In case you missed the media explosion Monday, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (a.k.a. Will and Kate) now have a son… a prince, in fact. Ready to capitalize on the announcement after nine months of expectation, just about every kind of product and service jumped on the news, mostly through social media. Maclean’s reported that just ahead of the royal birth, Britain’s Centre for Retail Research has “put the Royal baby’s stimulus effect at about half that of his or her parents’ nuptials. Consumer spending on baby-inspired festivities and sales of royal-themed paraphernalia is expected to come in at $386 million.”
So, yeah, there’s money to be made from the little guy. While sometimes the brands making mention of His Royal Baby-ness made sense, other times…
• Oreo, which has been top of the social media marketing pile this year, created another well-made pic for its followers
• Holt Renfrew knows that even blue-blooded babies puke a lot. Their tasteful solution made it to Twitter.
• Delta airlines mobilized quickly.
• Starbucks got crafty with its cups.
• Charmin, a bathroom tissue brand, had a fairly easy way to align itself with the event.
• Maple Leaf Foods tweeted “It’s a boy for Will and Kate! How about celebratory Blueberry Cheesecake Turnovers? http://bit.ly/133epcS ” Blue for a boy? Blue for blue blood? We’re not sure.
• Kraft Canada urged its followers to do a little baking in honour of the big event: “#itsaboy! Expecting a little prince yourself? Try our #recipe for Reveal Baby-Cakes: http://bit.ly/12pgSxV #RoyalBaby”
• Random House offered some bedtime reading for the little tyke.
Have you seen a particularly good (or heinous) royal baby ad? Share links in the comment section.
