PR in Practice: Royal Baby Media Frenzy
Since the marriage of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge; Kate Middleton, the media has been in a royal family frenzy. Every move the couple has made has been documented through various forms of mass media. The couples’ wedding was an internationally documented event, spurring on the hype surrounding news of the royal family. On December 3rd, 2012 the media frenzy over the royal family skyrocketed due to the announcement of Kate Middleton’s pregnancy.
The next nine months were filled with daily headlines and articles surrounding the general lifestyle, clothing choices and personal details about the habits of Kate in her pregnancy. Finally, on July 22nd, 2013 the world welcomed the birth of Prince George, 8 pounds, 6 ounces. Media outlets were flooded with photos, videos and articles surrounding every detail of the birth. One London based newspaper, Bolton News live-posted minute-to-minute details until 10:54 PM, ending the media stream by writing: “Well that was an interesting day. History in the making. A new king in waiting.”
Additionally, to garner even more hype about the baby after his birth, the media posted and re-posted congratulatory statements from renowned public figures, including President Obama.
This excitement surrounding the birth of the Prince of England is an example of agenda setting related to public relations theory. Agenda setting says that the news tells us not what to think, but what to think about. Additionally, the theory states that public opinion is shaped by media coverage and what is presented on the “agenda” is considered most important. In regards to Kate and Williams baby, agenda setting is a practice used to maintain positive publicity about the royal family. Since the couple is constantly in the public eye it is logical that so much of our media is dedicated to websites, articles and blogs about them.
All the media coverage created an environment of excitement and exuberance about the birth of the royal baby. Even before he was born, Prince George had millions of fans worldwide due to his constant presence in the media. Agenda setting is certainly a key player in maintaining this fan-base, and presenting a positive image of the royal family to the world.
-Teal Straton-Shea
