created 25 bone China royal wedding buckets for a promotion exclusive only to their ‘Colonel Club’ members. They also created 50 cardboard versions only available from KFC’s Windsor brand on the Royal Wedding day itself. 

British Rail
In 2012 in honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, British Rail offered a promotion that transported visitors beyond the City of London and allowed them to experience more of England’s coastal beauty. The promotion consisted of getting an extra travel day when you purchased a British Rail London Plus Pass and, for those looking to get a glimpse into the royal life, you could get a Historic Royal 4 Palaces Pass for the price of 3 Palace Passes.

Twinings
As suppliers of tea to the royal family since 1837, Twining’s launched a limited edition royal wedding tea blend to commemorate the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Deliveroo
Deliveroo also ran a promotion for Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018 where they offered a late night delivery service so that ‘royalists’ across the country didn’t have to settle for the previous night’s leftovers when they arrived home after celebrating. They also ran a social media promotion giving out £5000 worth of credit under the hashtag #harrytheheartbreaker.

Maynards
Maynard’s ran an on-pack promotion to win a chance to ‘celebrate like royalty’ where the star prize was a banquet on a private jet and a night in a 5-star hotel in Monte Carlo for 6 people!

Cadbury

Cadbury
Cadbury have held a Royal Warrant for more than 167 years and have a long standing history of helping the nation come together and celebrate royal occasions. This year, with our help, they are offering 500 lucky people the chance be a part of the big celebrations by winning limited tickets to the Queen’s Jubilee Pageant!

Most of these examples were not affiliated to the royal family or a royal event but managed to find a way to join in the celebrations compliantly and would have had their ideas, comms and any prizes checked over by a legal team like ours first. If you are planning something last minute to celebrate the Jubilee PromoVeritas can help you with legal advice, implementing a social media promotion, compliant winner selection, or handling the winner management smoothly.

Contact us here for help with a Jubilee promotion you might be considering, or why not join our Shopper Marketing Webinar on Wednesday 25th May with consumer behaviour expert, Phillip Adcock, and our own team of promotions experts, to learn more about what really makes consumers tick. THIS WEBINAR HAS ENDED: PLEASE GET IN TOUCH FOR A RECORDING.