After years of delays, one name change and a partnership with Netflix, Meghan Markle’s product line As Ever has finally launched. (Or been “curated,” to use the Duchess of Sussex’s preferred euphemism for cold-hard commerce. With love, of course.)
By any metric, As Ever’s first day in market was a resounding success: All nine of the products in the “limited seasonal collection” she launched with, available only to those with an American shipping address, sold out within an hour of the site going live.
Cue the cynics, wondering exactly how many jars of jam and boxes of shortbread cookie mix were in that first drop that sold out so quickly. But those familiar with the passionate support Meghan’s online fan base can muster might not be so quick to smell a marketing stunt.
Either way, to sell out of a USD $12 tin of lemon ginger tea — with no indication that it’s anything particularly special other than playing a bit part in an episode of her Netflix entertaining show With Love, Meghan — is impressive in an oversaturated market teetering on the edge of possible global economic collapse. (Spiking sales of $15 “flower sprinkles” as new recession indicator? Discuss.)
The launch of As Ever has been a spectacle, and an object lesson in launching a brand in 2025 that will no doubt be the subject of marketing PhD theses in years to come. So what do present day marketing professionals make of it all?
For Sharla Farrell, public relations and marketing consultant, it all feels very true to Meghan. “It’s her, that’s her brand, her passion,” Farrell says, drawing a straight line between her early lifestyle blog, The Tig, and As Ever. “She’s been doing this for years. She’s all about lifestyle, homemaking, craft, wellness. I’m not shocked that she has this brand — and I’m not shocked that it has sold out. At all.”
In Farrell’s opinion, some of this success is tied to Meghan’s Netflix series: Not only were these products hinted at in the series, the streamer is also a partner in this venture.
“There was so much buzz. Whether it was good buzz or bad buzz, her name was still in the press,” says Farrell. “There were all these think pieces in the paper, people talking about it on TikTok. She’s using that exposure to boost her visibility and brand engagement.”
There’s an authenticity to Meghan’s involvement in the products, Farrell adds, that may also be a driving force to the sellout. Another smart move, in her opinion: Seeding the jams to “aspirational women” like Tracee Ellis Ross and Mindy Kaling.
One of the questions many people have around As Ever is, well, who exactly is it for? Who’s the target customer for “raspberry preserve in keepsake packaging,” or a box of “French Style” crepe mix?
“It’s probably people who have just been following her for many years,” says Farrell, pointing to influencer Akila Releford Gould as a perfect example of the kind of person who’d be buying what Meghan is selling. “She has this beautiful, aspirational ‘soft life’ kind of vibe. I think that’s the demographic that loves and taps into Meghan’s story. Anyone that values sustainability or products that have a personal touch.”
Meghan, Farrell thinks, is doing her own version of Gwyneth Paltrow. “She is the Goop for Black Women,” she says.
It also lines up with the demo for other brands Meghan herself shops with: While she has a taste for Loro Piana sweaters and a Dior pantsuit, the duchess is far more likely to be found wearing mid-level, attainable luxury like Heidi Merrick, Sentaler or long-time favourite Veronica Beard.
“The woman who wears Veronica Beard is going to buy those $15 flower sprinkles and not think anything of it,” says Farrell. “Or give it as a gift, because it’s so thoughtful and something you would never buy for yourself.”
For all the memes about the Duchess repackaging store-bought pretzels, Farrell believes there are many people who watched the show and found it genuinely inspiring.
“People who love that aspirational lifestyle were probably like, ‘I want to do what she does, I love that,’” she says. “You want to put together an esthetically pleasing dinner, and her products are perfect for that.”
The simple, almost generic nature of the product offering may also be strategic, adds Farrell. “She said, ‘These are the things that I like. ‘Jam is my jam, I love honey.’ Those are things that are personal to her, and down the road we might see her launching an expanded line,” she says.
“This is her way to enter the space, and then dominate it by launching kitchen items, cosmetics. I feel like she wants to be like Martha Stewart or Jessica Alba and the Honest Company.”
Laura Carinci, marketing pro and chief brand officer at Canadian jewelry brand Jenny Bird, is more critical of this launch. “I don’t see this as a market disrupter. I see this as a celebrity who is leveraging their fame and following, but it’s lacking perspective.”
Carinci feels the social media content used to tease the brand’s launch has been lacklustre. “She’s a former blogger, so she should understand the connection between content and commerce,” says Carinci, pointing out that this is how brands like Glossier and Goop built their businesses. And she questions the logistics of the products’ launch. “From a marketer’s perspective, the rollout seems clunky. She only ships As Ever to the continental U.S., yet Netflix airs her show in 190 countries. Seems like a big miss.”
At the same time, Carinci gives credit where it’s due. “I suppose in the same way I’m criticizing her leveraging her personal profile, she is smart to do so knowing that people are interested in her and will buy the products simply out of curiosity,” she says. “No matter what, she just elicits a strong reaction — whether you love her or you hate her, there is no middle ground. That in and of itself is powerful.”
She is less than enthused about the products themselves. “I cannot believe how long this launch has been teased for such a lacklustre offering out the gate,” she says. “Can we start with the product photography? It looks like istockphoto.com, like she purchased these images for cheap off a stock website. The packaging looks like stuff that ends up on the shelves at HomeSense as you’re about to check out. Rows upon rows of forgettable brands that all blend into one. A keepsake jam box? Dust collector. Give me a beautiful spoon for serving the jam.”
This comes back to the lack of perspective Carinci mentioned earlier. “Help me understand why ‘jam is your jam.’ If the show was meant to be a soft launch pad into this product line, she did a poor job of authentically communicating in those episodes why she chose these products as her first drop,” she says. “Instead I cringed at her discomfort with the beekeeper and her perfectly groomed berry baskets that hadn’t seen a day of picking with nary a stain to be found on them. Martha could never.”
What sets As Ever apart from other new brands launching, Carinci thinks, is that it’s not beholden to some of the commercial pressures marketers face when they’re trying to drum up business. “Because she’s coming out the gate with a strong following, she is not up against meeting an AOV (average order value) that still leaves you profitable after you’ve spent ad dollars acquiring those first-time customers,” she says, adding that in today’s market, brands are better positioned to have products over $100 in order to scale profitably. “The show, her Instagram, her built-in network and having Netflix backing is priceless.”
The real test will come after the initial buzz wears off. “Repeat customer purchase is key, so regardless that she acquired all these first-time purchases without spending a dollar on advertising, it doesn’t matter if they don’t come back,” says Carinci. “The jury’s out on whether or not she’s going to be America’s next Martha, but I will say: No one wears high-rise denim like her. I’ve been tempted to click her shopping links.”
