The coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms is set to take place on 6 May at Westminster Abbey.
Centred around a solemn religious ceremony that has remained largely unchanged for over 1,000 years, people from across the world will celebrate and mark the occasion in their own unique ways.
In London screens for spectators will be placed in the city’s iconic parks and 4,000 NHS workers and veterans will be invited to special viewing spaces from 6-8 May.
With the British public and international fans of the royal family to one side, how are brands celebrating the coronation?
Reese’s Crowns
Hershey-owned chocolate brand Reese’s is bringing a regal flair to the nation by unveiling a limited-edition product designed to celebrate the occasion in ‘delicious milk chocolate and peanut butter style’ – Reese’s Crowns.
While King Charles III will be receiving a solid gold bejewelled crown of serious historical significance, members of the public will be able to enjoy a Reese’s Crown for £3.30.
“At Reese’s, we recognise the importance of such a big event, so we wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate the Coronation with the introduction of Reese’s Crowns,” Hershey Europe marketing director Maria Shilyaeva said. “To make the bank holiday weekend even more special, we will honour the occasion with free a sampling extravaganza on 6th May at Victoria and Paddington stations.”
19 Crimes attention-grabbing projections
Self-proclaimed ‘rebellious’ wine brand 19 Crimes has weighed in on the coronation celebrations by staging a series of attention-grabbing projections on iconic landmarks across the capital to promote the brands new platform ‘Or don’t’.
The brand’s campaign wishes to reflect its view that dysfunctional families are the standard in 21st century Britain.
19 Crimes’ projections hope to champion those that go against the norm and ‘refuse to conform tradition for the sake of tradition’.
“The UK is in a royal frenzy with the King’s Coronation this week and news headlines have been flooded with stories of family rifts and dramas,” Treasury Premium Brands marketing director Ben Blake said. “Many of the dramas are probably quite relatable for families across the UK, and in true 19 Crimes spirit, we wanted to encourage people to shun tradition and enjoy this weekend in the way that they want to.”
Burger King removes ‘Burger’ from logo ahead of coronation
Burger King has altered its famous logo at its flagship restaurant in Leicester Square ahead of the coronation of King Charles III this weekend.
Spotlighting the word ‘King’, the fast-food chain has opted to share its crown as royal family fans flock to London to witness the highly-anticipated event.
As well as the logo change – dreamt up by Splendid Communications – Burger King has hijacked several giant digital billboards to greet people travelling into London for the coronation, with the out-of-home stunts playfully proclaiming: ‘From one to another.’
The new ‘King’ logo has also taken pride of place on the brand’s social channels – run by social media agency Coolr – and will also feature in a nationwide print campaign.
Alzheimer’s Society unveils tactical ‘Unmemorabilia’ ad for coronation
The Alzheimer’s Society has unveiled a tactical ‘Unmemorabilia’ ad ahead of the coronation of King Charles III this weekend.
Developed by agency partner New Commercial Arts, the press, out-of-home (OOH) and social campaign will highlight the shocking statistic that one in three people born today will develop dementia in their lifetime.
Placed on a coronation ‘Unmemorabilia’ mug, the creative leads with the headline: ‘A day one in three of us won’t be able to tell our grandkids about’.
The ad hopes to raise awareness of the impact of dementia and raise funds for Alzheimer’s Society’s support and research.
The Times unveils touching new campaign to celebrate coronation
The Times and The Sunday Times newspapers are celebrating King Charles III’s upcoming coronation with a new campaign highlighting the historic nature of the event.
The campaign looks to encourage readers to interact with this new era via The Times and Sunday Times platform, ushering in perhaps one of the biggest changes in British life in the post-war period.
Aptly named ‘The Wait is Over’, the campaign draws comparisons between the public’s anticipation of the event – and King Charles’ own 70-year stint as heir apparent.
“Our journalism provides everything people need to savour this special moment in history and our campaign aims to capture the sense of anticipation about the event,” The Times and The Sunday Times marketing director, Louise Agran said.
Heinz’s Tomato Kingchup
To help Brits celebrate the occasion, Heinz has altered the name of its iconic Tomato Ketchup on a limited number of special edition bottles.
Each of the ‘Kingchup’ bottles are numbered uniquely – making each of them one of a kind. According to Heinz, number one has been sent off to King Charles III himself.
The multi-national brand has also cooked up a range of special edition merchandise.
“Based on previous demand for Heinz limited edition products, we expect these to sell out fast,” Heinz added. “If you want to be one of the few to get your hands on a bottle, you’ll have to be quick!”
The Adoption Mission’s dog-friendly coronation paw-ty
Animal shelters across the UK from The Adoption Mission programme – championed by Pedigree and Whiskas – have been kick-starting coronation celebrations by staging dog-friendly tea parties for their residents.
With royal treats and wagging tails galore, the furry inhabitants of The Rescue Dog Hotel in Cardiff have been celebrating in style to honour the former Prince of Wales.
King Charles III himself is the proud owner of two Jack Russell Terrier rescue dogs – Beth and Bluebell – and The Adoption Mission hopes to inspire more people to follow suit and consider adoption.
“It’s amazing that King Charles III has made history by welcoming the first shelter dogs to live in Buckingham Palace and we hope this inspires more prospective pet owners to consider adoption themselves,” The Rescue Dog Hotel in Cardiff director and trustee, Toria Acreman, said.
Ride like a royal in Uber’s ‘Coronation Carriage’
Marking the occasion in its own unique way is Uber and its carriage ride that is fit for a King.
Offering a taste of royal life, the company’s ‘Coronation Carriage’ will be in operation between 1pm and 4pm on 3, 4 and 5 May at London green spot, Dulwich Park, with slots available to book via the Uber app.
The ornate carriage has been created using designs from previous royal carriages, giving riders the chance to experience luxury only normally afforded to the highest ranks of the UK monarchy.
“What better way to celebrate one of the most significant events of 2023 by riding like King Charles III in a horse drawn carriage,” Uber UK general manager Andrew Brem said. “We’re always looking for new ways to add a little Uber magic to peoples journeys, so we are over the moon to be able to bring the Coronation Carriage to Uber”.
Celebrations’ chocolate sculpture
In celebration of the momentous day, confectionery brand Celebrations has unveiled a life-size bust of King Charles III made entirely of chocolate.
The tasty sculpture – which took over four weeks to create and weighs over 23kg – was carefully constructed by chocolatier Jennifer Lindsey-Clarke using individual chocolates (roughly 2,875) from Celebrations tubs.
“The team studied hours of footage of the King to capture his true likeness and the resemblance is uncanny,” Celebrations senior brand manager Emily Owen said. “Celebrations is all about bringing people together and we are thrilled to be sharing this occasion with so many chocolate lovers up and down the country.”
Tesco opens its first ever pub to help the nation celebrate the coronation
Ahead of the coronation, supermarket Tesco has opened the doors to its first ever public house: The King in the Castle.
Located in London’s Farringdon, the pub will offer a coronation-themed menu curated by the Tesco executive chef team, featuring products from the Tesco limited-edition coronation food range.
“Pubs have traditionally been an important part of local communities and so a it felt like the perfect way to bring people together to mark this special occasion and enjoy delicious food,” Tesco chief customer officer Alessandra Bellini said.
Asda unveils double decker King’s coronation bus activation
Asda has chimed into the coronation conversation by unveiling a unique double-decker King’s Coronation bus activation.
The initiative – in partnership with events and experiential agency Hyphen – will tour various Asda stores for 3 consecutive weekends from 21 April to 5 May.
As part of the supermarket’s coronation campaign, the bus will be wrapped in a white, purple, and gold and be adorned in reams of branded bunting.
Shoppers will be invited to take part in a wide range of celebratory activities as well as take their pick of a wide range of specially curated food and beverage products by Diageo, PepsiCo, Unilever, Heineken, Asda Wines, and Produce.
Subscribe to Marketing Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest marketing news sent straight to your inbox each morning
Iceland releases food range for coronation celebrations
Iceland recently revealed its bespoke range for the special weekend, unveiling Iceland Coronation Chicken Yorkshire Puddings (£3.75), a 4 pack of Coronation Chicken Pies (£2.75), Iceland Luxury Strawberry and Cream Roulade (£5.50) and a Trifle Gateau Bar (£2.50).
The variety of deals hope to cater to all celebration styles, from a royal picnic bundle to a King’s banquet.
Iceland 14 pack Cheese and Garlic Bites (£2.50), Iceland 16 pack Mozzarella sticks (£2.50), Iceland 10 pack Tempura Prawns (£2.50) and Iceland 20 pack Chocolate Eclairs (£2.25), will also be available to purchase.
Tesco’s in-store experience
Tesco will also give the British public the opportunity to celebrate King Charles III’s coronation in 60 Tesco stores in the coming weeks.
Created by agency N2O, the experience will hope to embody the spirit of the event with finger sandwiches, gin and tonic and other British food and drink.
Royal family fans will also be able to take a photograph and pose like a king on a gilded Tesco-branded throne.
“The challenge was to come up with in-store and out-of-store activations that were fit for a king to celebrate the coronation,” N2O head of creative Nigel Clifton said. “Out of store, we have a street-style party with sampling and inspiration of all that is great at Tesco. And in-store, to carry on the theme, we’re enhancing product displays using our golden carriage and royal photo op throne – all while helping customers find inspiration for a celebration that’s fit for a king.”
Fuller’s Coronation King’s Ale
Beer brewery Fuller’s is marking the occasion by launching a limited edition bitter titled ‘Coronation King’s Ale’ which is said to be ‘rich and flavourful’.
With an alcohol level of 5.5% the bitter will have melon, strawberry and apricot aromas.
Fuller’s added that the exclusive drink will be a “rich mahogany in colour” and that its Huell Melon hops will add hints of citrus fruit – “while the Pale Ale and Crystal malts bring distinctive biscuity flavours.”
“A smooth, delicate bitterness lingers on the palate to give a supreme finish,” the brewery said.
Cadbury’s limited edition King’s coronation range
Mondelēz -owned chocolate giant Cadbury has released an exclusive 850g chocolate bar ahead of King Charles III’s coronation.
The limited edition design sees the brand boss a regal crown on its iconic bar.
“Cadbury and Fry’s have a long-established history of marking Royal occasions, most recently for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee last year where we produced a limited edition Roses tin and Cadbury Dairy Milk bar,” Mondelēz International Cadbury brand equity UK&I associate marketing director, Gemma Flanigan, said.
“As people across the country savour this special moment and join together to mark The King’s Coronation, we hope these new, commemorative bars will be a welcome addition to the celebrations this May.”
Aldi’s carrot Coronation King toy
Commemorating the event in a slightly atypical way is Aldi and the release of its Little Town Coronation King Soft Toy.
Priced at £3.99, the Kevin the Carrot-style toy is currently out of stock on the supermarket’s website. A King and Queen version of the carrot were initially made available to the public.
Upon the release of the products, fans of the royal family and the discounter alike took to Twitter to chatter about the toys, with one proud fan dubbing the sale as a “Carronation”.
Coronation Carrot. Carronation. pic.twitter.com/VaL1iN8lHV
— The Cole Men (@ColeMenHotSauce) April 21, 2023
1 Comment. Leave new
Those are cool ideas! I wonder what could be done in case of copywriting – I’m working at a Contenteam agency. Probably, that well-known marketing phrase “Content is the King” could be changed to Charles is the King.