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By E.J. Schultz – 14 hours 54 min ago
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As the world learned of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, several of the biggest names in U.K. advertising were gathered in a West London church, listening to a presentation about “great expectations” for the year ahead by MediaLink, the strategic advisory firm.
It should have been a celebratory occasion but the atmosphere was already strangely subdued, with many speculating about the health of the Queen before the event kicked off. One agency executive told Ad Age she had been emailing clients, including international companies, all afternoon, to warn them to be careful about campaign launches and messaging.
At 6:30 pm local time, MediaLink’s Managing Director, EMEA & Global Talent Advisory Kathleen Saxton, speaking on stage, received an alert and interrupted proceedings to inform the room of the passing of the monarch. There followed a minute’s silence.
The evening continued with four-minute speeches by several outside speakers, but there was a palpable sense of shock in the room as executives rushed to rethink campaigns, announcements and social media strategies. Several people left the room promptly. (Comedian Rob Mayhew was perhaps the only one to provide some light relief, quipping that he’d just had to “candle in the wind” his entire presentation.)
Within minutes, brands had started to respond by changing plans and postponing campaign launches. One of the country’s most famous advertisers, John Lewis, had just launched a new TV spot under the brand platform “For All Life’s Moments,” but paused the campaign temporarily in light of the news.
Other campaigns being put on hold include a new push by Google, fronted by soccer star Ian Wright, to encourage people to learn new digital skills. It has been pushed back from its Monday launch date.
One industry exec told Ad Age: “I think every client and agency is looking at their copy carefully. Anything that references royalty or crowns, for example, is out. Also, people’s mood is different and nobody particularly wants to see an ad today.”
Other campaigns will be unavoidably postponed, given the decision of media owners to suspend some or all of their advertising. The U.K.’s main commercial broadcaster ITV dropped all advertising for 24 hours following the Queen’s death and Ocean Outdoor has suspended ads on all its digital screens, posting instead a tribute message to the Queen. Print newspapers including The Times and the U.K’s biggest digital newspaper Mail Online carried no advertising this morning. With ten days of mourning now to take place, and the date of the funeral still to be decided, it’s not clear when media schedules will return to normal.
In the meantime, many activities have been suspended. The Premier League and English Football League postponed games this weekend and cricket, golf and rugby fixtures also were postponed. Aside from professional sports, other activities are also being canceled; Peloton suspended live classes in its newly-opened London studios until Monday.
Entertainment has also been affected as all normal programming on TV is being filled with royal coverage. And The Crown is rumored to be pausing production on series 6 as a mark of respect, although Netflix has yet to confirm this.
As the nation mourns, brands have been responding on social media. Many of the brands that posted first were traditional British companies, including the likes of John Lewis, Fortnum & Mason, British Airways, Marks & Spencer and Barbour. Tributes from these brands on social media were mainly somber and respectful.
We are deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty The Queen. She faithfully served the nation as our Sovereign during her long, happy and glorious reign. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to The Royal Family. pic.twitter.com/vuoOTU7GQ1
Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II
1926 – 2022
In deep and sincere gratitude for a lifetime of service and devotion to the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. pic.twitter.com/pXCFgWTejj
However, Domino’s drew some criticism for a tweet that turned its logo black:
pic.twitter.com/m8C1yVPx1r
well, guess I’m staring a thread of the most insane brand responses – DOMINOS PIZZA changes logo to black and issues an important statement pic.twitter.com/6DHRkIBlp0
Other brands responded in ways that were more creative or playful, with the likes of Playmobil, Legoland and Disney coming up with their own takes on the passing of a legendary monarch:
Rest in Peace ? Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022 pic.twitter.com/eou217S8SZ
We are extremely saddened to hear of the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II. Our thoughts are with all the Royal Family at this deeply sad time.
Out of respect the Resort will be closed tomorrow. If you're due to visit you will receive an email about your booking. pic.twitter.com/5vJlqUgIXv
Rest in peace, Your Majesty ? pic.twitter.com/a61oRiRpvE
Industry figures have also been paying their respects. Sir Martin Sorrell paid his respects on LinkedIn, signing off with the wording “G-d Save the King.” WPP responded with a more corporate-style tweet, which was then retweeted by CEO Mark Read.
French-owned Publicis Groupe is understood to have sent an internal memo to U.K. staff. Its subsidiary BBH (two of whose founders, Sir John Hegarty and Sir Nigle Bogle, have been knighted by the Queen) posted its own creative treatment on Instagram, a simple outline of the monarch’s head on a black background.
pic.twitter.com/nftRp69RLh
A post shared by BBH (@bbhblacksheep)
In this article:
Alexandra Jardine is U.K. Editor at Ad Age. Based in London, she has written for Ad Age since 2011 prior to which she worked on U.K. marketing and advertising titles for more than a decade, including as news editor for Haymarket weekly title “Marketing” and freelancer for Campaign, Media Week and The Guardian.