PR disasters (IYKYK) thread 5

[AtIusvue]

For Meghan and Harry, As ever and Archewell posts.

For her Meg insta in March 25

@AtIusvue 👏 But - Will somebody think of the dogs! I admit I love watching the agility dogs at Crufts , but for a dog , flogging cheap comestibles , slightly humiliating . 😂🐾

There’s a thread of cotton hanging off her sleeve, you’d think she’d notice being a person who pays so much attention to detail.

You would. But then she might also , having her eye for detail , realise that her WLM programme and the associated products were criticised quite robustly in various media and her sales figures examined. 😂.

I agree as well @StrawberryWasp

After Spotify slammed them with the memorable "f*ing grifters" label, one would think H&M would behave with more caution in the future when parting ways with an entertainment giant.

To heap insult (Netflix was holding me back) on top of injury (loss making projects) in the US where there is no deference to royalty...just did not make any sense.

Making unnecessary enemies and generating negative headlines...par for the course for H&M.

Do they have any bridges left to burn? I can’t think of any left…

I think the biggest risk to Meghan's reputation is her total inability to ignore criticisms and insist on clapping back. The parting of the ways appeared to have been well stage managed via the PR statements last week. But she couldn't let it go and resist the urge to clapback against Netflix.

Yet now she is reduced to using up content from her WLM photoshoots that were taken 1+ years ago - which doesn't exactly scream "thriving independent business"

They’re so short termist that’s the problem. Like children, they only think about the immediate response, not the longer term implications.

You can almost see it playing out - with the conversation going “oh my god, people are going to think the business is failing, quick, let’s put out a message saying that it’s our choice and Netflix were holding us back” and not thinking 5 seconds forward to the potential reaction from Netflix who have agreed in their statement to position this positively for Meghan’s business. They just react without thinking of the consequences, each and every time

They have form for this the most obvious example being issuing their “ collaborating with The Queen” statement before speaking to HM or Charles .
And we all know how that went !

They are too used to dealing with the RF, diplomats or their staff who have signed NDAs, so they fling criticisms around with abandon. It seems that everyone they've worked with who isn't bound by protocol or NDAs has plenty of bad things to say about them - magazines, Netflix, Spotify.
Which makes me really, really wish someone bound by an NDA would think WTF and write a tell all, regardless of consequences. Would be fascinating 😁

After Spotify slammed them with the memorable "fing grifters" label, one would think H&M would behave with more caution in the future when parting ways with an entertainment giant*

Or even a little dignity, @My2cents1975

There are graceful ways to behave in such circumstances there's just plain churlishness - and then it's wondered why the opportunities get fewer with each passing day

@My2cents1975 I do agree with you about parting ways. I cannot think why she had to mention she was personal friends with Ted Sarandos (well I can actually - ups her status obviously ) However I think he came in for some flak for saying M was underestimated for her influence on culture ( after a series of unfortunate releases) He's a CEO , it is his job to oversee his company making profit, so whether he truly believed they'd (NF) bagged a good'un or whether he was diplomatically apologising / not apologising for the $100m deal - who knows. Or he was beguiled.

To lose one multimillion dollar deal might be seen as unfortunate (Spotify ) - to lose two is careless.

Basilisk Bracknell.

Edited for clarity

Netflix article here " no appetite for it " 😬
https://mol.im/a/15627785

Literally what was just said upthread. That all she will do with As ever now, is throw out limited edition items in order to flog the stock she can’t shift, until she can finally get rid of it all.

She’s giving away a chocolate bar….if you buy $150 worth of goods.

They are getting desperate now. It very obvious they are in trouble.

It will be awkward if their chocolate supplies don't run out quickly - means no one is ordering $150 of products!
(Although maybe the chocolate is selling well by itself)

I think her fans will start to get pissed off. That the only way they can get a chocolate bar that they may have liked….is if you spend a ridiculous amount of money on products you don’t want/need.

This, the bundles etc….it doesn’t look good

When As ever fails ( not that Meghan will admit it) what do we think she will do next ?
Fashion ?

If the chocolate is selling well by itself why give away bars for free? I don't understand the logic but then I don't have a business brain.

Some think online that everyone will get the white bars of chocolate, as they weren’t selling.

They think that they were taken off the website/marked as sold- but kept back in order to try and lure customers to spend more money .

She said to Emma Grede, that something she would consider.

But it would just be a rinse, repeat of Archetypes Meg, producer Meg, ARO Meg, COFF Meg, WLM Meg, Archewell foundation Meg and now Trad wife As ever Meg. She doesn’t commit to anything, she just expects success to land in her lap by virtue of her title.

Meg is also completely going against her business model.

Which she stated that she wanted her product to be mastige and not luxury. She literally says that in Emma Gredes podcast. That she imagines a 15 year old saving up to buy a couple of ‘offerings’.

It was supposed to be accessible. Now, because they are desperate to get rid of stock, she’s selling large bundles for $$$s completely out of budget of the supposed demographic she’s after.

Oh God, the horrible pot-pourri chocolate...

Bit of a shame for M that the US date for Mother's Day isn't the same as the UK. Maybe by May those expiration dates will be a little closer. Or let's see.

Ach , I don't blame her for making the best of a bad job , but maybe , just maybe, M , think that a title by marriage doesn't mean the heavens shine upon you & everything goes swimmingly. It may take a little advice and talent & possibly you've got as far as you can trading on your husband. I reckon she'll come up with something else but the shiny happy couple of the NF / Spotify days seem to be over.

Still reckon she she's up on the deal though since being a Suits actor looking for a rich British husband. And fair play. But talent will out.

They've given us a laugh though haven't they 😂

(Off to see whether I can order another M&S cabbage bowl or Stacey Solomon green gingham hand towels from Asda @MrsFinkelstein 😂)

She anticipates 15 year olds saving up to buy jam? I'm not familiar with many 15 year olds, is that something they're ever likely to do?

And I can't see how she could go into fashion; she consistently picks clothes that are the wrong shape and/or colour, and nothing ever fits. She makes the priciest outfit look like she found it at the bottom of the donation bin. Who on earth would aspire to look like that?

I just don't understand her at all, surely she must by now have noticed things aren't going great and reflected that maybe she needs to hire some reputable advisors - and then listen to them! Though likely it's too late now anyway, I can't imagine what she / they can possibly do to rehabilitate their image at this point. They're really best off selling their silly house, buying something sensible and using Harry's presumably still significant wealth to live an extremely comfortable life most people would dream of. But then they really should have done that from the start, when presumably the wealth was even more significant.

I’m torn between having fingers over my eyes and admiring Meghan’s tenacity.