Let me start by saying I don’t have a particularly strong feeling either way about our Monarchy. I don’t think I am a Royalist, or particularly anti-establishment, I’ve kind of just always accepted they were there. I remember when Princess Diana died; my mum and dad were babysitting for a cousin I think, so we had a baby in the house. It sticks in my head, I can picture it.
I remember when Prince William and Britney Spears were rumoured to be writing to each other or something, or maybe I’m misremembering. Anyway, my point is, as far as I’m concerned, they’ve always just been there, a part of the fabric of life, another “celebrity†for the tabloids to try to embarrass.
But this whole Royal Wedding thing is pretty crazy. I was prompted to write this blog after receiving yet another email from a company riding on the coat tails of a young couple’s special day to try and sell me red white and blue “crapâ€. I wasn’t born when Charles and Diana got married in 1981 so I don’t have anything to compare it with, and of course, email wasn’t around then (and for the geekier friends of mine who might try to catch me out, I obviously mean in it’s current prevalent form!) so email marketing had yet to be thought up. But I feel a little bit like marketing has gone mad!
I know that marketers like to have something to “hook†their sales into, there are many holidays throughout the year that have become so totally commercialised, and you can get advertising material for them all. Intellectually I understand this, but the number of emails I’ve got offering me “limited edition†this, that or the other seems to have gone mad. You may say, I open myself up to it by allowing marketing emails, and I guess I do, but I like special offers, I like competitions and I like money off, so I’ll keep allowing emails to be sent.
I just feel weird about the whole thing. I even found myself suggesting my company use the wedding in some of our own communications… I was shocked and a bit disappointed if I’m honest, with myself.
Don’t get me wrong, I am super excited to get an extra day off – who would sniff at that? I can’t really even describe why this has riled me so. Companies have every right to try and sell their products in any way they deem appropriate, but it all just feels so tacky, for want of a better word.
As I said, I don’t know what it was like when Charles married Diana, I know there were commemorative goodies galore, but did supermarkets have “Royal Wedding Sales†or did Boots offer a “Limited Edition Royal Wedding Lipstick� Am I missing the point? Should I be running around buying up Royal Wedding goodies, planning my viewing for the day? I’ve got tickets for a comedy gig that night, should I be going to a street party?
What do you think? Will you be partaking of the special limited edition products? Or does it all just feel a bit commercial?
I think it’s extremely tacky, but that it’s probably also highly effective. I suppose the decision to engage and either buy or boycott royal wedding themed products comes down to the individual consumer at the end of the day. Many companies are going to try and earn some extra pounds from anything prominent in the public consciousness, that’s just what businesses do, but nobody is forcing anyone to buy any of that crap.
I’m not sure what’s going on and why it wouldn’t work earlier but this is the comment I was going to post.
I get what you mean. Economically, it will be beneficial for the UK economy because of the tourists who will want to be here for the event and that kind of thing. One of my US colleauges it really really excited about the whole thing which is really funny because all our office are kind of not bothered about it.
I wasn’t born in 1981 either hehe. I had 5 years before I transformed from twinkle to baby hehe. I think it is a big deal though – My Grandad cleared out my Great-Grandad’s flat (he moved to a different supported living place) and Grandad found a china cup that was released on the wedding of George VI and Elizabeth (that’s the Queen’s Mum and Dad to you and me) – that makes it 90 years old or something like that (I think it’s George and Elizabeth I’m not so sure now lol) Will we be treasuring our wedding souvenirs in 90 years?
@Tom – if we were to boycott would we have to give up the extra Bank Holiday that we’ve gained? I’ve got 11 days off in a row 🙂 4 bank holidays and 4 weekend days and then the 3 in the middle I’m taking as holiday.
I agree with both of you, no one is forcing me to buy anything at all. I guess part of me has just become increasingly aware of all things marketing, and the use of important dates to hook products into.
I don’t feel as though this wedding is going to be one of the “where were you when…” moments of our lifetime, maybe I’m wrong.