Like much of the world, we’ve been closely following Prince Harry’s book launch and accompanying promotional campaign.
We often follow and analyze public events relevant to our field. Our diagram for this sage is unusually complex. There are many individual and institutions involved, as well as so much and so many different types of reputational damage. We have tracked his moves, while also tracking those of the media, the public, and the many insiders and family members who were discussed in detail in either the book or in Prince Harry’s media appearances. We are also tracking the impact of the book and the differences in responses in England vs. America.
Giving context to all of this are the perspectives on and criticisms of Prince Harry that have been part of public discourse since he was 12. Discourse that led many of us think that we knew Price Harry. And now with the book perhaps we do know him. Or at least it is his intent that we think we do, and in that he has been successful.
Our professional role, as reputation management experts, is not to judge Harry, or the truth of competing narratives. It is to assess whether his campaign to establish his reputation authentically has been effective. And our assessment is a resounding “yes.”
Here’s why:
Every reputation reboot campaign — which, among other things, this is — begins with three goals:
- To reach a designated audience.
- To use messaging that resonates as authentic with that audience.
- To use that messaging and connection to shape the audience’s perception of the reputation in question.
Memoirs are the ultimate reputation-building and burnishing vehicles. They offer authors the opportunity to command a stage in which they can deliver and extensively develop their point of view. The context the book creates is something they can carry over to discussions on many other outlets (talk shows, notably, in this case). If the book sells well, all the better.
Prince Harry has said that the purpose of his book is to tell his own story for the first time, without third parties – Royal advisers and the media – telling it for him. And that is fair. The media told his story in a way that could seem even cruel, that has been very profitable for them…attracting audiences, clicks and advertising dollars.
He has achieved his goal of taking control of his narrative. He is the topic of conversation all over the world. Whether that conversation is approving, or disapproving does not seem to be an issue for him. Nor does the discomfort and pain his book has surely caused his family members.
Prince Harry is an engaging, believable, witty and insightful presence in media interviews. His book sales are breaking records. (His and Meghan’s Netflix docuseries did, too, in terms of attracting viewers.)
No way to stop being a high-profile couple
He and Meghan could leave the royal family’s umbrella, but they couldn’t stop being a high-profile couple, like it or not. They have independently earned the millions of dollars that highly visible individuals need to protect their families in that potentially dangerous environment (which can result from a toxic mix of media coverage and the focus of dangerous, mentally ill and obsessed people). Prince Harry has been criticized for selling out, but the fifth in line to the throne of England is not raised with job skills, nor has the option of becoming, say, an investment advisor, real estate representative or any number of job positions that are available to well-educated people of means, and others. Is there a financial plan for Royal family members who wish to leave the institution? And much as his critics would like to see him fly on commercial planes, the fact is that the bubble around people of high-profile background and wealth is often necessary for their safety.
Prince Harry has been a source of significance revenue for the media for a long time, and was handled by the media largely without concern for his well-being. He has stepped in to control that revenue along with the narrative surrounding his life. He and Meghan clearly have substantive advisors with extensive experience in planning book and media campaigns, and they have delivered successfully.
They have implemented what appears to be the first step in a strategic, long-term campaign that will, we hope, next turn their focus from their stories to the larger social issues they have expressed interest in spotlighting and impacting positively.
The Royal Family has always been credited with attracting tourism, and tourism dollars, to England. Prince Harry’s revelations about them, shocking as they are to many, could also attract support and empathy, especially as King Charles prepares for his coronation. It could attract renewed interest in visiting England as well, as millions find renewed interest the Royal Family history.
We can’t weigh in on his relationship with his family, except to say that taking the high road, as they appear to be doing, should have a positive effect on public opinion. And they, like Harry, are being presented with opportunities to shape their reputation.