John Harrington
Sep 12, 2022

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

Brands urged to ‘read the room’ as UK mourns

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:

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

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:

 

 

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

 

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)

Source:
Campaign India

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