Photoshoot for the Sussex Children?

[MrsFinkelstein]

I actually hope this isn't true. It's one thing I've always admired of the Sussexes, that they have (generally) protected their children's privacy very effectively.

I hope its not related to the new commercial venture.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13220519/EDEN-CONFIDENTIAL-Meghan-Markle-photoshoot-Archie-Lilibet.html

Apart from FIG JAM @smilesy (one for the cricket fans)

I've given up with the jam, back to Tesco's own make for me

BTW @smilesy I've been having for lunch all week an apple hot cross bun with a nice Barber's Mature Cruncher, and it's delicious. Thanks for the recommendation.

Part of the problem maybe that the trademark is in progress. What if they slap ARO labels on jam, dog bowls, etc and then have the trademark filing declined?

Also, the Flamingo people really seem to be doing a major lifestyle brand. Can H & M go all the way? Will they grow their own pesticide - free rescue chicken feed?

You know what, going back to the OP, I've just realised it's mothers' day in May in the US. I wonder if the pictures being taken of the Sussexes and their children will be released on that day? They are also all coming over for an Invictus service at St Paul's i May I believe. They may have a big positive PR push for their family in the UK in that month, especially in the vacuum left by Catherine and the kids being out of the spotlight.

Glad to hear it. Cheese and apple, a classic combination. Maybe we should set up a fancy website to market it 😂

Maybe that's why they wanted to collaborate and partner with Flamingo. Someone else does all the hard yards, and they get to slap their name on it. It's their MO for pretty much everything they get involved in and call their's.

Then it backfired. After reading that NY Times article, I don't think ARO can compete in that market. Maybe she is going for the new Martha Stewart KMart equivalent of GOOP.

BTW, we should get credit for providing a free market analysis focus group.

offering a huge range of products they have no experience in mass making or mass marketing

This is the thing I think - a bit like when they were going to run a foundation, or Meghan was going to write children's books, or when they were going to be film / tv producers. They have no experience or training in business, do they? Sourcing, manufacturing, marketing, sales, management, negotiation, ideas etc etc. Surely it takes a lot of experience to do well in business, especially if all you can offer are the same products to the same market as other very successful and well-established brands. I wonder what makes them think this will work out any better than their previous enterprises.

I don't know if it's been mentioned before (apols if so), but the 'American Riviera Orchard' name/brand sounds like a 'What 3 Words' identifier to me.

Just out of idle curiosity (I'm recovering from surgery), I thought I'd look up the What 3 Words identifier for the Montecito address.

It's whistle slipped plans. I'm not sure why this amused me so much! I can see why Meghan went with the ARO name 😀

@Hugh they do almost operate like they have a wish list of all the possible aspirational lives you could possibly have ever lived, and all the achievements years of hard work would have resulted in, and decided, nah fuck it, we'll forget focussing on one or two key projects, and we don't have the patience to put in any of the hard yards from grass roots level or learn anything from scratch; so we'll just hustle our way in at the top by persuading established entities that we are the bollocks and then we'll pass their work off as ours.

All of them? I heard it would be just only him.

Yes, the strategy doesn't seem to be working very well @Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar!

The difficulty I think is that they don't have skills or experience, just the name. But even the name is maybe a disadvantage these days, after the failures and being made fun of and called out as liars and grifters. Dior sure backed away pretty sharpish and things have only got worse since then.

So instead of eg Reese Witherspoon starting a production company with maybe +5 points for skills/experience and a solid +10 for name, they have 0 for skills/experience and < 0 for the name.

@Prydddan I'd heard some talk about all of them coming with him, what with Charles being ill and not having met his grandchildren too much. Probably just gossip, but there's also rumour they have been seeking a UK PR rep, so maybe there's some truth in it? I think they'd get a lot of attention with Catherine being out of the picture. Not sure how warm the reception will be, but you never know. I would not put it past them to put on some sort of faux royal tour, seeing an opportunity to fill the void and get certain factions of the media behind them - those who say there should be a reconciliation following the illness of Charles, and those who are complaining that the pared down RF isn't working. And of course the tabloids want clothes and glamour to bang on about, and they won't be getting that for a while, so who better to step in and grab the column inches?

+10 in FIG JAM though, @Hughs

The tabloids don't care, @LadyChatterjee They know H&M are dynamite for clicks. I'm certain they will enjoy rubbing W&C's noses in it too, I'm afraid.

I don't think Meghan will come, she'll be booed if she appears in public, why would she bother?

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Cheese Revelation Apple Passion. An awkward and incomprehensible juxtaposition of words. CRAP for short.

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