A survey carried out last week found that 66% of people wouldn’t be more likely to buy products that had tied themselves to the Royal Wedding, and a further 17% said they would actually be much less likely to buy a product attempting to link to the event.
Assuming that there wasn’t a disproportionate number of republicans in the sample, it seems like people disapprove of superficial attempts to link for commercial gain.
I’ve seen lots of similar research before. In the world of sport sponsorship there is a very different reaction from supporters who see a club sponsor as a provider of investment that can help their team grow and improve compared with a sponsor of TV rights for a cup competition who can be seen as simply ‘buying’ an association.
Well thought out associations and sponsorships can be very powerful tools and build strong links with a key audience, but poorly thought out or clumsy efforts can have the opposite effect.
Chris