Being Queen of Something — Everything You Need to Know About Influencer Marketing

“What’s a queen without her king? Well, historically speaking, more powerful.”

Like most people I’ve been obsessed with the British Royal family for the longest time keeping tabs on what they are doing, where they are going, and what the royal women are wearing. I still remember so vividly the epic event when Prince Charles married Lady Diana in 1981 in a lavish and highly publicized wedding ceremony at the St. Paul Cathedral in London. Their story was a fantasy come true — a prince swept a commoner off her feet and brought her into the royal family. And I’ve continued to follow the family saga.

A couple of weeks ago, as I was reading about Queen Elizabeth II funeral procession and King Charles III’s ascension to the crown, I came across the big brouhaha over the 620 companies the Queen endorsed by granting something called a “royal warrant” and was absolutely floored. I know just how important endorsements are for brand awareness…but an ‘effing royal warrant! Must be a British thing, ha! Well, shame on me! That term has been used by the royal family for the last 200 years. As a matter of fact, the British Crown has been in the endorsement business since 1765 when King George III’s wife Queen Charlotte endorsed Wedgwood as the Pottery of her Majesty. Practically overnight, demand exploded throughout the Commonwealth and Wedgwood China became the lexicon of sophistication, elegance, and wealth among the aristocratic class.

This was how one gets brand awareness back then… Royal Warrants of Appointment. While this practice still exists to this day with Royal Warrant by Appointment to HM King Charles III, other channels have come up, especially with the evolution of the digital age and social media.

Let’s first understand the concept of brand awareness. Brand awareness refers to how well your audience knows your company and your products, including the qualities that set you apart from the competition. Consider the beer industry, without branding through their distinct packaging, many beers are indistinguishable. The big brands in the industry, Corona and Heineken rely on brand awareness to make their brands the beer of choice among consumers. And brand awareness is the foundation upon which all marketing strategy…