Her Majesty the Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee this year, with events planned across the country during the four-day Bank Holiday weekend from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June. There is huge potential for businesses to tap into the feelgood factor brought about by the festivities, but you do need to take care not to look too opportunistic, or even fall foul of the law!
The movement of the May bank holiday to the end of the week, with the addition of the extra day is something that hopefully all businesses are by now aware of. Employers and employees alike should check their contracts to see whether workers are entitled to the additional day as paid leave, and how the movement of the original bank holiday affects part time workers. Hospitality businesses will be hoping for increased footfall over that weekend, especially after a terrible couple of years, so if your employees are going to be given the days off, it might be nice to tie this in with a Jubilee Bonus like a shopping or dining voucher for them to spend – which is tax-free if worth less than £50, under the Trivial Benefits scheme. If you’re a company director, don’t forget to treat yourself too, but remember that there is an annual cap on the amount that you can claim, whereas there is no cap for employees.
The jubilee could be a good excuse for some client entertaining too. Perhaps you could hold a Garden Party, Afternoon Tea, or other quintessentially British event during May or June? After several years of keeping our distance, it’s nice to have the excuse for everyone to get together, and a jubilee party could provide you and your clients with an enjoyable networking opportunity. You could perhaps tie this idea in with providing a Jubilee commemorative gift for each of your clients, so that those who can’t join in on the day still know that you are thinking of them. There are all sorts of commemorative items available to purchase, or you could put together your own jubilee hamper of British goods. If you have questions about how to treat client entertaining and gifting for tax purposes, speak to your accountant.
You may wish to run a more low-key marketing campaign which taps into the Jubilee spirit. Switching your colour palette to red, white, and blue could be a good way to give a subtle nod to the Jubilee and tap into the market for British goods and services which will doubtless be buoyant during the celebrations. You could offer a special jubilee discount, or other incentive to purchase too. Do be careful when crafting your marketing campaign though, there are specific laws around the use of royal assets in marketing. You must not feature any member of the Royal Family on your marketing without their permission, or use the Royal Arms or Emblems. Even if you hold a Royal Warrant you need to seek permission before using this for marketing purposes, and you may not imply that a product has a Royal endorsement or is official memorabilia. You can find more information about what is and isn’t allowed here.
The Jubilee presents an opportunity for British businesses to showcase themselves in a positive light. Let’s just hope that our efforts don’t get dampened during the Bank Holiday weekend by the great British weather! Unless, that is, you are a manufacturer of red, white and blue umbrellas…
