Charles, The Prince of Whales, and his wife Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall, are visiting. So here’s a post about the royals.
Royal Warrants – the ultimate brand endorsement
In 1841, Carr’s Table Water Crackers were granted Queen
Victoria’s Royal Warrant, an award that has been granted to Carr’s by British
royalty continuously since that time. Carr’s have been on the shelves of
grocery stores in Québec for many years with the Royal Warrant prominently
displayed on its packaging. I have to say I had never paid much attention to it
but it’s obviously a prestigious mark and a sign that the product’s quality
meets the Royals’ high standard.
If you care to learn more about Royal Warrants, there’s a well-researched article in brandchannel. Here’s an excerpt:
The warrants have existed for over a hundred years. And unlike traditional celebrity endorsements, brands that are warrant holders are associated less with the Queen or other royalty to which the crests belong (there are four royal warrants belonging to the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the now deceased Queen Mum) but to the traditional way of life and luxury of the British Royal household. Consequently, Royal Warrants are an unfaltering sign of prestige and quality.
“People apply for the warrant because it is a mark of excellence," said Pippa Dutton of the Royal Warrants association. "It's very helpful for trade because people say, well if the Queen shops there, then it must be good. It's very good for trade abroad.”
Do Quebeckers care about what brands the Queen likes?
It’s hard to say.
The same brandchannel article quotes Peter Fisk, Group Managing Director of Brand Finance. He believes a royal connection isn't always a positive endorsement. Fisk says that, compared with other celebrity brands, it is much harder for royal brands to attract consumers for the following reasons:
- Celebrities gain their attributes through achievement and behavior; royalty mainly through position.
- Consumers seek brands that match them or their aspirations. Therefore they can identify with celebrities better than they can identify with royalty.
As you would expect, Quebeckers aren’t as fond of the Royals as Canadians in the rest of the country.
Survey results released last week by Ipsos Reid reveal that Quebeckers are significantly more likely to believe that Canada’s head of state should live in Canada and that when Queen Elizabeth’s reign ends, Canada should end its formal ties to the British monarchy. They’re also more likely to believe that Canada’s head of state should be the Governor General, not the Queen.
And they are more likely to agree with the statement ‘the Queen and the Royal Family should not have any formal role in Canadian society, the royal are simply celebrities and nothing more’.
Which leads me to conclude that the real celebrity endorser here should be Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean. There are plenty of Canadian products waiting for her warrant.
Top 2 box agreement with the statement (Ipsos Reid survey for Canwest News Service and Global Television, October 31, 2009)
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