Brands urged to ‘read the room’ as UK mourns

Marketers have been advised to tread carefully on social media as a period of mourning for the Queen begins, amid a backlash at posts from some brands

Sep 12, 2022 10:40:00 AM | Article | John Harrington

Criticism was leveled last week at a number of brands for posting tributes to the Queen that some perceived as being in poor taste. This was especially true of posts that incorporated logos or other branded elements:

It's tough right now so I'll be taking any and all of the most insane tributes to Her Majesty that you've seen in the wild. I'll start. pic.twitter.com/3fjJYK39op

— The author, Séamas O'Reilly (@shockproofbeats) September 8, 2022

Yeah… don’t think Thomas Cook quite thought this one through pic.twitter.com/6DWDPAGdrM

— Sam Jones (@SamJonesJourno) September 8, 2022

Not tweeting is always an option, brand managers. pic.twitter.com/nvDqA7k2vA

— Eliot Higgins (@EliotHiggins) September 8, 2022

Separately, there's a concern that scheduled social media posts from brands that could now feel inappropriate will need to be deleted.

Looking at my feed, it’s clear that moments in history like this really do separate the autotweets from the bots from the real people living in the real world.

— Lotte Jones (@lottejones) September 8, 2022

The official period of mourning is set to last for 10 days from 9 September and brands will need to be alert to the general mood over this time and adapt their posts and campaigns.

One comms professional has put together a guide for brands:

I've started a google doc with some suggestions open / middle / closed.

Please add to it - I'll continue to add some suggestions already being sent acrosshttps://t.co/CN5frvG8Xr

— Keith Riley (he/him) (@itskeithriley) September 8, 2022

Stephanie Bennett, managing director of UK PR agency Battenhall, offered succinct advice:

If brands can learn anything today it’s to be respectable, focused, and stick to their lane.

Beautifully put by a colleague today… “dignified silence” will suffice in moments like these.

Show respect by pausing content and come back slow, steady and on brand.

— Stephanie Bennett (@StephsBubble) September 8, 2022

On Friday, The Government issued guidance for the public and businesses on the use of social media and websites during the period of mourning. It says: "Online communication channels can... be used to reflect the demise of Her Majesty and participate in the period of National Mourning.

"Organisations can acknowledge the mourning period by making changes to the homepage of their website, for example, with the use of black edging or black banners. Organisations and individuals may also wish to share their memories of Her Majesty online.

"There is no set way to mark the passing of Her Majesty on social media. Organisations may wish to review their planned content for the period. Any changes to websites or social media pages should take into consideration accessibility requirements for visually impaired users."

(This article first appeared on PRWeek.com)