Friday, April 22, 2011

Marketing blunder or clever marketing ploy?

The upcoming Royal Wedding is a marketer’s dream promoting memorabilia ranging from tea towels to tea bags. There are obviously no limits to products that can be given a Royal Wedding twist.

Verdict, part of the Datamonitor Group, predicts that wedding merchandise sales could “easily” top £26m in the UK alone, with food and grocery retailers raking in £360m, while an additional £216m could come from travel and tourism.

There is one item that stood out – a commemorative royal wedding mug that should feature the bride & groom. But although the description details Prince William as the groom, the picture just above the text “Wills” features the groom’s brother Prince Harry.

Producers Guandong Enterprises state on their website that the mug is "a beautiful cup to commemorate the most beautiful occasion" and an "esteemed limited edition heirloom." It could be a mistake, not unlike the ones that were made in Chine de Commande a few centuries ago.

However, it could also be a clever marketing ploy; an effort to create an oddity that will have additional value since it will be rare.Did they want to create a collectors/spoof item? Regardless of the motive, the company got great (and free) publicity!