The bunting! The bowler hats! The pints past 11pm! As the UK recovers from its Jubilee-induced hangover, it’s time to check the nation’s bank account.

More than nine million Brits were set to celebrate the Jubilee with at least one commemorative purchase, according to research from customer engagement platform Emarsys – proving that while Liz might not hold much constitutional power, she certainly wields an influence over our wallets.

British brands have done an absolutely spiffing job of capitalising on the Royal Family fever. Over the past few weeks, the British Monarchy™ has co-opted the public consciousness, putting the Queen everywhere from your telly to your tableware, your browser to your biscuits.

Since we’re all about thinking bold here at Wildfire (and love a bit of newsjacking to help clients get noticed), we’ve rounded up our pick of five bold examples of Jubilee marketing.

1. M&S Corgi and Queen Connie the Caterpillar Cake

The iconic caterpillar roll cake received a right royal makeover in this limited-edition Connie and Corgi double offering. While two of Connie’s legs had to be sacrificed in the process, the crown and Union Jack-adorned capes did meet the Rule Britannia! brief. We’re not sure if it’s entirely PC for the Queen to echo a much less beloved monarch by saying “Let them eat cake” but in the case of Connie and Corgi’s moreish chocolate sponge, we wouldn’t blame her.

2. McDonald’s ‘One’s Lovin’ It’ Campaign

The fast-food chain kept it classy with a tagline change (‘One’s lovin’ it’) and a new jingle (‘ba da ba ba’ – but played by an orchestra) for its TV and radio ads over the Jubilee weekend. Celebrations kicked off with a competition to win a porcelain version of a McDonald’s Big Mac dining set. On Thursday and Friday, the Quarter Pounder with Cheese was renamed the Royale with Cheese and re-priced for just 99p on the app. While on Saturday and Sunday you could save £5 on app-based orders of £15 and over, leaving enough spare change to put towards an umbrella when it inevitably rained.

3. T-Mobile and Saatchi & Saatchi’s ‘Britain Loves a Jubilee’

T-Mobile continued its streak of brilliantly localised adverts – A.K.A. no one outside of the UK will get it – with this 90-second love letter to all things offbeat British. Narrated by Harry Hill (yes, he’s still around), and featuring such UK idols as jockeys, kebabs, and Louie Spence as the Queen, the spot showed just why the telecoms giant still holds a place in our salt-and-vinegar hearts. Plus, unlimited free texts forever? We’ll drink (tea) to that.

4. Heinz’s Retro Packaging

Sure, Heinz is technically an American brand, but baked beans are as British as the Queen herself (who is technically German) and we couldn’t resist including this retro throwback. Vintage package designs from 1952 — the year of the Queen’s Coronation — were readopted for tins of Heinz Beans and Heinz Spaghetti and included the slogan ‘Heinz serving the nation for more than 60 years’. Two of the nation’s favourite condiments, Heinz Salad Cream and HP, were also renamed ‘Heinz Salad Queen’ and ‘HM Sauce’. Office opinion here remains divided as to which sauce is Her Majesty’s favourite. Should we ask Tom Hanks?

4. Hydrow Platinum Jubilee Rower

The makers behind the Peloton of rowing, Hydrow, have emblazoned their popular at-home rowing machine in red, white, and blue to provide us with a full-body workout and honour the Queen’s own 70 years of sweat and toil on the throne. Designed in collaboration with artist Alex Echo, proceeds from the sales of this at-home rowing machine are going to Parkinson’s UK – making this one good for the heart in more ways than one.

Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash