From jingle to franchise, and endorsement to PR – The Queen of England does branding very well, and commercial brands should take note.
The brand value of the Royal Family, which include benefits to tourism revenue and Royal Warrants, stands at an impressive £44 billion according to Brand Finance.
The Monarchy is one of the most valuable of all British brands, and for her reign The Queen has managed this expertly on an international stage.
Breaking down the figures, the Royal Warrant scheme alone is valued at £4 billion. A business which is granted a Coat of Arms through the Royal Warrant can have significant goodwill and profitable benefits.
So what makes The Queen so valuable, and what can brands learn from her?
- Jingle: ‘God Save Our Gracious Queen’ National Anthem is learnt by every British person and internationally, making it one of the ultimate brand jingle of all time.
- Franchise: From tea-towels, to mugs and fancy dress masks to soap The Queen and Royal Family have franchised the brand for maximum profit and there isn’t a central London newsagent that doesn’t have a postcard of The Queen they can sell you.
- Aspirational: The Queen and Royal Family is an aspirational brand. They are aloof on a unique platform of their own, and their lifestyle and cultural importance is aspirational.
- Likeability: The Queen is a popular figurehead, and this has positioned her as an influencer as well as a strong, desirable brand.
- Public Relations: From pregnancy to marriage, from graduation to state banquets the Royal Family have enviable Public Relations and Crisis Management strategies. They have a seamless stronghold over the media and their ability to tell stories about their life, achievements and global excursions are first class.
- Everywhere: The Queen is everywhere – not only from postage stamps and money, but is painted, portrayed in films and almost omnipresent. The Queen has been the subject of hundreds pieces of artwork, dwarfing Coca Cola’s Warhol for example. The prevalence of The Queen as a brand makes her one of the most widely talked about figures globally.
- Endorsement: The Monarchy’s issue of Royal Warrants is a powerful endorsement for individual and company brands, as well as for the nation brand of Great Britain.
The Queen is a powerful brand, and The Royal Family Monarchy structure allows the figurehead (and thus brand) to reinvent itself for each new generation.
