As the Royal Wedding media fever begins to subside, nowhere is the art of successful PR more evident than in the way people around the globe have responded to coverage of the wedding of the century. 

For those of us in public relations and communication management, we can now marvel at the amazing turn of events for the Monarchy. 

An estimated two billion people worldwide watched the Royal Wedding on April 29 compared to a mere 750 million who watched Charles and Diana get married in 1981. Hundreds of millions tuned in not only through the power of their televisions but through more unconventional means such as live video streaming on Youtube, Yahoo and BBC online.  

Google Earth offered new technology where people could watch the procession route in 3D. There were iPhone and iPad applications created, a Royal Wedding Countdown, and even a Royal iPad collaboration with People magazine, which provided information on the lives, loves and secrets of the British Royal Family.

Despite the digital take-off of the Monarchy, it’s interesting to note that the Royal Family has had very little direct engagement online. Yet it has still built an active, supported, shared and well-liked brand in that space. 

To be fair, the British Monarchy communications team have always proactively embraced technologies that have helped them connect with the Commonwealth from the early stages of print, radio and television, right through to the 2007 launch of the Royal Family’s official YouTube channel and this year’s Royal Wedding website. And let us not forget the fly on the wall documentary that aired in 2009 called ‘The Queen – The Royal Family at Work’

In a very controlled way, (they don’t respond to questions or comments online), the Royals have slowly let out the moderation and censorship of their personal information they were often known to closely guard. They are finally allowing their story to be shared as directly as possible. 

More traditional brands and large organisations are often frightened to bare their souls because it represents uncharted waters. By embracing a wide range of channels, the Royal Family has had a go and reaped dividends in terms of countering the highly negative images portrayed in mainstream media. 

Over the past five years Ideas Shop staff have worked with a number of well-known figures in profile raising.  If there is a valuable lesson to be learned from the royal experience it is this: don’t be afraid to have a go, be authentic and true to your brand or organisation and know you will have to adjust your course depending on your industry’s conditions.

According to TVNZ News, a UMR Research poll of 750 Kiwis carried out in the past ten days shows New Zealand’s approval rating of the Royal Family climbed from 60% in 2002 to 74% in 2011. Moreover the Royal Wedding seems to put New Zealanders off the idea of becoming a republic; it seems that the Royals are reigning supreme.