Meghan Markle has recently faced criticism for her business decisions and personal brand. The Duchess of Sussex’s most recent venture is a signature jam brand that reflects her Californian lifestyle.
“From a brand point of view, as an expert in that, I think whoever has been helping her has done it really wrong, especially with Riviera Orchard,” said Nick Ede, a British PR expert and TV presenter. “When you build a brand, you build people’s anticipation about a brand. Meghan built an Instagram site. She then sent jams to celebrities who all have a huge following. All of this is basically brand 101. This is exactly what you should do,” Ede explained.
However, Ede highlighted Meghan’s failure to maintain momentum in building brand recognition. After the initial launch, American Riviera Orchard faced backlash over the seemingly random business venture.
READ MORE: Family of ‘missing dad who faked death’ and fled to Europe urge him to come home
“Then suddenly Meghan halts, and you have no there’s no through line, there’s no story, and you can’t get it back,” Ede recalled. Ede, who knew Meghan when she first started dating Prince Harry, suggested that the lack of a call to action for fans or a compelling hook was the main reason the jams weren’t selling.
“There’s no, ‘Oh my god, I can buy jam, or I can get a t-shirt, or I can go on the site and register my name, and it gives me a newsletter with all the information.’ There’s literally nothing,” Ede concluded. Prince Harry ‘returns to basics’ as an expert suggests he and Meghan Markle have ‘changed narrative’, reports the Irish Star.
Meghan’s introduction into the entertainment culinary and home world has been met with turbulence following a sharp critique from celebrity chef Martha Stewart. A source disclosed to Intouch: “Martha’s tired of being quizzed by people over how she feels about Meghan’s venture because, honestly, it’s irritating and insulting to her that she’s being compared to a rookie! ” It has been reported recently that Meghan and Prince Harry are pursuing their own individual passion projects, leading to a professional “separation” between them, with Riveria Orchard being one of these ventures.
Nonetheless, this separation comes in the wake of several industry figures branding the couple’s image as “toxic”.