MEGHAN Markle’s sudden company rebrand is a “huge faux pas”, especially when she’s got major backers like Netflix to keep happy, says an expert.
The Duchess of Sussex announced on Instagram her upcoming lifestyle company American Riviera Orchard is changing its name to As Ever weeks before the launch.
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It comes after a royal expert told The Sun, the name change exemplifies how Meghan is always “jumping in” without enough thought – and said the inclusion of Lilibet is shameless.
The duchess, 43, is due to tie in the brand with her upcoming cookery show With Love, Meghan for the streaming giant.
Some products, including homemade jams, have already been sent to Meghan’s pals with the old branding.
The name hit a stumbling block last year after the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) partially refused a trademark application for its name.
Meghan was told by officials she can’t have exclusive rights to the term “American Riviera” because it is a commonly used place name to describe Santa Barbara, where the duchess grew up.
Nick Ede, brand and culture expert, told The Sun: “It’s a pretty big issue. If you’re going to be doing a deal with Netflix – making millions for yourself, but also for somebody else…
“This huge faux pas where you’ve literally [sent out] your jams with the label saying American Riviera Orchard, and you’ve also created an Instagram site and a website.
“That’s a really big business issue, and because it’s being played publicly, obviously so many people are discussing it.
“It really looks like the business has flopped before it’s even [launched].”
Mr Ede also said to be having to change tact in such a huge way so quickly “is crazy for a brand that’s actually not even been released yet”.
“So it just feels like a really bad faulty start that she had and hopefully this new rebrand will do well, but I think time will tell,” he added.
No products have yet been made available to purchase, and the ‘As Ever’ name was registered in 2022.
Meghan didn’t touch on the specifics of why she’d changed the brand name in her announcement video, instead suggesting it was solely down to avoiding “limiting” what she could sell.
Mr Ede said: “I do think that maybe she should have just been as honest as possible about the trademark issues.”
Meghan also referred to her old lifestyle blog The Tig, which was taken down after she became a working royal in 2018.
Mr Ede said it could prove a difficult sell because the average person probably never knew about the defunct blog until after it was pulled.
“Who remembers The Tig?” he said. “It wasn’t particularly big, it didn’t go across the world…
“Are the fans of Meghan, who used to know her for The Tig still the same fans who used to buy into her? Do they still buy into her?
“I think it’s a very different world now, and I think maybe she’ll come up against that, because people might not believe or buy into what she’s talking about.”
He went on to say, “one of the biggest hurdles is actually Meghan herself”, referring to how she appears to live in a bubble when it comes to making business decisions.
“She talks about going back to her glory days… like I’m going back to basics guys.
“Well, actually, they don’t know where your basics are, because one of your basics is you were in the Royal Family. Next is, you’re an actress.
“Next is that you’re a charity ambassador, and the next is that you’re slagging off a lot of people. So who are you?”
Mr Ede said the success of the upcoming show can’t be understated because its popularity is largely going to decide if As Ever can stay afloat.
“There’s no identity to it yet,” he said.
“There’s a lot that’s relying on this, and yes, you might get eyeballs on a TV show. But does that convert to sales? I’m not too sure whether it does.”
Mr Ede said “everything is really hinging” on the Netflix show. “It’s so important for her to have this successful,” he explained.
“It’s so important for Netflix to have people watching it, and you know Netflix are gambling at the moment with creating their own shopping environments, their own standalone stores, etc, which they’re piloting at moment in America.
“So for them this is really important for Megan to be part of their Netflix universe.”
Mr Ede said another issue is people backing a new brand will be talking about “bragging rights”.
“Your bragging rights is when you say that you’ve got something, and you kind of feel that you’re a little bit elevated because you have it.
“Do you have bragging rights in having something that Meghan Markle’s put her name to?
“I don’t think at the moment people do, because she polarises so many people. She’s not this ubiquitously loved person.”
What do we know about Meghan Markle’s new cooking show, With Love, Meghan?
MEGHAN Markle’s new Netflix documentary trailer shows her cooking with Hollywood pals.
The Duchess of Sussex gave fans an insight into her show, With Love, Meghan, which airs on January 15.
There will be eight 33 minute episodes featuring a host of Meg’s various Hollywood friends trying her simple, yet “elevated”, food.
A montage of various clips in the nearly two minute video showed Meghan walking through vegetable patches and fields.
She was also filmed browsing through florists hand selecting beautiful flowers for table arrangements, showing off her creative side.
The Duchess even tried her hand at beekeeping, fully suited up, as she collected honey.
In the exciting new trailer, Meghan shared: “I’ve always loved taking something pretty ordinary and elevating it.
“Surprising people with moments that let them know I was really thinking of them.
“I’m going to share some little tips and tricks. I see what colour I gravitate to, and everything goes from there. And how you incorporate these practices every day.
“This is about connecting with friends.. I love that we’re doing this together for the first time. Making new friends.. and just learning.
“We’re not in the pursuit of perfection. We’re in the pursuit of joy. I have to get it totally wrong, to get it totally right.”
The trailer showcased many “candid” moments, from Meghan accidentally squeezing some lemon juice in her eye, to knocking freshly baked goodies off a plate.
Prince Harry featured at the end of the video, embracing his wife in a warm hug.
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