It seems that as the country sat back and anticipated the birth of the royal baby, marketers were busy scribbling away to see just how they could link their brand to the baby. So now the new prince is here, we are getting to see the full force of their efforts.

And I’m not sure how I feel about it…

In a country as patriotic as ours, it’s no surprise we’ve gone slightly ‘baby-brained’ – but does that mean we have a higher inclination to buy a bottle of coke that has Wills emblazoned on it? Brands up and down the country clearly think so.

It was the same for the Royal Wedding and London 2012, and will be the same for any big national events in the years to come. If a brand can find a way to hook onto it, my word will they do it. If it’s not Jelly Babies launching Royal Jelly Babies, then it’s Magnum offering a Twitter toast through #MiniRoyal – and I must admit, I don’t feel inclined to eat either in order to whet the new baby’s head.

Cynical as it may seem, if it is apparent that a brand has created a hook for hook’s sake, my feelings towards that brand aren’t favourable. And it would seem I’m not alone in my sceptical little thoughts – research into customer perceptions of brands has found that when customers identify altruistic motives behind something, they generate stronger perceptions of that brand (Beech and Chadwick).

I suppose with this in mind then, maybe it’s almost entirely personal as to which brands customers will identify with, and those that they won’t.

Dale Gill, chief executive at Profero also recognises the importance of ‘fit’. “Success is about the strength of idea, the fit between brand and event and the timing. Most brands will simply be wasting their money, or worse, by not lining all of these up.”

So here’s a couple of the brands that I think have got it spot on;

OxoTot – ‘Your Throne Awaits’. A high-chair company with a welcome to the new prince.
Warburtons – ‘One’s bun is done’. With a truly British heritage, this makes perfect sense to me.
Herein lies my message to brands; if there is a genuine link between your brand and an event, then by all means shout it from the rooftops, but if not, leave the tenuous links alone.

That’s it from me now – I’m off to sip on my special edition Mumm…

See you soon,

Leah