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Social Media The Queen Marketing

‘Can’t believe I found out this way’: brands mocked for ill-judged tributes to Queen

September 9, 2022 | 5 min read

After the Queen’s death was announced, many of the world’s biggest brands were quick to take to social media to pay their respects. Some with more tact than others.

Union Flag half mast

Brands were quick to take to social media to pay their respects / Jack Lucas Smith on Unsplash

At 6.30pm on Thursday evening, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Queen Elizabeth II has passed away peacefully at Balmoral. Within minutes, messages of condolence flooded social media sites, with many of the fastest responses coming from social media execs manning brand accounts.

However, rapid reaction from all manner of companies led many observers to point out that dignified silence might have been the better option.

Playmobil, the children’s toy brand, posted an ill-judged image of the Queen as a plastic figure. Social media users responded: ”No class”, ”unreal”, ”zero respect” were among the first reactions to the posting. Likewise, Funko – a company selling collectibles – was lambasted for sharing a tribute that saw the Queen depicted as a piece of pop art. It has now been deleted.

Funko

Others suggested that the British Kebab Awards, a scheme with no known connection to Her Majesty, was better staying quiet on this occasion.

Similar sentiments were expressed to pizza delivery giant Domino’s, which has now turned off all replies to its tweet following a barrage of mocking responses.

Some questioned why its contemporary Pizza Express – which unwittingly found itself the source of a royal alibi following Prince Andrew’s infamous BBC interview – felt the need to express condolences on the Queen’s passing.

Sports publisher Clutch Points seemed to realize the error of its ways and deleted this bizarre tribute after being mercilessly mocked by followers.

Clutchpoints

Many, many social media users were quick to point out the irony in musicals Les Miserables and Hamilton offering their tributes to the Queen.

Global exercise brand Crossfit has been mocked for posting a workout dedicated to Queen Elizabeth featuring a ”1 min rest in silence”.

Social Media The Queen Marketing

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