As Ever #3 As If

[PrettyFlyforaMaiTai]

Another thread to discuss the rebranding of ARO and the merchandising of With Love, Meghan

Part 2: www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_royal_family/5278062-as-ever-2-whatever

Here you go @elprup

x.com/RVealingthenarc/status/1894943007385801105

"Power Couple Baking Bundle"? Yikes!

But hawking cake mixes isn't their main income stream by any means.

And that's a pretty slick website. Meghan hasn't even got her trademark together yet. It seems bizarre to not launch simultaneously with the TV show.

You are not a real housewife!

@RecoIIectionsMayVary oh god I know!

To make the money she wants these need to be cheap mass produced stuff, not high end artisan products.
i think something like Paul Newmans salad dressing would have been better, not expensive, at the time it was unique and had a charity angle.

The proceeds went entirely to charity didn't they? I don't think Newman made any money from it.

What Meghan is doing is clearly a commercial exercise. Or at least that's the intention!

All the Newman's Own profits go to their foundation. I always buy their salsa:
https://newmansown.org/

Oh it was all, no they won’t do that then.

But I’m sure it was seen as new and a gap in the market at the time. These suggested things for her business are not that.

Are any of the proceeds going to charity ?

I think I can hazard a guess as to what happened here !
She posted it without permission or asking, it was removed, then permission was granted and it was then reposted .

Pasta could work Pasta Evangelists have made £ - pasta cheap & sauce but can sell on for £££.

Yes Jeff, I think you’re right. That’s the general consensus.

I can't help but wonder @MummyJ12 , whether either of them have ever asked permission from any of the people or parents of the children to post their pictures all over their website!!

I imagine H and M think the parents should be honoured !
They do however expect parents to sign NDAs

If she's going for box mixes I can understand the rationale: they're unbelievably cheap to produce and have a years-long shelf life, so spoilage won't be an issue.

Is the plan to sell them from her website? In general the baking mix market is one of speed and convenience: little Jonny needs to take cupcakes into school tomorrow for the charity drive but Mom's short on time, so she grabs a Sara Lee box mix. She obviously won't wait 3 weeks for a Meghan mix to be delivered. So maybe the USP will be the packaging and brand - corporate-style gifting.

Is Meghan hoping to have product on grocery store shelves? That'll east massively into her margins as manufacturers need to pay big $$$ to get premium space for their products in Whole Foods/Trader Joes etc etc. Martha Stewart has that market sewn up - a smaller brand won't be able to afford to take her shelf space.

When you buy Newman's Own products you do it with absolute certainty that all profits go to a range of (very worthwhile) charities. That enterprise is a good example of starting small and growing naturally and from goodwill.

I think even if (and it's a big if) there are plans to make a "contribution" from As Ever sales, it will take some doing to get a lot of people to believe that this will be transparent.

ETA It also depends on if they ever have anything tangible to sell, of course.

Yes @Mylovelygreendress !
My opinion only of course!
I think Meghan thought it was hers as she was in it and unlike all the nameless, unknown people they have splashed across their website ( who either didn't know or had no power to complain) this film belongs to Netflix not her , she can't just post it without their permission and the permission of the camera people who have no interest in being in the public domain!
Entitlement and ignorance clearly to blame here!

I think it's a mistake to compare a UK brand because the US is obviously so much bigger. Pasta Evangelists can realistically cover most of SE England and S Wales because the UK is tiny. But a Mom in Tennessee who fancies ordering some Meghan cookie mix is going to have to wait a lot longer for her order, pay a massive amount for shipping and there's a heightened risk of spoilage.

Unless Meghan's going to have cross country depots? HUGE upfront investment if so even if she signs long leases.

I wonder….?! The only children who deserve their privacy online are their own by the looks of it. (For now at least!)

The fact that we all have so many unanswered questions shows just how terrible this 'launch' is. There is no clear identity for this 'brand' at all. Nobody knows what, if anything, will be sold, where it will be sold, what the price point will be, what the angle will be and so on. That's just terrible marketing, and it's why I wonder if 'As Ever' will ever actually materialise.

I just think: people are comparing brands like Martha Stewart, Newmans....these are HUGE brands with factories in lower cost Mexico, dark kitchens and distribution centres all over the US. Plus they pay $$$$$$ for premium shelf space.

Unless I've missed a Meghan getting $$$ millions injected from some major institutional investors, she hasn't got any of this.

Comparing Martha Stewart brand with As Ever is like comparing a flea to an elephant.

chrissy tweeted in 2020 that even after a few tears she was not making a profit. Chrissy will not be shy coming forward if she believes Meghan is stepping on her toes.

Well there are people who don't. I don't drink milk, only have it on occasion if I'm out and having hot chocolate.

I don't have flour at home, I don't use it in the food I make to eat and although I eat eggs it isn't that often, easily go a month without having them.

So yes it's cheaper for me to buy the mix.

Exactly like, “who wouldn’t want a hug from me?!”

She seems to have a lack of respect for other people’s boundaries and personal space.

@Serenster. Fucking Hell at the price of those mixes I think it is Delia or possibly Nigella who has a really easy recipe for Key Lime pie ( which even I could do ) which needs ( from memory ) a packet of digestives , a tin of condensed milk and some limes. ( I was slated to bring pudding for a NYE dinner party once where you brought what the hostess asked and I made that. )

Perhaps it is my elderly & UK perspective on packet mixes getting in the way here and I am reliably informed different in the US but even so that took me aback. I learn something every day. 😂