Coronation round-up: How brands marked the crowning of King Charles in the UK

Tesco – ‘The King in the Castle’

Ahead of the Coronation, Tesco is encouraging the nation to "do good, by going to the pub" as it opens the doors to The King in the Castle. Proceeds from the pub, which is located in London's Farringdon and will be open for two days, will go to the supermarket’s charity partner, The Prince’s Trust, founded by the King to support young people across the UK. The menu features products from the supermarket’s limited-edition Coronation food range, including Camilla’s king prawn curry, The Prince’s crust pie and a trifle-inspired bellini.

Marmite – ‘Raising a toast’

Marmite has partnered food artist and Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist Nathan Wyburn to create a portrait of the King like no other, using Marmite and toast. It took Wyburn two hours to complete the portrait of King Charles, which he created in one sitting with a single jar of Marmite and 42 slices of toast. Marmite was launched in the UK in 1902, and in 2016 received the royal warrant for Queen’s Elizabeth’s 90th birthday.

Riot Lab – King Charles finger vapes

"E-liquid" company Riot Labs has released a 10-piece collection of disposable vapes – modelled on Charles’ famous fingers – or "sausages". The vapes come in royal-themed flavours, including Victoria sponge, Scotch egg, breakfast tea, coronation chicken and Champagne.

Alzheimer’s Society – ‘Unmemorabilia’

A new Alzheimer’s Society campaign alludes to the Coronation, highlighting that one in three people born today will develop dementia in their lifetime. The campaign leads with the headline "A day one in three of us won’t be able to tell our grandkids about", which is placed on a Coronation "Unmemorabilia" mug. The agency New Commercial Arts worked on the campaign, the launch of which came shortly after the breakthrough announcement of the drug donanemab, which has shown early promise in slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

EasyJet Holidays – ‘BuckingSand Palace’

A mini replica of Buckingham Palace made entirely of sand has been unveiled, following research that showed 70% of Brits on holiday over the long weekend will be celebrating the Coronation. The sculpture of the UK’s most popular landmark was put together using a Buckingham Palace sandcastle bucket, resulting in a scale model of King Charles’ official London residence.

Hello Fresh – royal boxes for Charles and Camilla

To celebrate what will be the coronation of Britain's 62nd monarch, Hello Fresh has developed 62 limited-edition "royal boxes" to be sent exclusively to customers named Charles or Camilla. To launch the campaign, W Communications captured two lookalikes tucking into the Coronation-themed menu, consisting of items such as a Coronation chic-King burger.

PG Tips – ‘National tea anthem’

PG Tips is marking the Coronation with a rendition of the national anthem produced entirely by the sounds of making a cuppa. The brand and agency Smoking Gun worked with music producer Tarek Musa for a fresh take on the anthem, using noises such as a kettle boiling, a box of PG Tips opening, the tinkling of a teaspoon, hot water being poured and a cuppa being sipped.

What’s more British than a Coronation & a cuppa? ��
We're celebrating in the most fitting way, by recreating the National Anthem using the harmonious sounds of tea making - a tinkling of a spoon, a splash of milk, we think it's fit for royal-tea!
Tag us in your own renditions☕️ pic.twitter.com/FIY7KCF9cd

— PG tips (@PGtips) May 3, 2023

Hellmann’s – free Coronation sandwiches

Balancing traditional and modern tastes, W Communications brokered a partnership between café royalty E Pellicci’s (a cafe housed in a Grade II-listed building) and caff frequenter and actor Shaun Williamson, best known for playing Barry in EastEnders, to dish out free Coronation sarnies to royal revellers this weekend on behalf of Hellmann’s.

McDonald’s – Coronation jingle

Inspired by regal fanfares, McDonald’s has commissioned an extended jingle performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to commemorate the Coronation. An update to its "Five Note Sting", created ahead of last year’s Platinum Jubilee, the longer jingle is to be unveiled at a surprise live performance in a secret McDonald’s location with regal ties, ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend. The campaign by Ready10 and Red Consultancy also gives fans the chance to win one of 50 McDonald’s signet rings.

Sextoys.co.uk – ‘Long live the (f*c)king’

Pleasure brand SexToys.co.uk believes sex is a great unifier, which shouldn’t be lost as opposing opinions about the monarchy meet. The brand has taken to the streets of London with a poster featuring a crown discarded in a bathroom sink, surrounded by luxury pleasure products. The words “Long live the King” are printed across the image in vibrant letters, with a “fuc” cheekily scrawled before the word "king".

The Evening Standard – Coronation NFT

The Evening Standard has unveiled an NFT artwork created by digital artist Trevor Jones to mark the Coronation. The artwork is free for readers to claim for a limited time and will be brought to life on Oxford Street billboards.

House Buyer Bureau – Coronation property prices

Research by property purchasing specialist House Buyer Bureau has revealed that homebuyers looking to purchase a property on a Coronation-related road are likely to do so for a bargain. The average price of homes sold across eight Coronation-themed road names (including the words Royal, Crown and Charles) will set you back £258,500 on average, some 15% below the current national average of £303,287 across England and Wales. The only Coronation-themed road name with prices higher than the national average are ones featuring the name Camilla, with homes sold on roads named after the Queen, averaging £310,000 over the last year.

EXp – cost of the Coronation

Research by eXp UK, a network of personal estate agents, has revealed that the estimated £100m spent on the Coronation is enough to purchase 348 homes across the UK, while the money spent on the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was, at the time, enough to purchase a whopping 870 homes. Even in London’s notoriously expensive property market, the royal family could purchase as many as 188 homes for the money spent on this weekend’s ceremonies.

Ideas Foundation – the Coronation Generation Poster Design Challenge

In a challenge that invited schools, colleges and educators from across the UK to participate, educational charity Ideas Foundation, together with Clear Channel, offered young people and educators the opportunity to celebrate the Coronation by developing creative posters. Entrants were asked to reflect the key themes of community, diversity, sustainability, and youth. The winning posters, which were created using photography, copywriting, typography and graphic design, will be displayed on digital billboards across the UK.

The Times and The Sunday Times – ‘The wait is over’

“The wait is over” compares the British public’s anticipation of the Coronation to the time King Charles has spent throughout his life building up to this moment. Developed by Pulse Creative, the campaign presents photos of King Charles as a young boy sporting a childlike, hand-drawn crown used to express what has always been his final destiny.

The campaign will run across press, social media, email, YouTube and online display. The Times and The Sunday Times will also publish commentary from their royal correspondents and release collectible editions and souvenir supplements.

TheOr – ‘Anything’s commemorative’

London-based creative shop TheOr is seeking to change the meaning of commemorative items with the release of its “Anything’s Commemorative” sticker pack. This way, everyday objects can be adorned with royal iconography – including household power tools, pot plants or other items of choice.

New Reese’s – Reese’s Crowns

Reese’s is releasing its own product to celebrate the Coronation – limited-edition “Reese’s Crowns”. To commemorate the special occasion, Reese’s will also be launching a free sampling of the chocolate crowns at London’s Victoria and Paddington stations. The celebratory packages will also be available to buy in Tesco stores.

19 Crimes – 'Or don't'

Wine brand 19 Crimes is weighing in with an "edgier" approach, releasing a series of disruptive projections across London landmarks, as well as campaign creatives that will launch across out-of-home placements and social media. The brand aims to challenge British traditions and champion the idea of going against the grain. 19 Crimes hopes the campaign will prompt open conversation about King Charles’ Coronation and encourage people to “shun tradition and enjoy this weekend in the way that they want to”.

Victorian Plumbing – ‘Throne’

With a campaign produced by Leo Burnett, Victorian Plumbing is celebrating the Coronation with the release of a commemorative toilet seat “fit for a king”. The seat has been created with inspiration from past royal memorabilia and, along with King Charles’ face, features text that reads “Welcome to the throne”. Victorian Plumbing will also be hosting a giveaway of the special seat on its social media channels.

Sky News x Atlantic Productions – The Coronation: immersive AR experience

Sky News and Atlantic Productions (powered by Pokémon Go creator Niantic’s 8th Wall AR platform) are honouring the Coronation with the release of an immersive AR experience, where digital twins of two of the Coronation crowns can be viewed exclusively through the Sky News smartphone app. Through the app, viewers can “put” the crowns onto their household furniture, take a look at their properties in up-close detail and learn more about their history. The experience also features macro footage of other Crown Jewels shot at the Tower of London.

Dogs Trust – ‘Long live King Charleses’

Dogs Trust is launching a themed fundraiser in the run-up to the Coronation to raise funds for dog rehoming centres. Drawing attention to the fact that thousands of dogs, including “King Charles spaniels” (featured in the AI-generated campaign creatives) live in Dogs Trust rehoming centres, the charity is calling on the public to make a donation or purchase a “golden digital item” (available on the official website) to generate proceeds.

The London Dungeon x Brook – 'Crown jewels'

The London Dungeon and sexual health charity Brook have teamed up to advise people to “protect their own crown jewels” ahead of the royal event, promoting access to sexual health advice and using history and humour to encourage destigmatisation of related topics, including STIs. Additional resources will also be offered to encourage people to practise safe sex and undergo regular checks and testing, including free condoms and information to all guests who visit the attraction.

Burger King – ‘King’

To spotlight King Charles’ Coronation, Burger King is changing its logo at its flagship location in London’s Leicester Square, eliminating the word “burger” so that only the word “king” is showing. Digital billboards across London will also feature the modified logo. The campaign was developed by Splendid Communications.

KitKat – 'Thanks for the extra break, Sir'

To expand on its signature tagline, "Have a break", KitKat has launched an ad to commemorate the King's Coronation with the subline, "Thanks for the extra break, Sir". Depicting a three-finger chocolate bar, the campaign by Wunderman Thompson UK makes a nod to the extra bank holiday.