So what’s next for Harry and Meghan after £18M Spotify deal was axed? PR experts suggest Duchess could re-join social media, relaunch her lifestyle blog The Tig or return to acting… but they’re BOTH in dire need of a rebrand
Prince Harry and Meghan are facing huge decisions on how to maintain their expensive lifestyle after their lucrative £18million Spotify partnership was axed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex still have an £80million Netflix deal while Harry is said to have a four-book deal with Penguin Random House worth up to £29million.
And a possible relaunch of Meghan’s blog and lifestyle brand The Tig, which she closed in 2017 when she got engaged to Harry, would be a further income stream.
Today, public relations experts told MailOnline how they think the Sussexes could maintain a good cash flow at their £12million mansion in Montecito, California.
Brand and culture expert Nick Ede said they could ‘activate their social media and start to communicate with their fans like Victoria Beckham does so well’.
Andy Barr, co-founder of 10 Yetis Digital, said rumours over an alleged partnership with Dior – since denied – could have been a ‘decoy to try and flush other global brands out of the woodwork who may be interested in partnering’ with them.
And Jack Izzard, chief executive of Rhizome Media, claimed The Tig could become the new Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow’s wellness brand which has earned £200million.
Here, PR experts give their thoughts on what’s next for Harry and Meghan:
‘Activate social media and start to communicate with their fans’
NICK EDE, brand and culture expert
‘I think that for Meghan and Harry it’s been noted that it’s time to stop exploring their relationship with the royal family and time to build a brand that is credible and has longevity.
‘If you look at the long list of power players in the world of celebrity it’s time for them to emulate the success of The Beckhams, The Kardashians, Rihanna, Gwyneth, Jlo etc.
‘Can they do it? I’m not entirely sure as the above all have talent and have worked tirelessly to get to where they are. Meghan and Harry haven’t and this may be their undoing.
‘Their compassion and passion for change is entirely genuine and is a driving force for them but will people buy into their brands? The jury’s out!
‘I think that it’s a smart move to work with (Hollywood talent agency) WME to shape who they both are moving forward and to develop a strategy that builds them as team players with positive attitudes who care and also want people to have a glimpse into their life’s and who will ultimately buy into their lives too.
‘Meghan’s Tig could be the new Poosh or Goop and I think once they activate their social media and start to communicate with their fans like Victoria Beckham does so well then they can be a force to be reckoned with.
‘Their lifestyle is expensive to maintain so I’m sure there will be a lot of brand deals they will be looking for which are based around fashion, beauty and lifestyle where big money can be made quickly.’
Harry promotes his book Spare on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS in January
MARK BORKOWSKI, founder of Borkowski PR
‘From my position it’s incredibly interesting times for them. If they had value to specify they would certainly still be taking the Spotify shilling. But it’s very damaging when a top Spotify executive calls them ‘grifters’.
‘Do we see a teetering stack of dominos that are going to fall with the other deals they’ve got? It remains a bright future for Meghan if she goes down the lifestyle route – she can do that. But Harry’s no David Beckham.
‘What makes them attractive is they’re worth the clickbait that they might drag in, but on the other hand it doesn’t allow them to control the story.
‘Therefore what role is there for Harry? He’s no style icon, he’s no George Clooney, he’s built for purpose. They’ve got to establish what their brand is.
‘But I have severe doubts they’re going to be clothes horses for Dior or Armani or whatever – as soon as one big name falls away others are likely to look at it.
‘Is this unpicking the thread about their whole brand and what it stands for? That’s why there’s a crisis at the moment, not created by them, but the death of probably their most publicised contract. They haven’t had the right team to deliver for them.
‘It’s great to have a book deal of such scale but it depends on Harry digging out more visceral stuff. There’s been a lot of problems with people dumping them and not engaging with them. What will he have as a compelling book, when he’s played lots of the cards he’s got to play already. What’s the content? It’s all down to the quality of the content he’s going to deliver
‘Netflix will be examining the value of their deal, whether it’s worth it. Harry and Meghan have got to get a team that will deliver for them. But also they’ve got to be able to deal with someone who can peddle the truth for them – and to date they haven’t been good at dealing with the naysayers.
‘They face a big crisis of who they are and the only fix of that is actually getting positive PR around the team that they are rebuilding. I’d be signing up very big names to surround them.’
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex outside St Paul’s Cathedral in London in June last year
‘Big brand partnership beckons but they’ll want to keep it global’
ANDY BARR, co-founder of 10 Yetis Digital
‘Harry and Meghan are clearly now adopting a crisis comms 101 approach to trying to improve their reputation in the public eye, and that’s to say and do nothing at all for a short period of time.
‘The hope will be that this creates positive demand for when they make their next public statement or high-profile appearance.
‘It is becoming clear that the court of public opinion both here and in the US has started to run away from them and this could well be a classic case of over-saturation of their profile in the media and this is leading to public fatigue.
‘I would guess that the latter part of the ‘Go Big or Go Home’ statement is difficult when you don’t have a clearly defined home to return to after such dramatic revelations and accusations about your wider family.
‘The alleged Dior deal could have been a decoy to try and flush other global brands out of the woodwork who may be interested in partnering with a half-royal family.
‘The couple offer a more accessible and more affordable opportunity for a brand to try and appeal to consumers who are obsessed with the mystery of high society and intrigue of Royal life.
‘Harry and Meghan are still a huge draw; the longer that they remain quiet, the more interest there will be in what they say and do next, and this represents another big pay-day for them.
‘A big-ticket brand partnership beckons, but they will be keen to keep it as global as possible in order to maintain their position in high society and maintain their lifestyle in California.’
A six-part Netflix TV series called Harry & Meghan was released in December last year
‘The Tig could turn into a wellness brand along the lines of Goop’
JACK IZZARD, chief executive of PR agency Rhizome Media
‘The abrupt, supposedly ‘mutual’, ending of the Sussexes’ $20million Spotify deal has dented their aspirations to become global content creators.
‘The couple’s star power ensured that the single series of Meghan’s Archetypes podcast became one of Spotify’s most-streamed shows during its first month.
‘But its interview format, in which Meghan – or reportedly her staff – gently quizzed a series of celebrity guests, lacked the one thing people have come to expect from the Sussexes – tension with the Royal Family.
‘The danger for the couple now is that the longer they spend in their wealthy California enclave, the weaker their connection to the megawatt royal brand becomes.
‘Harry in particular has mined the royal glamour for all its worth. The trouble for him is that Spare didn’t spare us any details. There can be little more to say about how the royal virginity was lost in a field.
‘Americans have a greater tolerance than Brits for the ‘live interview as public therapy session’ Harry used to promote Spare, but people’s desire to hear him rake over his grievances once again is now waning on both sides of the Pond.
READ MORE The team behind Meghan’s multi-million dollar relaunch: Duchess enlists agent who is friends with Dubai royals, his fashion designer wife and skincare guru who can ‘build her into a global brand’
‘Harry’s past is clearly painful for him but he remans trapped by it. It’s still the only topic he can find an audience for, but this won’t last forever and he needs to find a new focus or risk fading into ex-royal irrelevance.
‘Meghan’s prospects are brighter. There’s talk that another platform could pick up the Archetypes podcast, and she always has her acting career to fall back on.
‘The couple live a short drive from Hollywood and Meghan’s profile should make her an attractive target for casting directors.
‘However it’s unclear how ready she is to speak a scriptwriter’s dialogue rather than her truth, and she should expect supporting rather than starring roles initially.
‘Failing that there are rumours that she is set to relaunch her lifestyle blog The Tig, which she shut down shortly before her engagement to Harry.
‘With smart marketing that could be turned into a wellness brand along the lines of the hugely successful Goop, run by her Montecito neighbour Gwyneth Paltrow.’
Harry and Meghan during their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021
‘Harry and Meghan need to shine a spotlight on others instead’
SEAN O’MEARA, Essential Content managing director
‘Harry and Meghan need to embark on a brand rebuild that embraces true authenticity and that creates something more sustainable than individual big money deals with other brands that have to-date relied on the ‘halo effect’ of their personal involvement.
‘Rather than looking for short term wins with big initial payments, I would recommend an approach that lets them build an income stream that is sustainable and compoundable, but that doesn’t demand their personal personal involvement to make it appealing or interesting to an audience.
‘Essentially, instead of being the content, they need to create the content and step away from centre stage.’
‘Shifting the spotlight from themselves to patronage of others and amplifying the causes they care about will speak louder than words alone.
‘And it will give them and their audiences a break from the cycle of scrutiny that has come with every deal they’ve done so far. People are tired of that.
‘By prioritising initiatives aligned with their stated values, such as partnerships with SmartWorks and Invictus Games, they can create meaningful impact without having to front every partnership and invite further scrutiny.
‘It’s essential to be cautious when collaborating with celebrities, only doing so if they are directly linked to charities the couple is passionate about.
‘The Harry and Meghan brand hasn’t resonated as expected, prompting the need to move away from an inward looking mentality. They should transition from being the centre of attention to shining a spotlight on others.’
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