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7 months ago
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Perhaps Americans already have enough dog shampoo and fancy nut butter.
That, at least, is one interpretation of a new poll, which finds lackluster interest in Meghan Markle's new lifestyle brand.
Fully 68 percent of respondents said they were not interested in American Riviera Orchard.
Less than a fifth of voters said they were interested in the soon-to-be-launched range, and 14 percent said they were not sure.
Americans have yet to be won over by the range of fancy cookware and condiments
The Duchess of Sussex came back to Instagram with a new luxury lifestyle, American Riviera Orchard
The nationwide DailyMail.com/TIPP survey of more than 1,400 adults is tough reading for the Duchess of Sussex, who teased her new product line on Instagram last month.
The survey suggests that 46.5 million US adults may well check out her cookware and crockery, but Markle's marketing team likely hoped for more engagement.
She unveiled her plans with a teasing advertisement showing her arranging flowers in the kitchen of her estate in Montecito, California, and posing, soft-focus, wearing a black ballgown.
She plans to sell an almost exhaustive list of household goods, stationery, cookware, gardening implements, beverages, foods, condiments, and even shampoo and conditioner for pets.
It's been likened to the product empires of Martha Stewart and Gwyneth Paltrow.
The venture comes amid mixed successes since she and Harry stepped down as senior royals in 2020.
Their $20 million Spotify deal ended last year after yielding only one podcast series since its inception in 2020.
The new brand has been seen as a glow-up of her former lifestyle website The Tig which she started before she met Prince Harry
Meghan shared a video giving viewers a hint of what they can expect from her brand. There is a clip of Meghan cooking in a kitchen, filled with a number of upmarket cookware items
Still, Harry's 2023 memoir Spare was a bestseller, and the pair have two Netflix shows in the works.
The Duchess has said very little about American Riviera Orchard publicly, with the only hints of what is to come appearing in the form of nine cryptic Instagram posts, which reveal the brand name and logo.
It is set to be launched in the coming weeks.
Marketing experts say it could make her six-figures in sales within weeks.
Its Instagram account already has 590,000 followers.
But critics have been harsh about the new brand and its classic, calligraphy logo.
It's been called everything from 'rushed' to 'ridiculous.'
Markle has been bashed for launching as Catherine, Princess of Wales, underwent cancer treatment.
DailyMail.com columnist Kennedy said the 'gleaming, greige lifestyle brand' was becoming a 'massive headache for Princess Neverwas.'
Biographer Angela Levin predicts that the Duchess will be 'onto a new project in six months.'
Markle's fancy products may be beyond the means of most American consumers
Prince Harry and the Duchess have two Netflix shows and other projects in the pipeline
Our survey suggests it may be tougher-than-expected to make sales.
Only 18 percent of respondents said they were interested in the brand.
There was little difference between how men and women felt about American Riviera Orchard.
Black people and Hispanics (34 percent) were more than three times more likely than whites (11 percent) to express an interest — perhaps a nod to Markle's mixed-race background.
Democratic voters were keener on the brand than were Republicans.
Still, less than a third of them expressed an interest.
Millennials were among Markle's most eager consumers, like the 42-year-old Duchess.
A third of people aged 24-44 were interested in the brand, compared to just 3 percent of those 65 and above.
The survey has a +/-2.7 percent error margin. It was carried out earlier this month by TIPP, which is noted for its accuracy.
English (US)