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Over the past year, Birks Inc., a 139-year-old Montreal-based jewelry company, has found itself in the midst of a modern mercantile fairy tale at the end unknown. It began in August 2017, when Meghan Markle, now Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wore Maison Birks jewelery during her first public release with Prince Harry at the Invictus Games in Toronto. Since then, she has consistently modeled the tasteful items, suitable for the Birks Royal Family, at the announcement of her engagement in November 2017, at the Christmas Luncheon with the Queen, and then at the same time. a series of public appearances. Such was his loyalty to the brand that Hello! Canada Magazine asked, "Will Meghan Markle wear Birks on her wedding day?" – another free charge She did not do it. But her mother, Doria Ragland, and Jessica Mulroney, the Toronto stylist now known as Markle's "BFF," were making all of Birks' pieces available to the public until next fall. All were heavily promoted on Birks' social media platforms and treated as news by mainstream media, garnering worldwide publicity for Birks.
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reflects the timing of marketing, where "influencers" – celebrities and social media stars – have replaced advertising to the point to exacerbate the influence. The articles are promoted in the news and gossip, as can be seen in the May 1945 account of the New York Post "Meghan Markle wears earrings of $ 10,000 at the Royal Wedding Rehearsal Which told of a private event. this earned Birks another cry. In such a landscape, the proximity of the British royal family is the marketing of gold, advertising that money can not buy. "They are the biggest brand in the world," says Patricia Treble, veteran of the Royal Observatory of Write-Royalty.com . Birks saw an increase in hits on his site after Markle took the brand to the Invictus Games, but the flood began with the news that she would join the Windsor House, says Eva Hartling, Marketing Director and Vice President. from the Birks House line. The company experienced a 400% peak in sales and online visits that day; Markle earrings $ 995 sold out. It is a happy coincidence that Birks jewelry is available in the UK one month before the engagement announcement.
Jessica Mulroney, fairy godmother in this tale, is a well-known fashion consultant for the Markle style and, unknowingly, Sophie. Gregoire Trudeau. Birks hired her in 2011 as a "jewelery expert" to share "tips with Birks customers and the press". Birks no longer has a "formal relationship" with Mulroney, but they work together on projects. Mulroney introduced Markle to Birks, says Hartling, who adds that the company has never had a commercial relationship with the actress: "Meghan loved the line. and bought pieces, "she says." The entourage "of Markle asked for jewelry for her mother for the wedding, which was purchased, she said.
Such distinctions are important. The fairness of the royal family brand distanced itself from commercial bribery (Sarah Ferguson was vili fi ed for her lucrative businesses and attempted to sell her ex-husband access to Prince Andrew.) They live in an area free of any free ticket, transactional relationships are verboten.A minor exception is the "Royal Appointment Mandate", a mark of recognition conferred on those who have provided goods or services to households of the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh or the Prince of Wales, whoever receives one must follow strict rules, says Treble: "You can put the royal coat of arms on the product, but you can not reference the royal family in a commercial activity where you will be stripped of the royal mandate. It's happened. "
Discretion is vital.An unofficial endorsement in the form of a royal wearing a mark can be worth millions:" The Kate Effect "describes how items worn by the ex- Kate Middleton are selling in minutes.In April 2018, Women's Wear Daily established the total "Markle" effect at 212.1 million US dollars.
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According to Shinan Govani, a writer of the company, "any instinct you have as an actress or influential or anyone in the world of fashion should be unlearned if you become a member of the firm. "During her career, Markle visited" gift sets, "where celebrities are photographed with free products, and she was photographed with a homeopathic flu remedy. , sports equipment and bourbon, while its renown Thanks to his role on Suits Markle was in the field of "lifestyle" with his popular blog The Tig and an Instagram presence with nearly two million followers. She was named "brand ambassador" at the Reitmans clothing chain, for which she designed a collection of capsules. The brands gave him clothes, including the Canadian company Line the Label, which Markle met during the years of shopping before Harry came on the scene. "After Jessica started styling, she contacted us to send pictures of the collections," says Natasha Koifman, president of NKPR, a Toronto-based public relations agency that represents Line. According to John Muscat, President of Line: "We pay attention to who we work," he tells Maclean & # 39; s . "The $ 799 white coat that Markle wore for the engagement announcement, renamed" The Meghan ", was a" gift "for Mulroney, said Muscat, part of a wardrobe set up for Markle's move to Britain. . Mulroney called in the engagement morning to say that the coat had been chosen, recalls Koifman. In the space of an hour and a half, more than 300 orders were received.
Unlike some celebrities, Markle pays for the articles, tells Koifman, telling how the actress had called him a year ago before his engagement. She had trouble finding a speci fi c bracelet made by NKPR brand. "She wanted to buy it for Harry for Christmas," says Koifman: "We found it, and she paid for it." The story of a future princess buying a gift for his prince is intended to boost sales more than any other advertising. Maclean & # 39; s chose not to identify him, even though Koifman did it
Anyone who deals with the royal family must be discreet and follow the protocol, says Treble "People who do not do business with members of the royal family can be verbose," she says. "(Mulroney declined Maclean & # 39; s interview request ). Birks was named for exceeding his limits in 2015 when he issued a press release after Gregoire Trudeau wore a Birks diamond brooch. to meet Queen Elizabeth II: "Sophie Gregory Trudeau … dazzled in Birks jewelry," he read. The indignation sparked by the $ 7,125 spindle price forced the Prime Minister's Office to issue a statement explaining that the jewelry was being loaned by Birks, who had not informed them that they were planning to do so. advertising. Eyebrows were also raised a few hours after the wedding when People.com published a story about Mulroney, calling it the "unofficial bridesmaid" and calling Birks "jeweler of Meghan ". only one quoted in history, who listed Mulroney's Birr's plays at the wedding and the evening. On Twitter, Govani criticized the ad as "misguided" by comparing it to "day-after-the-met-gala" day trading "and to the tic-tac-toe mark," a reference to Annual Gala of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a blatant billboard for fashion houses and brands. According to Mark Govani, "the maid of honor" is a term that neither Markle nor the palace use: "translate the popular language of celebrities and put it in the context of the royal wedding that someone one does not think ". . That's my charitable attitude.
At a time when Hartling calls the "Influence of Influencers", unofficial royal approval is of increasing value. Unilever, whose brands include Dove and Ax, recently announced that it would not work with influencers who buy social media subscribers. "Consumers see through mechanisms that do not feel authentic," says Koifman.
Hartling says that Birks was careful. It does not use Markle's image on social media, only media coverage, which may amount to the same thing. On its website, a page titled "Royal Wedding Jewelry Inspiration" includes items worn by Markle, Mulroney and Ragland; Visitors can "glide to see the Birks jewels that the Duchess wore". The current Birks advertising campaign features Canadian artist Amanda Brugel, who is very similar to Markle.
As history has shown, the royal anointing can be a blessing. The Issa brand exploded after Kate Middleton wore one of her dresses for her engagement; The company finally closed after founder Daniella Helayel sold a majority stake in the company to finance its expansion. If the royal fairy dust settles on Birks remains to be seen. The latest half-year results, ending September 23, 2017, do not appear to include a "Markle" effect: sales decreased by $ 5.1 million to $ 49.8 million per year. compared to the previous year. The stock price was volatile, rising from 24 cents in January 2016 to $ 3.04 in July 2016, the month Markle and Prince met. It fell to $ 1.06, then climbed to $ 2.69 in November 2017, two weeks before the announcement of the mission. At the end of June, he traded at less than $ 1.50
Hartling considers the Duchess's relationship with Birks as "positive" and "slightly negative" for the company: "D & # 39; and one, the exhibition is an example: a consumer who falls in love with the brand becomes the most famous person on the planet. The free press also contributes to the company's stated goal of becoming a "global luxury brand". Discussing the "slightly negative", Hartling is cautious: "Obviously, we do not complain," she says. "But all about Birks right now is about the duchess wearing our pieces.We are launching new collections in the fall, but nobody cares about it unless the duchess decides to buy a piece and carry it. "(That said, Ragland and Mulroney presented the goods in front of an estimated two billion audience worldwide.) The Duchess could stop wearing Birks, Hartling says:" What is it? does that mean for us? "That did not happen, with post-wedding images of the Duchess wearing Birks plastered on the company's Instagram." Royalty is fine for her! ", reads in Hartling remains optimistic, noting that Birks had a royal mandate in the 1930s, when he provided silverware to the royal family: "Maybe we will have another one." Maybe. This could be a way to put an end to this fairy tale
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