As Ever #2 Whatever

[PrettyFlyforaMaiTai]

I noticed the old thread is almost full so thought we could start a new one to carry on the discussion about the rebrand and merching.

Are you an ‘As Ever’ or ‘Whatever’?

link to the old thread: www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_royal_family/5277002-as-ever

The second hand embarrassment from that bio is excruciating.
All that and she doesn't even get any work public speaking!

I find writing my CV awkward because I find self promotion embarrassing and always go for the less is more on bios for anything required for work.

This may be another USA UK cultural difference though. In the USA self promotion is admired more in my experience. But that bio takes it to another level.

Accomplished writer? 😂😂😂😂😂

Who would hire her, based on that?
Brief bio, list of her talk topics and summary of content, and target audiences is what's needed. In plain English.

If she’s an accomplished writer because of that Bench book then I’m an accomplished writer every time I jot down my shopping list.

It's hard to talk about because miscarriage is so painful and personal but there was something very off about that article.

I had posts deleted about it at the time so won't say anymore, but I'm sure others had a similar reaction when reading it

Wasn't there an accusation of plagiarism with that miscarriage account?

I have a humdinger of a story about mine. No embellishment required.

Hi @Atlasvue

Hard to give a definitive answer as it really depends on the circs. If, for example, a new book is being promoted and the author's previous book was a bestseller, then clearly that will be liberally referred to in the promo for the new book because it'll make the new book more likely to sell (i.e. because the author has a proven track record).

If a company is launching a new variation of a well-established brand (e.g. Pepsi introducing Mango Pepsi) then the Pepsi brand is vital as it reassures the customer that the new, untried flavour is worth giving a go ("I know what Pepsi tastes like and I like it, so I might like it with mango").

Celebs can advertise and partner with loads of different brands but there's usually a through-line which makes sense against the celeb's particular personal brand and career track record e.g. George Clooney's face in a photoshoot will sell lots of Nespresso machines and Vuitton travel bags because we can credibly believe that Clooney is the sort of smooth, urbane type who has a Nespresso and Vuitton carri-on luggage.

So, references to previous track record makes sense, as long as that track record is good. And really good marketeers can twist this to their advantage even if a brand's previous track record is bad, as long as they're explicit about what they're doing differently this time to get it right. The best example of this is Skoda's genius brand re-launch.

What I've never seen is a mediocre celeb trying to launch a new brand on the weight of their previous, mediocre record. Despite what Sussex fans sometimes say, The Tig was not particularly successful. It wasn't huge, it wasn't a total flop, it was just meh. Not particularly exciting or groundbreaking, it was sort of like if an (even more) basic version of Carrie Bradshaw had a Live Journal blog.

The Tig brand is certainly not strong enough to sell As Ever. Possibly Meghan has fallen into the trap of believing the UK tabloids, who in 2017 falsely claimed (following the Palace PR machine) that The Tig was a roaring success.

I am so sorry to hear that @FromThePrismOfJammyTodger.

I have no wish to minimise any woman's trauma from miscarriage but yes, like a pp, something about the article sat ill with me at the time, then to boast about its global reach...odd.

Well, I suppose a feature of the last couple of decades is famous for being famous. There are so many people who drift around our screens, appear in celebrity magazines and on the front of the online Daily Mail - and I have absolutely no idea who they are or, at best, vaguely recognise them because they are, well, a celebrity

And so with Meghan - an aspiration to be the ultimate “It Girl”. All the philanthropy, foundations, etc etc… just a means to pose on those red carpets and be adored .

No wonder she greeted the patronage of the National Theatre with all the enthusiasm of spotting a turd in a punch bowl: theatre?! Nooooo!! Hollywood please!!!

They're different though. WME is talent management and booking. NF is a media platform. As far as I can tell, the NF deal was content only until just recently (ie her latest announcement) and in terms of exclusivity was probably just linked to audiovisual media because she had Spotify at the same time.

WME should absolutely have been working on getting her deals: fashion, advertising, sponsorships, the works. As far as I can see the only thing they've done for her so far is put her in touch with their client Billie Eilish. Either Meghan is unbelievably picky and turns down everything, or the rumours that she's impossible to work with are true.

I'd be very interested to know what the current NF deal is. I've speculated that it's some kind of profit share on As Ever merch - they take a hefty cut in return for which they'll promote the merch. In their online stores and possibly also in product placement - expect to see some minor character ostentatiously eating As Ever jam in some Made For Netflix drama series later this year.

The profit split would be interesting to see. Meghan's star is much lower than it used to be and I'm not convinced she'll have been able to leverage much more than 60%. Or maybe more, I bet WME drive a hard bargain to be fair to them.

Profit margin on FMCGs like jam is pitiful anyway. She's gonna have to absolutely sell her heart out to make a halfway decent wedge.

What do you mean? It was an unparalleled work of literary genius. Who can forget the immortal line
”makes my heart go pump pump”
Shame on you for being so disparaging 🤪

WME should absolutely have been working on getting her deals: fashion, advertising, sponsorships, the works. As far as I can see the only thing they've done for her so far is put her in touch with their client Billie Eilish. Either Meghan is unbelievably picky and turns down everything, or the rumours that she's impossible to work with are true.

As an example, WME should have been doing what Mindy Kaling’s manager has done for Mindy in getting her booked as a guest on “With Love, Meghan”. And Mindy also promotes Hello Fresh in the US. She also appears on red carpets fairly regularly - most recently I think for this year’s Golden Globes.That sort of thing. If Meghan were regularly appearing on chat shows, and as a celebrity guest on various television shows (like she once appeared on Ellen), that would be WME’s work.

I presume behind the scenes they are trying, it’s just appears to not have got a lot of traction. They were presumably involved behind the scenes on the Vanity Fair cover and article - though obviously not with editorial control!

Thank you. It’s so interesting reading how it all works

Lol. It’s got to be the most confusing book I’ve ever come across. She has no idea who it’s for. A grown man? A child? It’s such utter nonsense but that’s Meghan for you, utterly clueless and directionless.

WME should absolutely have been working on getting her deals: fashion, advertising, sponsorships, the works. As far as I can see the only thing they've done for her so far is put her in touch with their client Billie Eilish. Either Meghan is unbelievably picky and turns down everything, or the rumours that she's impossible to work with are true

I thought, @GiveMeSpanakopita, that IcedPurple raised an interesting point upthread, as in why Meghan needs WME when she has the Netflix contract

Of course we don't yet know what's going to happen about renewal, and if she feels that Netflix have somehow behaved unfairly - which, let's face it, happens with practically everyone - it may be that she needs to source opportunities elsewhere

Just so long, as you said, that there are still folk prepared to work with her ...

There are so many people who drift around our screens, appear in celebrity magazines and on the front of the online Daily Mail - and I have absolutely no idea who they are or, at best, vaguely recognise them because they are, well, a celebrity

So glad it's not just me, @MaturingCheeseball
I used to attend a pub quiz where they had a "Who is it?" picture round, and while a young friend who followed this stuff knew most of them I ended up sounding like an aged owl ...

"Who??"

The absolute worst thing about the Bench is MM, dressed like the Joker in some ridiculously expensive and hideous trouser suit, reading it - a book about the importance of fathers - to kids in a poor NY school, where a high proportion of those listening will have been from single mother homes. All of whom were required to sign waivers/NDAs before hand. And who were rewarded with some shitty looking fruit boxes and the promise of a washer/drier (not sure whether that materialised).

Slight tangent, just read this the other day. A new study has been published.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/02/20/health/narcissism-social-exclusion-rejection-wellness

So it’s about those who show signs of narcissism ….are significantly more likely to feel excluded and then be excluded.

I just thought that was apt because I think that’s what happened to Meghan when she joined the RF. I think she’s so used to dazzling people (didn’t the NF boss say she was other worldly) that shes very sensitive and picks up on those that aren’t falling head over heels for her. She takes it as a slight, then actively seeks to exclude herself and make out she’s the victim. That in turn makes those around her, walk back a little and then she is excluded because of the drama. But that only gives her ammo to feel vindicated. It’s a vicious cycle.

‘“There’s a very thin-skinned quality to narcissistic people, so if they even get a whiff that they are being left out, they’re going to be acutely aware of that,” said Los Angeles-based licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula.
However, Durvasula, who was not involved in the research, noted these perceived slights are usually unintentional — someone may simply be too busy to engage with a post or look away without realizing it.
But when narcissists overreact to perceived acts of ostracism, friends, family members or colleagues may start avoiding them out of concern for their behavior.
Narcissists tend to view themselves as victims when they feel ostracized. This victim mentality intensifies their antagonistic behaviors, pushing people even further away, said Christiane Büttner, lead study author and social psychologist at Switzerland’s University of Basel.
“This suggests that ostracism doesn’t just affect narcissists in the moment — it might shape their personality development in ways that perpetuate future exclusion,” Büttner said.’

@StrawberryWasp , it sounded off because she copied it almost word for word from another woman's book !

I will go and find the ladies name and book and will post it!

Oprah really didn't come out of that joke of an interview looking good, she looked like a shit stirring hack. Both her and Meghan were desperate to push a narrative that didn't exist.

I have a question about the Harry Walker bio.

Has anyone ever booked her to speak?

I'd be very interested to know what the current NF deal is. I've speculated that it's some kind of profit share on As Ever merch - they take a hefty cut in return for which they'll promote the merch....
The profit split would be interesting to see. Meghan's star is much lower than it used to be and I'm not convinced she'll have been able to leverage much more than 60%.

I'd like to know about the division of labour. Is M sourcing the products, doing due diligence on suppliers, arranging warehousing and shipping, setting up IT systems, employing packers - all of which have to be paid for - or employing staff to manage all those things? That would take a hefty wedge out of her share of any profit.

Or are NF doing and paying for all of that (would you trust her to get it all done right, to a deadline?) And just using As Ever as a brand label with M to promote it?

Here!

Oprah was desperate to be the person who uncovered racism in the Royal family. Her problem was that Meghan is an unreliable narrator.

Even when Scobie manoeuvred the names into the public domain it didn't cause collapse. Probably because we could all name people in the family who are probably a bit racist and none of us would start with Catherine and Charles!

An accomplished writer??? A global role model? Says who. It's embarrassing. Cringe.

TBF we all need a good laugh at the moment and this could be comedy gold.