A Branding Perspective On The Popularity Of The British Monarchy

The end of Queen Elizabeth’s 70 year reign brought sadness around the world, but also questions for this well-known brand for the future.  Examining the monarchy as a famous brand provides some useful lessons for marketers, especially the implications of Queen Elizabeth’s beloved and revered appeal.  And looking ahead, can Charles III replicate the dignity and respect that Elizabeth achieved, and importantly bring people together like Elizabeth did?

Why The Monarchy Excelled Under Elizabeth II

There are some special principles for successful branding which Elizabeth personified for the monarchy, and which could determine whether Charles can sustain his mother’s impressive reign:

• Bonding – building a meaningful relationship with an audience depends more on how people emotionally feel about a brand than what they rationally think of it. A hallmark of the queen was her ability to credibly connect with such a wide, diverse population, and not just influential people.
• Brand personality – people relate to people, not things, so describing a brand with meaningful personality qualities is critical for building trust. Elizabeth had a regal sense of fairness and was genuinely devoted to public service, with unwavering professionalism and display of traditional pomp and decorum.
• Brand values – for the monarchy, precise values and behavior are dictated by tradition. Most noteworthy, Elizabeth excelled at identifying with ordinary people. Other core personality traits that contributed to the popularity of the crown included her impartiality, fairness to all, grace, integrity, discretion, neutrality and privacy,
• Branding is strategic – her self-effacing style and the constant affection she received over 70 years was the key for stability. Support for the crown was always strong, varying between 60% and 80% over the past 30 years.   Her popularity dipped only once, in 1997 during Charles’ public unravelling marriage to Diana and the perceived indifference of the queen to Diana’s death, but reached a new high as recently as May 2022 of 81% (versus only 54% for Charles).

Elizabeth’s most impressive accomplishment was how she was able to reach out and unify the support of Britons from so many backgrounds.  The Queen endlessly visited small towns, industrial estates, colleges and minor businesses throughout the U.K.  An amazing 31% of all Brits said they had personally seen her.  Typical comments were “she’s always been there” and she was “the glue holding Britain together”.  This accomplishment is especially noteworthy given the growing polarization and a demand for individualism in society today.

The Challenges for King Charles III

While Elizabeth epitomized the qualities of royalty and was scrupulously neutral and discrete, Charles has been outspoken about several topics, from modern architecture to fox hunting to climate change.  His behavior has not been kept private either, including his miserable schooldays, his disastrous marriage to Diana and sometimes publicly losing his temper.

The overall support for the monarchy as an institutional brand presents another challenge for Charles.  In a British Social Attitudes survey in 2021, only 14% of 18-34 year-olds thought the monarchy was “very important”, compared to 44% of people aged 55 or older.  On the other hand, Charles’ passion for environmentalism, nature, conservation and organic farming, should help him win support among younger people.

Charles’ hardest task will be to sustain the monarchy quietly and peacefully. A critical question for Charles is whether he can continue the Queen’s remarkable ability to unite people, not only within the United Kingdom, but also throughout the Commonwealth.

At the moment, support for Charles is growing.  In a recent YouGov poll, those who think he will do a good job has doubled, from 32% in May 2022 to 63% after his mother’s death.  Three-fifths of Britons saw his first speech as king, and 94% of them approved.  Charles has also promised to replicate the Queen’s style of discretion and to remain above politics, even to streamline the royal family structure and pare back the extravagance of the May 6 coronation.  Indeed, Elizabeth will be an extraordinarily hard act to follow.  Good luck and God save the King!