Duchess Meghan + Prince Harry
“Mixed signals”? Sharp criticism of your current PR strategy
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Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry are receiving a lot of criticism with their current PR strategy. Experts speak of “mixed signals” that suggest the couple doesn’t know what they want.
Prince Harry, 39, and Duchess Meghan, 42, are currently causing all sorts of confusion and question marks. Your last trip to Nigeria was officially under the banner of the Invictus Games, but for many observers it had clear signs of a “quasi-royal tour” in the name of the British crown. In conjunction with their other projects, such as Meghan’s lifestyle brand and the two upcoming Netflix productions, the couple is sending “mixed signals,” according to experts. Many people wonder what their actual goal is.
“Mixed signals”? Sharp criticism of Harry and Meghan’s current PR strategy
Her trip to Nigeria has only added to the confusion for many observers. While they no longer want to be seen as working royals since 2020 and no longer attend appointments on behalf of King Charles, 75, and the British royal family, the greeting, the appointments and the careful choice of outfits clearly seemed like a royal trip. This makes the trip a clear contrast to their other efforts. With Meghan’s lifestyle brand “American Riviera Orchard” and the documentaries they want to strengthen their own brand. One of the two Netflix productions shows Duchess Meghan in a domestic environment. Thematically it should be about “the joy of cooking and gardening, entertaining guests and friendship”. According to experts, both her lifestyle brand and her production stand in stark contrast to her royal or presidential-like trip to Nigeria. “It feels like Harry and Meghan really don’t know who they are right now. They have to choose a path,” Jane Owen told The Standard. The PR specialist is headquartered in Los Angeles and knows what she’s talking about. She is certain: “They fail because they don’t have a clear message.” And in fact, Harry and Meghan can hardly point to any major successes in the recent past. Aside from Prince Harry’s memoirs, it was actually only the Netflix documentary about her life that really received more attention. Their two other productions, “Live to Lead” and “Heart of Invictus,” were almost completely lost. Not to forget: The collaboration with Spotify has long since come to an end. The podcast “Archetypes” was discontinued there after just one season.
Nigeria trip fuels rumors about political office again
As already mentioned, the staging of her Nigeria trip was a completely different story to that of the homely Meghan, who cooks for her family and guests at home and provides entertainment. Rather, the whole tour was carefully planned and was intended to present Duchess Meghan in a very specific light: in the light of a political figure. This is not entirely surprising. After all, PR professional Miranda Barbot was responsible for planning the trip. Barbot also helped to shape the re-election of former US President Barack Obama, 62. Rumors that Duchess Meghan had her eye on politics and even the White House are nothing new – but the trip has given them new impetus. At least there are crucial differences compared to a royal trip: starting with the very small and presumably select number of media representatives who accompanied her, to the choice of her dates, which gave them more time to shake people’s hands for good Netflix recordings and to appear approachable.
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Especially since a difference to a real royal tour was clearly noticeable to observers. Kinsey Schofield, royal correspondent and podcast host, sums it up: “They were clearly late to several events and appearances. They spoke about themselves instead of using their platform to raise awareness of some of the injured soldiers they “These types of PR mistakes would have been regulated and prevented by a palace employee. This made the whole implementation seem self-serving.”
Sources used: The Standard, instagram.com