In April, the Duchess of Sussex “soft-launched” her American Riviera Orchard brand by sending jam-baskets to her high-profile friends, friends who then showed off their baskets full of lemons and homemade strawberry jam on social media. Thus began the Great Jam War of 2024, with the British monarchy even trying to ride on Meghan’s jam-covered coattails. The last time we even saw an ARO jam bottle was back in June, when Meghan sent Nacho Figueras some jam and homemade dog biscuits. The timing of Nacho’s basket – just before Trooping the Colour – caused the Princess of Wales’s friends to throw a huge f–king tantrum, because Meghan’s jam stole Kate’s thunder. Still, there has been no move to actually launch ARO or allow anyone to actually purchase ARO products. We’ve been dying to buy jam, especially if the jam has special monarchy-destroying properties. Alas, ARO’s hard launch is now being tied to the debut of Meghan’s Netflix show, and according to the Daily Beast, Netflix has basically taken over ARO:

No ARO jams for a while: Assumptions easily made back then, including that Meghan Markle’s jam would soon be available to buy, have long since fizzled out. And now, sources in the entertainment world in Hollywood have told The Daily Beast that the date of the entire launch of American Riviera Orchard, when her jam and other products are expected to start being sold online and shipped to stores, is contingent on when Netflix screen her new cooking and homemaking show.

Netflix is taking over: A report in the Daily Mail Thursday said that the brand and TV show may not be launched until May next year, adding that Meghan has been ordered to correct “irregularities” in her applications made to the U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office. The report also claimed that Netflix have now taken over “all executive roles” at the brand and are “delivering deals with wholesalers, designers, growers and retailers.”

Netflix’s schedule: One source, a senior entertainment executive, told The Daily Beast: “Everyone has to abide by Netflix’s schedule these days. They are by far the biggest player in town.” The source added there was “literally no point in Meghan doing anything” until Netflix were ready to act.

Royalist contacted branding experts to chime in: New York-based branding expert Norah Lawlor told The Daily Beast: “From a strategic and branding perspective, if you suggest you are going to launch something but then four months later nothing has happened, the world moves on. Fortunately for them there has been so much going on in the world in the last four months that they could probably relaunch it and no one would really notice. The bigger question is whether they have a real team on it, and whether that team has been able to negotiate the retail channel partnerships to get this into stores. Meghan was in the Hamptons recently at a women in business summit; you have to wonder whether she was actually getting business advice, or if she was more concerned with projecting an image of a smart and savvy businesswoman. American Riviera Orchard poses similar questions: Is it really going to be a business, or is it an image-driven add on, designed primarily just to project an image of a serious businesswoman?”

Another branding expert speaks: Warren Johnson, a veteran PR and marketing consultant who has worked with global consumer brands including Unilever, Sony, Disney, Adidas, Tinder and Nobu, and is the eponymous boss of W Communications, told The Daily Beast that Meghan and her team could actually be playing a very smart game by being patient with the launch. “If you are going to produce a product, be that jam or anything else, you want to try and establish demand as forensically as possible before you produce a damn thing,” Johnson said. “It’s a whole lot easier to accelerate your retail listing if you go and see the buyer at Whole Foods and say, ‘We’ve got a million Instagram follows.’ You’ve got an established audience. To allow some anticipation to build is not a strategy I would disagree with, especially as it has enabled her to test her credibility, and see if she gets laughed out of town as a jam maker before risking a penny. Personally, I’m not sure the world needs more jams, but maybe I’m wrong.”

[From The Daily Beast]

There’s an attempt, by Royalist, to paint Meghan as lazy or lacking in follow-through. I don’t think that’s the story. The story is that Meghan can get attention any time she wants and that whenever she hard-launches ARO, the headlines and free media will be there. Now, I absolutely believe that much of this is being dictated by Netflix. My guess is that Netflix is trying to recreate what HGTV/Food Network has done with many of their stars, which is build a food/lifestyle empire around a popular cooking/home reno show. Think about the kind of empire-building of Chip and Joanna Gaines, or Rachel Ray or Bobby Flay or Martha Stewart. Netflix sees dollar signs with Meghan and they want a big piece of her brand.

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