Questioning the timing of Meghan Markle's product advert?

[OpalAmber]

We’ve literally just lost Dolly Parton - an actual icon, a legend, and a woman who did more for children's literacy and charity than most governments.

And what does Meghan Markle do exactly FOUR HOURS after the news breaks? She drops an ad for her new "spiced apple butter." under her As Ever brand

AIBU to think there is zero chance this was an accident? She just couldn't stand the global news cycle not being about her for five minutes. Any normal, decent PR team would immediately pull a condiment launch out of respect. Instead, she deliberately pushed it through to piggyback on the trending algorithms and steal the limelight.

It is absolutely vile. Dolly was a total class act, and Meghan is literally trying to sell overpriced jam over her grave. I am just so sickened by the sheer, unadulterated narcissism of it. Tell me I'm not the only one seeing exactly what she's doing here?

You are definitely the only one, get some help

Is this a serious thread?

What you talkin’ about Willis?

Nobody is looking at her spread.

Surely things like this are just scheduled. I don’t think there’s more to it than that

I don't really get what her flogging her jam has to do with Dolly. How has she piggybacked on the algorithm? I'm no fan but this is mildly insensitive at best, hardly vile.

You cannot be serious? 😂

I just went and searched the As Ever instagram account to see if there was anything even slightly Dolly Parton related in the post or text. There is not. It literally just says “introducing our new spiced apple butter”. It doesn’t say “you can enjoy it 9 to 5!”

(as an aside, what is apple butter and when would you use it?? the picture makes it look more like a runny jam than anything buttery)

ETA - also, scrolling back on the Instagram page, she posted the day before saying “coming tomorrow” and the day before that saying “coming soon”. She didn’t see that Dolly Parton died and decide it must be released immediately.

I don’t know why I’m arguing this, this is clearly insane

I am actually staggered by the responses on here. For those saying "it's just scheduled", do you honestly believe a woman who orchestrates her every PR move with precision just happened to let an ad slip out by mistake? Please. She knew the whole world would be online checking the news about Dolly's passing, and she dropped her little jam advert to capture the traffic. It's textbook. And let's be absolutely honest: if the Princess of Wales had launched a condiment four hours after a beloved global icon died, this board would be tearing her to shreds. The hypocrisy is wild.

Huh? WTAF are you talking about @OpalAmber?🤯

What has Meghan Markle 's product launch got to do with Dolly Parton's death?

Sounds like this is just an excuse for you to vent a bit of spleen at Meghan Markle.

I really don't understand this absolute hatred some people have for Markle. I try and avoid Royal stories where possible and I don't have any particular liking for the woman but I really don't understand this obsessive hatred some have for her.

I quite like following the PH MM threads on the Royal board but even this is a bit mad for me.

@MellowSubmarine its weird stuff but actually tastes rather nice.
@OpalAmber the princess of Wales has better taste!

Did she know Dolly Parton was going to die in advance then? That’s why the day before there was a post about the upcoming apple butter?

I wonder if she knows this week’s lottery numbers too.

I think it is massively disrespectful that just TWO DAYS after the death of Dolly Parton you are standing in sisterhood with Meghan Markle by posting a photograph of As Ever's spiced apple butter with free cinnamon sticks on Mumsnet. Because sharing is not always caring.

PS I've just ordered three of the spiced apple trio packs. Getting in early for Halloween.

I really dislike the Harkles, but you need help. Unless Meghan is psychic how the fuck do you explain it? She posted about the release of a new product the day BEFORE Dolly died.

The absolute racism being spouted for MM on here is unreal. I work in advertising and just so you know, launching a product at the same time as the news about Dolly wouldn’t be sensible at all 😂. Needs to at the very least, be a super slow news day. People aren’t going to see posts/content on Dolly and get distracted by apple butter!

Please. Get. A. Grip.

Wow, the aggressive swearing really isn't necessary, but I suppose it perfectly matches the maturity level of your argument. If you genuinely believe a woman who famously micromanages her entire public image just happened to drop a vanity product launch on the exact day the world is mourning a genuine legend, then I have a bridge to sell you. It’s not an "insane theory," it's basic, calculated PR piggybacking. Telling someone to get therapy just because they can see right through a cynical marketing stunt says a lot more about your blind devotion than it does about me.

I think I was imaging something more akin to brandy butter, but with apple. But I guess it’s more like a preserve.

I'm going to need you to walk me through your thought process, Hansel and Gretel style.

Questions (because I've missed something):

• Did Dolly make or advertise condiments?
• Did the new advert reference Dolly?

Apart from the 4 hours gap, is there any other connection between Meghan and Dolly?

I secretly enjoy the mm threads but this is insane! OP the ‘whole world’ was not online checking updates after Dolly died. I mean what updates would there be, sad as it was and awesome as Dolly was, it wasn’t an exactly a global shock. And wtaf has it got to do with Megan’s jam? It was business as normal for everyone- a normal day! Plenty of other product launches / ads I’m sure!

GreenLeaf25, throwing around accusations of racism just because I think releasing an apple butter advert on the day Dolly Parton died is in poor taste is absolutely sickening. This is exactly what shuts down any valid criticism of this woman. We are talking about basic PR and respect for a global icon who just passed away, and you jump straight to the race card to try and silence me. It is a disgusting tactic and frankly, it says a lot more about you than it does about my post. I have every right to find her behavior crass without being branded with such a vile label.

Unless news websites were pushing Meghans jam release alongside Dolly Parton death notice I don't really see how people checking the news would boost visibility of Meghans jam launch? If you are talking about social media surely Partons death would mean that Meghans jam would be pushed aside by the algorithm in favour of the thing that's getting more clicks, in this case Partons death. So it would actually be detrimental to launch your new jam at a time when it would be buried beneath eulogies.

Edited to say I see that it's butter not jam but the point stands.

What?!

This! I’m so confused.