Queen Elizabeth II's passing: Ad campaigns and industry reactions

With over 70 years of reign and service, Britain’s longest-serving monarch Queen Elizabeth II has become a familiar, well-respected and beloved name across the globe. Her death was announced by Buckingham Palace at 6:30pm London time which saw advertisers in the UK hitting the brakes to their campaigns. 

According to media reports, normal television programming will be halted in the UK and news readers have been asked to wear black as a symbol of mourning. British commercial radio stations have also been asked to play on non-offensive music from a pre-selected playlist.

The tragic news of the monarch’s death generated a huge amount of mentions across all types of media, according to social listening firm CARMA. Its general manager Charles Cheung said that mentions started to increase significantly after the official statement announced by the royal family at 6:41 pm (UK Time), "However, there were circulations of unconfirmed and fake news prior to the official announcement, particularly on Operation London Bridge, the code name of a funeral plan for Queen Elizabeth II."

"We saw a total of 20% negative mentions from related mentions over the last 12 hours. One of the most engaging social posts comes from a Tweet published on BBC Breaking News’ official Twitter account (@BBCBreaking), which generated 217.7K Retweets as of 10:30 am (HK Time). Apart from the sadness expressed by most netizens, many also engaged in discussions on the line of succession, Operation London Bridge, and the reaction from world leaders," Cheung added. 

The Queen has over the years been depicted across pop culture. Most notably, her life story was dramatised in Netflix’s portrayal of The Crown, which according to reports might halt production out of respect.

While rare, she’s also been featured in ad campaigns for Olympics, The Body Shop and The Royal Family.

Marmalade Sandwich, Your Majesty?

For the Platinum Jubilee concert, the Queen made an appearance with Paddington Bear where they bonded over their love of marmalade sandwiches.

The spot which now has over six million views delighted viewers as it came as a surprise. It showed the two sitting opposite each other enjoying an afternoon tea and with the bear telling the Queen that he hoped she was "having a lovely Jubilee".

Since the news of her passing, the bear also put up a simple heartfelt message: ‘Thank you Ma’am, for everything.’

James Bond and The Queen London 2012 Performance

Another iconic ad the queen was a part of was the London 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.

The ad saw special cameos by the Queen alongside Daniel Craig (playing the role of James Bond). In the spot, Bond escorts the Queen to the Olympics in a helicopter, and after which she is seen “jumping” out of the aircraft in a Union Jack parachute.

Organisations across the UK have also paid their respects. Stephen Woodford, CEO, Advertising Association, said: “The Advertising Association pays tribute to Her Majesty The Queen, for her dedicated service to our country during her long reign. The Queen was exemplary in her work for our people and society, and we know that the advertising industry will be sensitive to the mood of the nation during this period of mourning.”

Meanwhile, British Airways has also put up a Facebook post with images of the Queen, at different stages of life, at British Airways events. “At British Airways, we are deeply saddened to hear of the loss of Her Majesty the Queen. At this terribly sad time, our thoughts are with the entire British Royal Family and the nation, as we grieve her immeasurable loss.”

“We are deeply honoured and proud to have flown Her Majesty on a number of occasions, moments which we will always cherish. Her Majesty has for so long shown immense resilience and encouraged us to stand together to face difficult times, so now we proudly stand together with the United Kingdom, to thank her for her service and bid her a final farewell,” the statement said.

The Premier League put up a statement saying it is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen, Elizabeth II. “Our thoughts and condolences are with The Royal Family and everyone around the world mourning the loss of Her Majesty.”