By Bruce Horovits
Today's royal wedding has attracted precisely what some skeptics say it most deserves: lots of royally tacky promotions.
Toys R Us is selling Princess Catherine dolls that look like bride Kate Middleton. Baskin-Robbins is hawking royal wedding cakes. And Dunkin' Donuts is flaunting royal wedding doughnuts — heart-shaped, of course.
Such marketing super-silliness has become the national norm for high-profile events of political, athletic or cultural significance ranging from elections to the Olympic Games to papal visits. But a strong argument can be made that the marketing mayhem based on today's nuptials is breaking virtually all barriers.
"Nobody needs any of this stuff," says Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing. "But in marketing, perception is reality. If you perceive you're participating in the royal wedding in some small way, that's the reality the consumer is buying."
•Doughnuts. From last Sunday until this Sunday, Dunkin' expects to sell up to 500,000 heart-shaped doughtnuts — filled with jelly and iced with vanilla and chocolate — at 89 cents a pop. "This has probably been the most (media) interest we've had in one subject, ever, in the history of Dunkin' Donuts," says Nigel Travis, CEO of Dunkin' Brands, which is also parent to Baskin-Robbins.
Doughnut sales are up during the promo, but he won't say by how much. Oh, and if the doughnut looks familiar, that's because it's the same shape as the one Dunkin' promotes on Valentine's Day.
•Dolls. Toys R Us is selling the Princess Catherine Engagement Dolls made by British-based Champions of British Style — for $50 each. The dolls were air-freighted to two New York locations and will be sold, for a limited time, on the retailer's website. Toys R Us is the only U.S. retailer to sell the doll, says Lisa Harnisch, the toymaker's general merchandise manager. At about the size of a Barbie doll, it's "the mirror image of Kate Middleton," she says.
•Ice cream cakes. The Baskin-Robbins Royal Wedding Ice Cream Cake fetches a cool $29.99. The 6-inch-round dessert is made from vanilla cake and Chocolate Mousse Royale ice cream. The white and blue roses are supposed to look a bit like an English garden.
Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin' are selling the royal wedding goodies to lots of folks who plan to host royal wedding parties in their homes or offices today, Travis says.
•Wallpaper. Graham & Brown, the upscale wallpaper chain, is offering 20% off its Crowns & Coronets wallpaper line "to celebrate the royal wedding."
•Skin care. In need of a facial? For $200, you can get the 75-minute Royal Facial at the two Dallas-area locations of Renee Rouleau Skin Care. The facial is followed by English scones with berry jam, of course.
The facial also includes a scalp massage, says owner Renee Rouleau, "because when you wear a tiara or crown, your scalp might get sore."
