Penny Reeve

Today marks the 30th Birthday of Prince Harry. Of course, I don’t really need to tell you this, as it’s all over the media, thanks to a brilliant concert which saw him jointly celebrating his birthday alongside the culmination of The Invictus Games.

This isn’t the first time the Royals have been in the press this year. In the last couple of months we’ve seen a successful Royal Tour to Australia, George’s first birthday celebrations and the announcement of Kate and Will’s new baby.

The “New Royals”, by which I mean Harry, William, Kate and various young relatives are becoming more PR savvy than the older Royals ever have been. Not only good for them, a positive image of the Royals means a positive image for the UK.

Take Charles for example, who was never really a darling of the media. However, following in their mother’s footsteps William and Harry (or their PR team, at least) have decided that being engaging and fun has the potential to up the international perception of the Royal Family no end.

Okay, they’ve made some mistakes, Harry’s Halloween outfit being one of them, but they’re also very good at admitting when they’ve made a mistake. Harry was quick off the mark to apologise about his costume and these small blips, with a strong apology soon after, just add to the media frenzy.

Here are some ways in which the New Royals are livening up the proscribed image of the Royal Family, which can be easily adopted and adapted by companies to revive PR buzz:

Media friendly
Rather than shying away from the cameras, the New Royals are friendlier to the press than their forbears. Media savvy and engaging, the family – especially Kate Middleton and her stylish wardrobe – have the journalists the world over salivating.

Make sure that you don’t shy from the media. If you have something positive to say, or are doing something positive, for charity as an example, then shout about it!

Not following traditional protocol
The days of the ‘stiff upper lip’ Royal may have gone out with Diana, but the New Royals have taken the move from the traditional image even further. Whether it’s engaging with their subjects with selfies (even the Queen got in on this one, bless her), or playing with koalas, the Royals aren’t afraid to show that they like a bit of fun, just like the rest of us. Point in case – the photos of Prince Phillip’s biliousness on the Royal Balcony.

Look at successful large-scale businesses like Google and Innocent drinks, who do something just that little bit different. Whether it’s a ball pool in the office, grass on the floor or duvet days, having fun at work makes for a happy workforce and a great PR story.

The Mini-Prince
Not only did Kate show off her baby bump to the world, former civilian Kate actually gave birth at home. Following this we saw George playing with other children (of a non-Royal background) and various photos of the young couple looking comfortable and at ease with their little one. Gone are the old formal photos of the Royals, here comes happy, relaxed family portrait, showing a young couple enjoying being parents in the 21st century.

Getting creative and showing your company as ‘approachable’ will have customers queuing at the doors. Professional photography is a great way to go about this. If you’re having company shots taken, try to come up with something a little bit different to the stuffy ‘head and shoulders’ shot of yore.

The Invictus Games
The games were quite a feat. After being inspired by the American Warrior Games in 2013, Harry decided to set up his own games to support the Forces and within less than a year it was up and running, with top level sponsorship. Not only does the games show that the Royal’s are giving back to those who give their lives for the U.K, it’s also points out that Harry et al care about their subjects and want to support them.

Showing your commitment to a charity is not only a great way to engage with your target audience, but a great way to increase workplace morale, too.

By being more media friendly the New Royals have really revived something that was perceived as old and out of touch. After the controversy surrounding Princess Diana’s demise it seemed that the death knell had been tolled for the Royals, however with some positive PR and media savvy work, the Royals are in a stronger position than at any time in recent memory.

Long live the Royals!

Want to chat about how you can revive your image add that ‘Royal Factor’ to your business? Then drop me a tweet @PennedPR

If you’ve checked Twitter in the past week, you might have seen the latest PR faux pas. This time it’s from UKIP, as its attempt to get voters to celebrate reasons why they were voting for the party, utilising the hashtag #WhyImVotingUKIP, backfired.

If you missed the online storm that ensued, take a quick look at some of the most controversial #WhyImVotingUKIP responses on Buzzfeed. What started as a genuine attempt to promote the UKIP party turned rather silly rather quickly. Similar attempts have been torpedoed for McDonalds (#McDStories), HMV (#HMVXFactorFiring) and anything that David Cameron tweets, ever.

Social media is a fickle thing that can turn positivity to negativity in a heartbeat. However a good campaign can get you publicity that money can’t buy. Here are my top tips to avoiding hashtag howlers:

Choose your hashtag wisely

We all remember the release of that Susan Boyle album, don’t we? Think about the hashtag that you’re going to implement in advance, and ensure that it leaves no room for misinterpretation. Anything that does can leave a company with a very red face.

Know your audience

Who are you aiming to target? In what way are you hoping to engage them? Make sure to research these things thoroughly before you throw those little symbols around. Starting a hashtag campaign that gets no responses is not only a waste of time and effort but can also be slightly awkward in a “stop trying to make fetch happen” kind of way.

Choose your timing

After announcing a 9.2% price hike at the end of last year, British Gas thought it was a good time for its Customer Services Director, Bert Pijls, to answer questions from the Twittersphere. As they quickly found out, it couldn’t have been a worse time. The ensuing tweets included this gem:

Before you start your campaign, check how your audience is feeling towards your business. If they’re not happy, it might be wise to rethink your strategy this time.

Steer clear of promoting your brand through tragedy

Although this idea should have a flashing red light over the top of it and police tape all around, it’s surprising how many companies have caused a stir by ill-advised tweets surrounding various tragedies. For example, rapper MouthpieSe’s frankly awful 9/11 tweet: “I’m dropping 2 bombs 2 day! Get ready #IGOTABOMB #SEPTEMBER11”. Or Epicurious’ “In honour of Boston and New England, may we suggest: whole grain and raspberry scones!” Epicurious later apologised for its insensitivity.

Check your photos

From airports tweeting pictures of crashes to Spearmint Rhino tweeting awkward baby photos, the wrong kind of image can get you all kinds of negative publicity.

Don’t be evil

Simple – if you’re a company that has a negative reputation, it might not be a great idea to start a social media campaign, a la Shell’s picture caption competition. Twitter on the whole has a rather strong moral compass and tweeters aren’t afraid to speak. If you find that your social media campaign is going sour, then cut it dead as fast as possible, and read my coworker Rob’s great blog about crisis comms.

If you live by the Oscar Wilde quote that “the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about” then feel free to hashtag with abandon, and good luck to you! But if your company reputation could be at stake, then make sure to stop and think before you send your campaign out into the world.