Operation London Bridge was the codename of the plan for what would happen in the days following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
In September 2022, we directly advised and supported 59 organisations, ranging from household name consumer brands to charities, councils, housing associations and specialist environmental and sustainable organisations to navigate this sensitive situation and the weeks that followed.
Operation London Bridge had significant implications for social media, digital publishing, lobbying and campaigning, PR activities, event planning, security at venues, events and employers.
The impact on the country and the economy was significant.
There were cultural changes to prepare for, and significant public grieving. The vast majority of British people had never known life without the Queen, and in August 2022 she was polling at 82% popularity.
Across sectors, and regardless of personal opinions about the monarchy, Operation London Bridge was rated by risk advisors as highly likely to have an organisation-wide impact.
Several of the organisations we advised have Royal patronage, and for the Housing Associations we support in London, their daily operations were heavily impacted by security arrangements and shut down areas of the city for the funeral.
For ongoing clients, planning for Operation London Bridge had been a standard part of the operational and communications risk assessments that 181st Street provides, so the organisations had a broad understanding of how it may affect them and how they should respond well in advance.
On the day of the Queen’s death, we had a full 18 page briefing document on our clients’ desks 2 hours before the official public announcement was made on the BBC.
We outlined what would happen throughout the official mourning period and funeral, and how organisations should prepare and respond. Our policy team provided polling data on the Monarchy and Queen, so that organisations could understand the implications for their audiences and stakeholders.
Our reputation team prepared initial CEO and corporate statements and content in line with government guidance, and our digital team rolled this out across 236 social media channels and 72 websites. Our digital team also supported all clients to pause pre-scheduled social media content, marketing emails and advertising where necessary and facilitated the timely release of the statements, so that all the organisations we support were seen to respond in a timely and appropriate manner.
If you would like to discuss reputation management, pubic affairs or any of our services, book a free consultation call.
