Let us all discuss the news and great doings issuing from Montecito

[Uricon2]

WTF Ghana? Just why?

Same with QEII's nickname Lillibet, same as the new logo , what Meghan wants, Meghan gets.

Isn't it fairly basic to see if anyone is already using a name before you go public with it?

Forbes has a long list of products they plan to sell:
A trademark filing from September shows the company registered as an LLC in Delaware with plans to sell several products online, including soaps, shampoos, gardening tools, jewelry, furniture, kitchenware, wallpaper, yoga gear, sauces, coffee, alcoholic beverages and stationary, among others. The filing also suggests the company will sell streaming content, in addition to films, TV series, newsletters and books. It’s unclear whether goods sold by As Ever will be manufactured and produced by the company.

(Can't get the link to display properly.)

I will be very interested to know where and by whom all these products are manufactured, and what makes them special. Is M personally overseeing the design and manufacture of each one? Where has she acquired the expertise to run a business on the scale that this seems to aspire to?

Certainly she needs products and marketing, but to be successful she also needs good will. The constant drama she creates has created many negative opinions about her. Are there enough people who have positive opinions to drive sales at the level required to sustain a Montecito mansion, private jets, 24:7 security etc?

Had she established her brand sooner and planned it properly, before she became so unpopular, she could really have created something unique - limited edition household linens and children's clothes by young designers from the global South, recipes from classic English cooks like Eliza Acton reimagined for the 21st century, a rotating set of charities empowering women and girls receiving a cut of the profits (in time)

It's so funny that she claims to have secured As Ever in 2022 - what on earth then was ARO!

It's so glaringly obvious that ARO was rushed out way too early, with a complete lack of plan for execution. Very very embarrassing, it's the sort of thing you might expect from a teenager trying their hand at a bit of an online hustle - totally different ballgame when it's a multi millionaire in her 40s with an entire team at her disposal for brand planning and execution.

This venture also feels like an entirely different proposition - ARO being all about handmade and hand crafted produce from the local area. This is very clearly just going to be Meghan slapping her brand name on some generic stuff. I honestly can't see it selling well - I bet the Netflix participation was a very low commitment quid pro quo. I suspect they'll benefit from revenue on sales in their shops and are happy to take some stock for novelty value, but it will rapidly disappear as interest in the show wanes.

WLM is not going to be the next Stranger things - I imagine there will be an initial flurry of demand for the products around the launch time and then it will tail off quickly.

Hopefully, they will have people rallying around them and giving their sales a boost.

she could really have created something unique - limited edition household linens and children's clothes by young designers from the global South, recipes from classic English cooks like Eliza Acton reimagined for the 21st century

She'd have to know that Eliza Acton existed.

You're right. I have allowed myself to get carried away thinking about how she could build on her British connection. If she listened to advisors, she could have commissioned someone to research British culinary traditions and put forward ideas for how they could be used creatively to appeal to an Americam audience. But I am straying into la la land again.....

According to Ashley Hanson her PR person they have a dedicated ‘war room’ where they have to read everything online and in print about them.

That would only have worked if she actually liked the UK and it’s citizens.

@dorathexplorer , are you bothered? , I'm not bothered!🤣, love a bit of Catherine tate!

That was a very strange article and it was obvious the guy was very much reaching as high as he could to put a positive spin on it. It made me laugh is was so ridiculous but perhaps it was said because the King is hurting for his sons family and wanted some kindness shown to them via this chap.

So right now in the US, food prices are going up for eggs and chicken products due to Avian flu.

Most of the food processing and produce picking is done by migrants. States are expressing concern about their crops not being picked.

We also get lots of produce from Canada and Mexico ( produce is labeled with its country of origin). We've pissed them off.

The only person I know who regularly visits a mall does so because they buy their food at Wal-Mart.

People are more worried about being able to afford regular food than planning to drop money on overpriced luxuries.

So bothered?

I am commenting on a chat forum, not sacrificing my first born 😂

Bless you, you are doing a great job in very difficult circumstances. It can't be easy.

C’mon that logo! Can’t she stump up for a graphic designer or brand architect? That’s just sloppy and doesn’t give off lux vibes at all. Honestly I read and laugh along but this new edition has just taken the cake. How very very far the mighty have fallen. 🤣

I really doubt the King has the time to find the one person who will defend anything she does. I do think the whole saga probably makes him a bit sad but he is extremely busy and they have given no indication they want his help, except monetarily of course.

@BemusedAmerican "People are more worried about being able to afford regular food than planning to drop money on overpriced luxuries."

Oh, there are still plenty of very rich people in the States!

Oh, there are still plenty of very rich people in the States!

But do they want to buy mass produced tat with a crest/bit of calligraphy on?

Edited for typo

This has always been her endgame: to be a brand and cash in on her very existence.

The faux-authenticity is particularly grating: release a short video with what, 20 edits and make sure you leave in the bit where Harry is speaking, that you have your diamonds and ersatz aristocratic signet ring and Diana's watch front and centre. "I'm just like you, except I'm richer and better-connected than you'll ever be".

She had nothing but contempt for Britain, its citizens and its traditions. She never wanted to stay and make the best of it. She laughed in the face of a lot of what this country holds dear. The plan was always to go back to California and cash in.

When did Harry get back from Invictus ? Was it him speaking on the video?

No idea, but he was at the IG closing ceremony late evening (local time) Sunday the 16th.

And Harry too. They appropriated the Twitter handle “@sussexroyal” from someone else. It signified the original owner’s football allegiance so he wasn’t delighted to have it hijacked by H and M. But William’s handle was “@kensingtonroyal” so of course Harry had to have the same.

The reason for changing from ARO because it was so 'limiting' is a classic example of her slippery logic, or 'lying' as some might say. Nobody made her choose a name that was limiting or that she couldn't trade mark. It was a dud, chosen by her, without due diligence.
Suspect As Ever will go the same way.

@StartupRepair I hate it that she thinks people will believe this rubbish. I would have had a modicum of respect if she had told the truth and said that she messed up.

Particularly given Meghan had applied for As Ever trademarks back in 2022. So she always had it as a branding option, but clearly plumped for American Riviera Orchard for last year’s public launch.

It’s quite possible ARO was a decoy, Harry did say recently that they got a kick out of watching “trolls” following a line of attack and being proved wrong. I wouldn’t put it past them to dream up an elaborate ruse, they have form for it.

I think Harry is by nature a wind up merchant, and Meghan loves drama, so this is how they do things. If the business succeeds it will be, like Invictus, because of the hard work done by others.

The mistake they make is to think that anyone cares.