Orbit Showtime Network seeks to cash in on royal wedding craze

Dubai: A select group of UAE residents got the surprise of their lives when they received their personal gold-embossed invitations from Buckingham Palace to attend Friday's wedding in London.

The calligraphy and fine stationery sealed with a spot of wax on the back of the envelopes, however, turned out to be a clever marketing campaign by Orbit Showtime Network (OSN) to capitalise on global interest in the event.

The world is expected to tune in as Prince William exchanges nuptials with Catherine Middleton in Westminster Abbey at 11am on Friday.

Gold-lettered invitations

In their invitation featuring gold lettering, OSN — tongue planted firmly in cheek, of course — invites its targeted clientele to watch the royal wedding via exclusive television coverage offered by the network.

"As you can imagine, a great many people will be attending this wedding, so there's a very real possibility that you will be seated towards the rear of the cathedral where the view is terrible," stated the very fine print at the bottom of the invitation.

"However, OSN subscribers will be guaranteed a fabulous view throughout, courtesy of Sky HD, exclusively on OSN."

In the smallest of print, the invitation included a phone number to call for holders of invitations to "subscribe in time for the wedding."

Ellis D'Rozario, marketing director for OSN, told Gulf News that in the frenzied lead-up to the wedding, companies around the world were touting exclusivity and special access.

Avalanche of marketing pitches

The avalanche of marketing pitches anchored by the royal wedding made it hard to get the message out, he said.

Handmade invitations of distinctions each sealed with a wax seal seemed to be a fitting new campaign for OSN to reach out amid the hype.

"We wanted to have fun, to get into the spirit of the event," said D'Rozario. "Millions will watch this, it is a grand event.

"For us, this was a way to talk to key opinion leaders, it was a way to cut through the clutter."

Special

The message from OSN is that it is offering something special, something that stands out from the rest, he said.

Royal wedding coverage broadcast by OSN will be in true high definition (HD) giving viewers the next-best thing to a front-row seat in Westminster. "It's [HD] a point of difference from a marketing standpoint," said D'Rozario. On its website, OSN said it will be broadcasting its own Sky HD itinerary ahead of the event.

Calling it the "most-watched event of the century," OSN pledged to take viewers behind the scenes beginning on Thursday and in the lead-up hours to the actual ceremony.

Wedding fever

"As royal wedding fever sweeps the world, OSN reveals its line-up of coverage," the company said.

"With over five hours of in-depth coverage before, during and after the royal wedding, fans will not miss a second of the action from this global event."

The wedding will no doubt entice the curiosity of countless viewers around the globe, D'Rozario said.

Analysts have told British newspapers that at least one billion people will watch the event live as it is broadcast jointly by BBC, Sky and ITV.