Why Meghan Markle’s Big Product Reveal Has Been Dubbed ‘The Twilight Zone’
Meghan Markle has rolled out some products from her new business, American Riviera Orchard. The duchess has been teasing the launch of her lifestyle brand since March. Several home decor and kitchen products including decanters, napkin rings, cutlery, table linens, placemats, and napkins, will reportedly be available for purchase.
And edibles that will be sold include: “jellies, jams, marmalades, fruit preserves, edible oils and fats, and preserves, vegetable-based spreads, legume-based spreads, nut-based spreads, garlic-based spreads, sesame-based spreads, dairy-based spreads, nut butters, and fruit butters.”
A few of Meghan’s friends have already shown their support by helping her advertise, taking to social media to thank the Duchess of Sussex for the strawberry jam she sent. But some outside Prince Harry’s wife‘s circle, aren’t impressed. Here’s more on that and what a couple of branding experts think of the “weird” launch.
Commentator rips Meghan’s new brand, likens it to ‘The Twilight Zone’
Royal commentator and To Di For Daily podcast host Kinsey Schofield shared her thoughts on Meghan’s big launch of jams.
She said via Daily Express US, “I think the idea of a big DIY jam launch with peeling labels is thoroughly disappointing when you acknowledge the fact that Harry and Meghan have had very little success since stepping back from the British royal family.”
Schofield added that she thinks Meghan’s whole venture is a joke because “after years of international media debating whether or not the Suits star would run for president — the most powerful position in the world — Meghan is finally campaigning to promote her homemade preserve … It feels like an episode of The Twilight Zone.“
The problem with Meghan’s lifestyle brand, according to experts
But it’s not just Schofield who thinks Meghan’s new business leaves a lot to be desired. A couple of experts pointed out what American Riviera Orchard seems to be lacking.
PR guru Mark Borkowski commented on the appearance of the jam jars the duchess sent to her pals telling The Times: “It’s either hubris or else a very weird strategy. What’s in it? What does it taste like? There’s no story there, nothing on the back, just a label — and even that looks like it’s peeling off.”
Lita Rebello, head of design at Own Your Space, also spoke to Express about the brand and its logo.
According to Rebello: “They have got creative with the logo’s crest by hiding the initials in there, but it’s so messy that it’s almost impossible to notice. It’s like they were aiming for clever, but it ended up being a bit of a puzzle that’s hard to solve. The whole design of the logo feels like it was rushed, with too much going on at once. It’s like someone didn’t know when to stop drawing. Because of this, it’s tough to make out any clear shape or idea in the mess.”
She added: “They picked a fancy handwriting style for the text but once you scale it down to a normal size, good luck trying to read it. The thin lines of the script just blend together, making it a strain on your eyes. To fix the reading issue, they threw in a shadow behind the text, thinking it might help. But honestly, it just looks old-fashioned, like a trick from way back in the day. It doesn’t do much other than make the logo feel dated. It feels like they were shooting for something high-end and sophisticated with the design, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark. Instead of coming off as upscale, it feels more like it’s trying too hard and ends up looking a bit cheap and not as elegant as intended.”
