Royal baby boosts Brits
LONDON — British officials are hoping that the impending royal birth will produce a bouncing baby buoy for the economy.
With the Duchess of Cambridge due to give birth to an heir to the throne next month, it’s time for citizens and groups to consider how to best mark the moment.
Happy occasions often boost consumer confidence, sparking a spring in the step that leads right to the shopping mall for street party snacks, summer frocks and suntan lotion. And happy national occasions with the royal family and a new heir hit an emotional jackpot in Britain — boosting national pride along with tea, cakes and commemorative china.
“Royal fever is more intense now, actually,” said Pauline Maclaran, a professor of marketing and consumer research at Royal Holloway and the co-author of “Tiaras, Tea Towels and Tourism: Consuming the British Royal Family,” which will be published by the University of California Press. “At a time of crisis, when there is financial depression, people look for something to lift themselves.”
Britain really could use some consumer confidence right now. The economy is so flat no one has any idea how to pick it up. It grew last quarter at the less-than-stunning rate of 0.3 percent.
But trend watchers say the royal birth is being seen as the country’s latest installment of “Big Events.”
First, in April 2011, there was the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, an extravaganza of horse-drawn carriages, breast-plated soldiers and white lace gowns. Then came the June 2012 Jubilee flotilla down the River Thames — a procession of some 1,000 highly decorated boats, all honoring Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 years on the throne.
Within months, London hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics, kicking it off with a flag-waving, torchlit procession celebrating every scenic bit of this island nation, from Land’s End in the west to the Scottish village of John o’Groats in the north. The mood was extended another month by the most watched, most-celebrated Paralympics in history.
A study issued earlier this month by UK Trade & Investment suggested the 2012 “Summer of Sport,” delivered $3.9 billion in foreign direct investment resulting from business events launched during the games. More comprehensive numbers on the games are expected later.
Richard Cope, director of trends at the global market research firm Mintel, said the possibilities abound for using the royal birth to economic advantage.
