Coronation fever is in full swing ahead of this weekend’s celebrations! From processions to street parties, the royals and the public alike will watch as King Charles III ascends to the throne on Saturday 6th May, with up to a whopping 350 million people expected to watch the event.
With the eyes of the world watching, it’s unsurprising that brands across all different sectors want to get a slice of the action. We’ve pulled together some of our favourite coronation PR stunts…
Tesco’s ‘The King in the Castle’ pub
There is possibly nothing as quintessentially British as a good old-fashioned pub. So, it’s no surprise that Tesco have chosen to mark the occasion of the coronation with the opening of their first ever pub, ‘The King in the Castle’ on Cowcross Street, Farringdon, on 4th-5th May.
Adorned with red, white and blue decor, (which is conveniently on brand!), the pub will serve a daytime menu of coronation-themed ploughman’s platter, sandwiches and high tea before transforming into a gastro pub, offering themed dishes such as, ‘Camilla’s King Prawn Curry’ and ‘The Prince’s Crust Pie’.
What’s more, Tesco is donating £250,000 from the in-store sales of its limited-edition Coronation range, along with all proceeds from the pub, to The Prince’s Trust – which was founded by King Charles III himself.
Celebrations’ Chocolate Charles
Sticking to what they know, Mars Wrigley’s team of chocolatiers and model makers have created a life-sized bust of the King from their iconic Celebrations chocolates.
Taking more than four weeks to make and using no less than 17 litres of melted chocolate and miniature bars of Snickers, Mars, Twix, Milky Way, Galaxy and Bounty for decoration (2,875 Celebrations chocolates were used, to be exact!), the bust really is the spitting image of the King.
The sculpture, which weighs more than 23kg, has been modelled to replicate the image of the King which will grace our stamps, coins and bank notes post-coronation, so there’s no time like the present to get used to it!
Ubers’ Coronation Carriages
Continuing with the theme of coronation replications, Uber is commemorating the event by offering consumers the chance to travel like the King!
Riders will be able to book a horse-drawn carriage around Dulwich Park in southwest London between 3rd-5th May, which is set to resemble the one King Charles III will ride to his own coronation.
With a plush interior, four regal white horses and a formal red coat-wearing driver, the carriage is fully kitted out to give riders a taste of royalty, which can be booked through the Uber app.
Uber will also be donating a portion of the proceeds to Spana, a UK charity which supports the welfare of working animals.
Creative Crowns
It’s not just brands that are getting in on the action. Creatives across the globe have been inspired to produce coronation themed content ahead of the monumental event. One of our favourites comes from Melbourne based designer, Anthony Smith. His homage to Guinness’ iconic branding and advertising style proves that you don’t always need to do something big to be impactful.
His stripped back approach features a lone pint of the black stuff, with its head manipulated to resemble a crown. The use of Guinness’ signature slogan, ‘Good things come to those who wait’ (We all know just how long Charles has waited!) teamed with the date of the coronation, is a far cry from union jack bunting and memorabilia.
Despite no mention of the coronation, the message and purpose could not be clearer. Although this isn’t a real ad, it just goes to show that bigger doesn’t always mean better.
We couldn’t find a high quality image to insert into this blog, but you can check out the cheeky piece here.
Are you interested in elevating your PR campaign with a spectacular stunt? Get in touch via our contact page here; as an awards judge once said, “Refresh doesn’t just think outside the box, it tears it open.”