ARO thread 2

[OneHeartySnail]

To continue the discussion...

What next? What did the launch aim to achieve? Did it get the desired result?

Something like a Californian version of the Crosta & Mollica brand. All about the provenance of the ingredients and authentic recipes, with a focus on having a positive social and environmental impact. I have no idea if they are as good as they say they are, but it seems like a solid approach.

It does look nice bigwilly

And their labels are stuck on properly.

And not a pair of tits to be seen.

And not a pair of tits to be seen.

Did Harry and Meghan put their photos on the jars?

That’s hilarious! @IcedPurple 🤣

Yes, I thought so too when I had a look on their website this morning.

They are there - front and centre icedpurple

Through the magic of interpretive calligraphy.

How do you make a decent logo from that? It's so beige and twiddly.

I don't really want strawberry jam from thousands of miles away

They live in the US though.
They seem to be wanting to do a British afternoon tea type thing?
I can see that doing well in America.
I doubt we're their target demographic (I'm assuming you're in the UK too)

I’m so impressed with the Highgrove website, there is so much more to it than selling produce, there is the history of the house, tours of all the various gardens, environmental credentials, and all the profits go the charity, it’s well worth a look.

If Americans want Royal products Highgrove ship internationally.

There are US states that are thousands of miles away from California. And a quick look at the websites for Walmart and Target show that there are multiple brands of strawberry jam readily available. So the issue still remains that it's an incredibly common product, with nothing that makes it appear to be worth the additional costs and air miles over any other, more easily accessible brand of strawberry jam.

But how does 'British afternoon tea' go with 'American Riviera Orchard'?

And there's more to 'British afternoon too' than a jar of strawberry jam with a wonky label.

Who do you envision as the target market for these products? Who is going to pay big money to have a jar of jam delivered from American Riviera Orchard?

They seem to be wanting to do a British afternoon tea type thing?

So we can expect scones and crumpets to follow?

I think I’m going to have to visit Highgrove and go on a tour of the various gardens they look absolutely stunning, Charles really was ahead of his time and he used to get so much stick for it as well.

I’m not quite sure why someone would turn to an American for advice regarding a British afternoon tea.

Just lovely

There is now a tour bus company that drives people round NYC while serving them tea that appears to attract elderly tourists.

I saw a couple of those in London last week, going past Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. Are the NYC buses double deckers? They need to be, if they want to convey an authentic British experience.

I fancy one of the Highgrove blankets woven from recycled wool. Quite reasonably priced, for something that would probably last for years.

I beg to differ,

first impressions are very important , and sadly
there is nothing promising in what we’ve seen so far, it looks like something you win at the village fete .

I really thought the overall product would reflect Meghan’s style , neat and simple lines , instead it looked unfinished .

sending it out to friends on very restrictive diets or Ozempic and posting the products on SM is not very helpful either , do any of these celebs eat bread and sugar? Delfina’s sad looking display looks so out of place next to her green juice .

Lastly MN is not X , there are lots of professionals on here who have given great advice across all boards , the kind of advice and consultations that costs hundreds per hour for absolutely no charge.
if I were on Meghan’s ARO’s team I’d jot down all criticisms and take them into consideration .
instead of repeating the oh they are just jealous and racist line.

I just see Meghan copying others ideas all the time. Why doesn’t she start teaching calligraphy or something?

Oh, and a Highgrove tea towel

@Abouttimeforanamechange Yes, they are double deckers. Very flowery looking ones.

Scones and crumpets are regularly available in supermarkets, Trader Joe's, cafes, etc. Some cafes will give you the odd small package of jam or jelly with the scones but usually you get them dry.

We also tend to Frost between cake layers rather than use jam.

My local supermarket has an entire aisle of jam, jelly conserves, etc. it's a saturated market. Also H & M get the profits - it is not a high price you willingly pay to benefit small farmers, a worthwhile charity, etc.

Since when was selling jam someone else's idea?!
Anyone can lol
Calligraphy?
Random.

An orchard is where fruit trees grow.

Strawberries don't grow on trees.

Such basic stuff.

This really bugs me. It's such a bad brand name anyway, and then it doesn't even seem like there's an orchard involved!

if this was a task on the apprentice I imagine they would say the name is too wordy, the logo is both fussy and bland, and strawberry jam is a boring and not particularly aspirational product.

I think it’s the pseudo royalness that’s part of the problem, she would be better to go fresh, Californian and use her own name. “The Duchess of….” sounds to my ear like the name of a victorian dowager or a vintage steam engine.

I think Meghan could play to her strengths in terms of fashion/lifestyle, maybe curating a collection/working with small designers to sell clothes, accessories, bags, beach towels/wraps candles/fragrance etc, maybe an off the beach, through the lemon groves and into an exclusive bar type of vibe. People are incredibly interested in what she wears - and I bet she doesn’t even eat jam.