Honestly, who can blame them, with the negative coverage from the tabloids, including the likes of the Mail, since their joyful wedding, being enough to rankle even the most hardened Royal.
Interestingly, one Royal correspondent who was feeling a little hard done by said, “Well the press may not be what they were, but they are not dead. Expect a strong negative backlash to this news”.
To be honest, it all sounded a bit playground and unprofessional.
Historically, the Royals, certainly in more recent times, have worked hard to get and keep the press on-side. Just look at Prince Philip’s efforts in the TV series ‘The Crown’, where he invited the BBC behind closed doors some 60 years ago. At a time when the Royals were not in favour.
Time moves on...
This move, likely to be led by media savvy Meghan, may shock many of the establishment, the press and certain Royals, but this next generation of Royals knows that to control their message and engage with their target audience they have the new channels of social media at their disposal.
And they have huge global reach, particularly in the US and Canada.
Whether they need the press or not, time will tell, but certainly this move enables them, with their still largely popular appeal away from the British press to engage with their audiences directly. And with their fame and the Royal brand they will have a reach that most insurance folk could only dream of.
What’s this got to do with insurance?
Views vary enormously regarding the perceived importance of the press. Some industry giants, such as Zurich, have largely turned their back on the press, with only a handful of news stories out since October, according to recent analysis by NextGen Communications.
Whilst others such as Swiss Re and Allianz have had significantly more press coverage, three or four times the volume of Zurich's news. Global insurer MAPFRE is increasingly working with the UK press, to increase visibly in what is still seen as an important market, despite Brexit.
Today, every forward-thinking insurance company and broker, whatever their view of the press, will have a digital strategy at the heart of its brand building and communications' efforts. Like modern day super stars. Zurich Insurance is a fine example of this.
Many brokers and insurers are now very active, with blogs and Twitter, and LinkedIn as a publishing platform, particularly at events like BIBA, AIRMIC and RVS, Monte Carlo. So, does the drive to self-publish mean that the press, including the insurance trade press, have had their day?
Certainly, the ability to self-publish is liberating. No longer do you need to wait for a publication to decide if your thoughts or story are worth printing. And no fear of being misquoted.
You can publish and disclose what you want, when you want; to whom you want.
What’s more, if you get your content right, your target audiences will engage with and, even better, amplify the reach of your communications, via their social media connections, as advocates of your business.
In the digital age, how can the press add value?
If you don’t have the reach of the Royals, and you are looking to build your brand the press is still important, as it offers you an independent validated voice, which adds gravitas to your story, as well as giving you excellent reach to new audiences.
Leading publications such as the Insurance Insider, The Intelligent Insurer, Insurance Day and Reactions distribute content to over 100,000 industry professionals worldwide, with a social media following, to promote their content, to match.
When approached in the right way, with the right type of content; at the right time, the insurance press provides an invaluable channel for your communications. They will tell your story and enhance your profile.
In addition, the journalists at these publications, and others, are true content professionals, who on the whole do a great job of adding value to our industry. Journalists of this calibre produce high quality, professional content that your target audiences will read and engage with.
What next?
Well, if you are not a modern Royal with global reach, and you are interested in partnering with a professional insurance PR agency that understands how to make the most of your press, digital and social media channels feel free to drop me a line to arrange a coffee and a chat to explore your options.
Re Meghan and Harry, watch this space, I don’t think we’ve heard the last of this.