Meghan's marketing mess amid a fast start to the royal year
The Duchess of Sussex launches another rebrand while the royals set work records
The split-screen that is often royal news was on full display this week. While the King and other working royals added to what is a recent record number of engagements for the first weeks of this year (see below), the Duchess of Sussex unveiled yet another brand name — her third in less than a year.
Late on Monday, February 17, Meghan officially gave up on her first lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard (ARO), which she soft-launched launched on March 14, 2024 with an Instagram account and website. ARO consisted of a logo, sign-up list, and 15-second video.
But she hadn’t secured the trademark for ARO before launching the brand. She handed out numbered jars of strawberry jam to friends and celebrities but no other products would be seen as problems quickly mounted, including the U.S. Trademark Office querying using a geographic locale (American Riviera, which would necessitate her sourcing all her products from that part of California) in the title and an overly complex logo (they couldn’t find the O in the ornate design). In late December 2024, she applied for a three-month extension to the trademark process but the omens weren’t good.
On January 2, she unveiled the trailer for her Netflix lifestyle show that was to premiere on January 15. The video for the new With Love, Meghan brand contained no reference to her American Riviera Orchard product line. The show would be delayed until March 4 after wildfires devastate Los Angeles.
Then, on February 17, she announces her third brand name when she ditches ARO in favour of another brand name, As Ever. Like With Love, Meghan, the new brand name is a salutation. One could wonder if “Yours Truly” is next.
Some of you may have heard whispers about what I’ve been creating. In two weeks, my series on @netflix launches — but there’s something else I’ve been working on. I’m thrilled to introduce you to As Ever — a brand that I created and have poured my heart into. ‘As ever’ means ‘as it’s always been’ or some even say ‘in the same way as always’. If you’ve followed along since my days of creating The Tig, you’ll know this couldn’t be truer for me. This new chapter is an extension of what has always been my love language, beautifully weaving together everything I cherish — food, gardening, entertaining, thoughtful living, and finding joy in the everyday. I will keep sharing behind the scenes tidbits with you here as we ramp up to launch, and I can’t wait for you to get your hands on everything we’ve been creating. Sending lots of love…
As ever,
Meghan
As Ever was quickly engulfed in controversy — for one, the trademark application isn’t final, raising the prospect that this may go the way of ARO (though trademark experts are more hopeful that the duchess and her business partner, Netflix, will be able to complete this trademark application process). In addition, its name is the same as a cult clothing store in New York while its bird-and-palm tree logo is remarkably similar to that of the coat of arms of a Spanish town.
Then there’s the video itself. Russell Myers of the Daily Mirror described his reaction this way in his newsletter: “Fresh from my latest aneurysm from watching another heavily edited video that jumps around more than my toddler on a sugar high, I can’t work out whether this latest foray into the business world is marketing genius or a full on Emperor’s New Clothes vibes.”
Though it’s a selfie taken by Meghan, it starts with Harry announcing, “It’s recording.” Other content is equally perplexing. After referencing her love of cooking, crafting, and gardening and sharing it on The Tig, the lifestyle Instagram account that she closed when she became engaged to Harry in 2017, she stated, “I haven’t been able [ital mine] to share it with you in the same way for the past few years, but now, I can.”
“Haven’t been able” suggests she was prevented from working on her passions. If that’s what she meant, then I have questions:
What about the charity cookbook Together, which she produced as a working royal with women of the Grenfell community to help them after the deadly fire?
Is she blaming the royals for not allowing her to work on these projects “in the past few years?” Because that doesn’t track with a quick look at the calendar. She was a working royal for 18 months, far less than her 5.5-year stint as a former working royal. Given Meghan stopped doing official engagements as recorded in the Court Circular in October 2019 before leaving for Canada, what has stopped her since then?
On March 4, viewers will get their first look at With Love, Meghan. When will As Ever begin selling products?
A JACKRABBIT START TO THE ROYAL WORK YEAR
At first, I thought, “Well, they’re off to a quick start to the year but that’s unlikely to last.” But the engagements kept piling up and up. My data and analysis were the basis for a story by Russell Myers in the Daily Mirror published on February 14.
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