Royal | News - Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
Meghan Markle was heavily criticised over her “lack of planning” regarding her lifestyle brand after a PR expert accused her of “ghosting” her fans with a “boring” move. The Duchess of Sussex launched As Ever in March, more than a year after teasing its release in February 2024.
As Ever will release collections seasonally, and its first launch – which sold out in less than 30 minutes – included a raspberry spread in keepsake packaging, a raspberry spread without keepsake packaging, herbal lemon ginger tea, herbal peppermint tea, herbal hibiscus tea, her flower sprinkles, crepe mix, shortbread cookie mix with flower sprinkles included and a limited-edition wildflower honey with honeycomb. But since the brand’s launch in March, besides various unrelated uploads on its Instagram page, there have been no actual updates about As Ever’s next collection, and its website has remained empty. This has prompted various fans online to mock or question whether the brand will ever restock its products.
Now, a PR expert criticised Meghan’s strategy and called it a “boring move” which will build “confusion” and not anticipation among fans.
Renae Smith, founder and director of The Atticism, told the Express: “It’s not surprising people are mocking it. From a PR and brand-building perspective, the strategy feels a bit half-baked.
“The initial drop clearly exceeded expectations; honey selling out in five minutes is impressive, but it also screams lack of planning. Honey is honey. It doesn’t take six months to source more.
“If you didn’t expect to sell out, that’s a supply chain issue. If you did expect to sell out and this is part of the scarcity play, then where’s the plan to maintain engagement?”
Ms Smith went on to say that holding a blank site as a strategy “doesn’t work” and Meghan’s silence builds “confusion” and not mystery.
She also urged the Duchess to either “restock or pivot” before it’s too late.
The expert explained: “Right now, it just looks like they launched, sold out, and then ghosted the audience. That doesn’t build anticipation, it creates the sense that the brand doesn’t know what it wants to be.”
Ms Smith took aim at how long the brand’s teasing period lasted – 13 months – and warned the Duchess against follopwing the same strategy for her future collections.
She said: “”If that’s the model for every collection, it’s kind of insane. And honestly? So boring.
“A year of cryptic messaging with no product is not how you build trust or interest, it’s how you burn attention spans. Seasonally timed drops? Sure. That works. But tell people when. Build momentum, not confusion.
“Because unless we’re talking about her most devoted fans, the ones who’d buy the dirt off her shoe if she put it in a jar, this isn’t creating excitement. It’s creating indifference.”
The PR expert warned that if Meghan wants longevity for her brand, she needs to give it “consistency, visibility, and a proper rollout plan.”
She concluded: “Even with a seasonal model, you can’t just vanish.
“Meghan’s clearly leaning into #aspirationallifestyle now, which suits her vibe, but she needs a tighter strategy if this is going to be more than a flash in the pan.”