The world smiled a collective smile last week as we welcomed Prince George amidst a firestorm of media coverage and social commentary. I don't know a soul that wasn't somehow involved in the discussion.
This is the Royal Family, a brand at a bright and shiny moment in its history. There have certainly been other moments before, but in recent memory this was certainly a high point. With refreshed imagery and contemporary messaging, this is a brand set for continued political and social power.
The Royal Couple certainly knows what they are doing, clearly making very calculated moves to continue to build their popularity and influence. Simply put, they are exhibiting brilliant branding, the likes we have not seen from political figures perhaps ever, or at least in the age of social media. As a result, their impact is far-reaching and strikingly palpable.
So let's learn from them, shall we? There are a few key tenants to their behavior that any marketer could apply to their brand big, small, or even personal. Let's break those down.
Communicate with Symbolism. Actions certainly speak louder than words and the Royal Couple have become masters in the unspoken communication. Each move is meant to send a message about their brand. From the polka dot dress to remind people from whence they came to the handing over of the baby to Prince William to communicate that they are tackling parenthood as a couple. In fact for them, it's partnerhood tied directly to the emotional highs of their own upbringing. That dress alone spoke a thousand words to how they are as a family.
Make an Emotional Connection. The key to any brand is to make an emotional bond with your customer, to make them feel something that your competition simply can't. The Royal Couple is based completely on emotion from their own loving relationship to their continual references to Princess Diana to their now not-so-subtle commitment to parenting. We can relate to these people and they make us feel special just watching them in action. Now that's powerful branding.
Be Real. If there's one lesson to be learned in modern day branding, it's to be completely transparent and authentic. Just ask Paula Deen who appears to be on the opposite end of the spectrum these days. The Royal Couple is as real as they can possibly get from personally getting in the car and driving away with newborn Prince George to the way Prince William held the baby to Kate's very apparent baby bump. There's no over-the-top celebrity show here, no fantastic body to show how she's lost all the baby weight in twenty-four hours, and no fanfare beyond what we all are dying to experience. They walked right up to the media to introduce their son to them, the very next day after he was born. How refreshing! These are real people with a real family, just a little more in the public eye from a little more famous of a family than most of us.
Learn from these folks! Communicate simply and clearly to your customers, backing up your words with actions that show you mean business. Make an emotional connection with your customers to show that they can grow to trust and rely on you. Be conscious of how you make them feel with every interaction. And most importantly, be yourself. Personal connections are so important in any business so don't be anything other than real and authentic. It'll help you establish credibility and loyalty in the process.
Hopefully you'll get a royal business impact out of it as well!