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Dior takes The Crown

The 10 Group’s Elaine Murphy and Annabelle Lane discuss the opportunities of royal tie-ups as the final season of The Crown is released

Elaine Murphy and Annabelle Lane

Account Director and Marketing Executive The 10 Group

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The final season of Netflix's The Crown may have hit our screens last weekend, but that's not the royal engagement that caught my eye. Dior has just announced a new brand partnership with Meg Bellamy, the actress playing Kate Middleton in The Crown. I had the pleasure of interviewing Annabelle Lane, my colleague at The 10 Group and previous Senior Communications Officer at Clarence House. It's fair to say Annabelle knows a thing or two about The Royals, and as a PR & Marketing Director, there was no better person to talk to about this ingenious brand partnership.

Elaine Murphy: Why do big brands want to be associated with actors from other big TV programmes like The Crown?
Annabelle Lane: For any brand, a celebrity partnership is a critical marketing tactic. You see it in all kinds of brands from high-end ones like Burberry and Emma Watson, to your everyday brands like M&S and Holly Willoughby. The public feel like they have a personal connection with these celebrities. When a brand can form a partnership with them and that's celebrity is the face of that brand, the public would feel like they have a personal affinity with the brand. On top of that, it's also you know, aspirational people want to be like Holly Willoughby and Emma Watson, and so they will go with these brands, try and find the products that will make them feel like that celebrity.
Elaine Murphy: Did Dior want to sign Meg Bellamy because of her role as Kate Middleton in The Crown and if so, why? Was this about them getting a royal connection with the brand?
Annabelle Lane: This is Meg Bellamy’s first major TV project, so her rise to fame is 100% accredited to her role in The Crown. Shy of partnering with Kate Middleton herself, Meg is going to be the next best thing as people will really associate with Kate Middleton. Kate Middleton exudes so many of brand values that are in line with Dior - elegance, class, excellence in innovation, and so for Dior, it's kind of a no brainer to partner with somebody whose so heavily associated with Kate Middleton. Kate Middleton would never be able to be an ambassador herself to a brand. Royal Warrants are as close as you would get to a member of the Royal Family advertising a brand. We know that some Royals do have those close links with brands. The late Duke of Edinburgh had a real affinity for certain car brand, but royal warrants are up for review at the moment. All of the companies that have a royal warrant need to be show their environmental credentials now, so who's to say what could change in the future? Maybe we'll be seeing Royals driving around in electric vehicles in the future.
Elaine Murphy: What’s in it for Meg Bellamy?
Annabelle Lane: First and foremost I’m sure there will be a fee involved - that’s the obvious one. But obviously, for her aligning with a huge mega fashion house like Dior, I mean, it's every girl's dream come true to be the face of a brand like that! To be partnering this early in their career, it was just everything because usually you know, she's expanding her remit now beyond just acting into modelling and into this into this area. Plus, it’s of interest to her to get her face out there even more. For people who don’t watch The Crown, they’re going to see her [Meg’s] face in Vogue, on the side of buses, in Dior advertising as well - so it’s a real win for her.
Elaine Murphy: Do you think this sort of work is just for women and actresses, or has there been any other opportunities from The Crown that had big name deals?
Annabelle Lane: I mean, this will for sure be happening for both actors and actresses. I believe Josh O'Connor, who played The Prince of Wales/Prince Charles in seasons three and four, had a brand partnership with Loewe that started around the time he was announced for that role. I think it’s still ongoing now. This definitely happens regardless of your gender.
Elaine Murphy: What are the risks for celebrity brand partnerships? The Crown has had its moments of controversy, could this association go wrong for Meg or anyone else that gets these opportunities?
Annabelle Lane: Every brand associated with a celebrity will have some level of risk, but brands will always do their due diligence beforehand, even with the smallest partnership or paid influencer posts. There is always huge amounts of due diligence that go on to make sure whoever it is that’s representing them is someone aligns with the brand rather than someone who is not not. We’ve seen this with a handful of brands. Adidas partnered with Kanye West and that was hugely successful for a number of years. Then last year when Kanye or Ye, started to make some controversial comments, that had a massive negative impact on the brand. So yes, there is risk associated but most of the time, it's a pretty safe bet. I would say for Dior and Meg Bellamy, they will have to check out as much as they need to.
Elaine Murphy: And finally, what do you think the Royal Family would have to say about the hype of it all, from the brand deals and the final season of The Crown being released?
Annabelle Lane: Well, I'm sure that they would be happy that a young person is doing so successfully in their career!
Guest Author

Elaine Murphy and Annabelle Lane

Account Director and Marketing Executive The 10 Group

About

Annabelle joined The 10 Group as an Account Director, having previously worked at Freuds Group and Clarence House, acting as Senior Communications Officer to The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. She is working across clients like Confused.com, Genpact and M&S at 10. Elaine is The 10 Group’s Marketing Executive working across new business development and brand reputation. She previously worked in market research for Global Reviews and Accenture’s Global Innovation Centre, The Dock, back in Ireland.

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