You Say It Best When You Say Nothing At All

28th September 2022

With the end of the official mourning period for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we reflect on how poorly some brands and individuals handled their communication during this time. Quite simply, they didn’t read the room!

We will remember how Centre Parcs completely misjudged its actions. How a modest David Beckham elevated his brand yet again by choosing to wait with the masses rather than jump the queue to pay his respects to our late Queen. And how some brands just carried on regardless…

Human Intervention

After far too many years in this industry, I have seen more than my fair share of ill-judged and poorly conceived campaigns and messages. Yet, it still amazes me that it continues to happen, probably now more than ever thanks to the digital age.

Yes, planned campaigns are part of everyone’s marketing mix but surely when extraordinary events occur, we have a responsibility to step in and make a professional call.

Stay Aware

While printed material can often be beyond cancellation, it’s far easier with online content. It can be removed and replaced in an instant. We advocate that all brands (and individuals in some cases!) stay alert to daily events and significant anniversaries which may be discussed or relate to a planned promotion.

We also believe that all marketers should understand the marketplace in which their business or client operates, and how this relates to and resonates with the wider world.

Know Your Audience

I’m going back to marketing basics here but knowing and understanding your audience is first and foremost for me. Failure to do so and the brand will suffer. It’s imperative that the entire team (this can often extend beyond the marketing department) understands that every post and article reflect your brand values. Get it wrong and you can quickly be at the centre of a backlash.

Silence Can Be The Best Policy

It was pleasing to see that on the day of the funeral, I received very few emails, so most businesses had in fact ‘read the room’. However, some automated emails still came through and although inoffensive, I believe that this was one day when human intervention was required. Sometimes silence is the best policy.

I think Ronan Keating got it right.