This past June, the celebration went on for four days, culminating in a final procession that followed the same path of the one that marched in the day of Her Majesty’s crowning in 1953. At the end of May, the Elizabeth Line was inaugurated: a new trainline that crosses the city of London from west to east and identified by the lilac colour. A long-running project that opened right in time for the event, welcoming the Queen on its opening day.
The celebration was inaugurated with a tea break between Her Majesty and another well-known symbol of the UK: the goofy and cuddly teddy bear Paddington. A sweet and unexpected encounter, that reminds us how the Queen often takes part in these sketches with great self-irony.
Social media weren’t late in joining the festivity: the hashtags #PlatinumJubilee and #HM70 were completed by an emoji created just for the event, which consisted in a corgi dog, Her Majesty’s favourite, wearing the Jubilee crown.
McDonald’s also decided to change its payoff from “I’m lovin’ it” to “One’s lovin’ it” and created a new, classy package in a limited edition. Subway, on the other hand, imagined what the Royal Family would eat, in a very ironic campaign where we see an order from Subway to be delivered at Buckingham Palace. Meanwhile, Heinz re-named two of its famous sauces in HM (Her Majesty) and Salad Queen.
The well-known brand of watches Swatch commercialised a new line dedicated to the Platinum Jubilee and Queen Elizabeth II, while the iconic Barbie created a doll resembling the Queen, as part of the “Tribute Collection”: a line that celebrates women that had a great impact on culture.
Countless gadgets and pieces of merchandise were created just for the event, something that happens every time a Royal event occurs: we’ve recently seen it with Harry and Meghan’s wedding, and before that with Prince William and Kate Middleton’s.
These were some of the many brands that honoured Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee and cleverly took advantage of this unique and unrepeatable event which gave the public an incredible show of entertainment, marketing, communication… And history.