Abstract
This paper explores monarchies through a corporate branding lens. It is based on extensive field interviewing of individuals with knowledge and experience in what we (not they) term ‘managing the Monarchy as a brand’, including senior members of the Swedish Royal Court and the Swedish Royal Family. It also draws from literature regarding monarchies across a range of disciplines beyond management; we found no previous brand-related literature on the topic. Our conclusion is that the monarchy, as an institution, is very much like a corporate brand, including amenability to being managed in a manner analogous to that for a corporate brand, especially one with a heritage.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
The phrase ‘managing the brand’ and related terms are ours alone, and not those of Royal Court officials or Royal Family members. This paper draws on material contained in: J. M. T. Balmer, S. A. Greyser and M. Urde (2004) ‘Monarchies as Corporate Brands,’ Working Paper 05-002, Division of Research, Harvard Business School.
Balmer, J. M. T. and Gray, E. R. (2003) ‘Corporate brands: What are they? What of them?’ European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 37, No. 7 and 8, pp. 972–997.
Van De Kiste, J. (1998) ‘Northern Crowns, The Kings of Modern Scandinavia’, Sutton Publishing, Stroud.
Gothenburg School of Management Research (various dates).
Coman, J., Brown, C. and Walker, T. (2002) ‘It was a good idea at the time’, Sunday Telegraph, November 16, p. 22.
Bogdanor, V. (1997) ‘The Monarchy and the Constitution’, Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Kroll, M. and Lindsey, J. (1979) ‘Europe's Royal Families’, Country Life Books, London. p. 28.
Van De Kiste, J. (1998) op.cit, p.133 and 144.
Urde, M. (1999) ‘Brand orientation: A mindset for building brands into strategic resources’, Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. 15, No. 1–3, pp. 117–133.
Urde, M. (2003) ‘Core value-based corporate brand building’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 37, No. 7/8, pp. 1017–1040.
Urde, M. (1997) ‘Märkesorientering (Brand orientation)’, Doctoral thesis, Lund University Press, Lund.
Seitz, R. (1999) ‘Over Here’, Pheonix, London.
Shawcross, W. (2002) ‘Queen and Country’, BBC Worldwide Ltd, London, pp. 41–42.
Shawcross, W. (2002) ibid. p.19.
Greyser, S. A. (2003) ‘Advancing and enhancing corporate reputation’, in Balmer, J. M. T. and Greyser, S. A. (eds.) Revealing the Corporation: Perspectives on Identity, Image, Reputation, Corporate Branding and Corporate-Level Marketing’, Routledge, London.
Hames, T. and Leonard, M. (1988) ‘Modernising the Monarchy’, Demos, London.
Kennedy, C. (2004) ‘Ahead in the polls’. The Director (Magazine), The Institute of Directors, London, UK, p. 66.
Further Reading
Aaker, D. A. (2004) ‘Leveraging the corporate brand’, California Management Review, Vol. 46, No. 3, pp. 6–26.
Aaker, D. and Joachimsthaler, E. A. (2000) ‘The brand relationship spectrum: The key to the brand architecture challenge’, California Management Review, Vol. 42, No. 4, pp. 8–23.
Balmer, J. M. T. (2005) ‘Corporate brand cultures and communities’, in Schroeder, J. E. and Salzer-Morling, M. (eds.) ‘Brand Culture’, Routledge, London. pp. 34–48.
Balmer, J. M. T., (ed.) (2003) ‘Special edition on corporate and services brands’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 37, No. 7 and 8, pp. 972–997.
Balmer, J. M. T. (2001) ‘Corporate identity, corporate branding and corporate marketing: Seeing through the fog’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 35, No. 3–4, pp. 248–291.
Balmer, J. M. T. (2001a) ‘The three virtues and seven deadly sins of corporate brand management’, Journal of General Management, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 1–17.
Balmer, J. M. T. (1995) ‘Corporate branding and connoisseurship’, Journal of General Management, Vol. 21, No. 1, Autumn, pp. 22–46.
Balmer, J. M. T. and Greyser., S. A. (2003) ‘The corporate brand: An organization's covenant’, in Balmer, J.M.T. and Greyser S.A. (eds.) Revealing the Corporation: Perspectives on Identity, Image, Reputation, Corporate Branding, and Corporate-Level Marketing’, Routledge, London, pp. 243–257.
Balmer, J. M. T. and Greyser, S. A. (2006) ‘Corporate Marketing: Integrating corporate identity, corporate branding, corporate communications, corporate image and corporate reputation’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 40, No. 7/8, pp. 730–741.
DeChernatony, L. (2002) ‘Would a brand smell any sweeter by a corporate name?’ Corporate Reputation Review, Vol. 5, No. 2–3.
DeChernatony, L. and Schultz, M. (2002) ‘Special edition on corporate brands’, Corporate Reputation Review, Vol. 5, No. 2 and 3.
Gregory, J. R. (1997) ‘Leveraging the Corporate Brand’, NTC Business Books, Lincolnwood, IL.
Greyser, S. A., Balmer, J. M. T. and Urde, M. (2006) ‘The Monarchy as a Corporate Brand: some corporate communications dimensions’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 40, No. 7/8, pp. 902–908.
Hatch, M. J. and Schultz, M. (2003) ‘Bringing the corporation into corporate branding’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 37, No. 7–8, pp. 1041–1064.
Ind, N. (1996) ‘The Corporate Brand’, Macmillan, London.
Keller, K. L. (2000) ‘Building and managing corporate brand equity’, in Schultz, M., Hatch, M. J. and Larsen, M. H. (eds.) The Expressive Organization’, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Knox, S. and Bickerton, D. (2003) ‘The six conventions of corporate branding’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 37, No. 7–8, pp. 998–1016.
Acknowledgements
By gracious permission we were granted many audiences with Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, and with Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria, and with senior members of the Swedish Royal Court, especially the current and former Marshals of the Realm Ingmar Eliasson and Gunnar Brodin, and the Head of Information and Press Department, Elisabeth Tarras-Wahlberg. We also thank others (whether quoted in this paper or not) with personal perspectives on the monarchy and its activities for their time and insights, including an anonymous member of another royal family. We are grateful to Paul George, former vice chairman of the United States Olympic Committee for information on royals active in Olympic sports. In addition we are grateful for reactions and ideas from faculty colleagues and from the Reputation Management practice group at Opinion Research Corporation. This research was self-funded by the authors.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Balmer, J., Greyser, S. & Urde, M. The Crown as a corporate brand: Insights from monarchies. J Brand Manag 14, 137–161 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.bm.2550031
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.bm.2550031