The start of wedding season kicked off with a bang last Saturday during the British Royal Wedding as Prince Harry married American actress Meghan Markle. Marketers around the world had high hopes for the royal wedding festivities, and the nuptials didn’t disappoint. Based on our analysis, and thanks in part to the royal couple’s Transatlantic romance, the Royal Wedding had a significant material effect on internet traffic levels in both Europe and the United States!
Given’s IAS’s unique vantage point–processing more impressions than any other verification provider for more global brands– we were able to calculate how big an impact the Royal Wedding had on internet traffic levels. In the below graphs, we show how internet traffic differed during the Royal Wedding (red line) relative to the previous Saturday (teal line), for both Europe and America respectively. This data allows IAS to explore the differences in how Europeans and American responded to the Royal Wedding.
For both Europeans and Americans, the biggest drop in internet traffic occurred during the start of the ceremony, around 7:00 am at which point the only people missing from the church were the Queen and the bride herself. After the start of the ceremony, Europeans and Americans followed similar patterns in their internet behavior. Both groups showed spikes in traffic levels approximately halfway through the ceremony around 7:30 and after 8:00 and the Prince as the new Duchess of Sussex left the church for the first time as husband and wife. And for both groups internet traffic levels began to return to normal as the married couple made their way through streets of Windsor in a horse drawn carriage.
While it’s no surprise that European audiences tuned in, particularly in the UK where the British Royal Family enjoys wide public approval, the event also made its mark on American internet traffic. Despite the early hour, a measurable number of Americans were tuned in and logged on. Like their British counterparts, these fans apparently alternated their focus between watching the broadcast from St. George’s Cathedral and Windsor Palace, and jumping to mobile devices and social media to comment on it.
IAS analysis shows that 200 years of independence haven’t completely severed America’s interest in the House of Windsor and for audiences in EMEA the wedding was prime viewing material. Marketers looking to capitalize on the event weren’t likely to be disappointed with their digital spend given the irresistible allure of post a comment about every arrival, outfit, and vow
