[arista]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

i think this case is very specific. They made a definitive decision to step back from royal life, it is the height of hypocrisy to then start a business with Royal in the name. It's hilarious that people actually try to defend it

Yes Good Points

[Ammi]

...for balance, it’s interesting to get a bit of an American take on this as well because obviously Canada is where they’re laying their hat down...this is a really good article in Forbes...

Ouch!

The Queen has just banned Harry and Meghan Markle from using "Sussex Royal." Apparently, they won't be allowed to sell themselves as "Royal" after stepping down as working members of the British royal family.

Game, set, match, I hear you say?

Not quite. In fact, the ban has left me scratching my head.

What was the Queen thinking?

Not only have the Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent tens of thousands of dollars on their Sussex Royal branding with a new website and Instagram page, but they've also registered Sussex Royal as a global trademark for a range of items including clothing, stationery, books, etc. And to top it off, Sussex Royal is the name of the much hyped "billion-dollar" earning charitable organization they were looking to establish—Sussex Royal, The Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Yes, but what about maintaining the integrity of the British royal family's brand? I hear you ask.

Brand integrity doesn't mean a brand straight jacket.

In case the Queen and her advisors haven't noticed, it's 2020. The Woke consumer (born in the mid-Nineties and early 2000s) has arrived, and the rules of the game have changed.

Yes, you have to remain true to who you are and what you believe in. I like to call that brand authenticity. But that doesn't mean you are inflexible to change, you don't reinvent yourself with the times, and you end up losing relevance with a new Generation-Z that thinks and feels very differently from previous generations. (An audience, by the way, that represents $150 billion of spending power in the United States and makes up a whopping 40% of consumers worldwide.)

Just look at what happened to Victoria's Secret.

In my 2015 interview with Business Insider, I predicted the demise of Victoria's Secret brand. The brand refused to embrace body positivity and continued to perpetuate "conventional" media ideals of beauty and what it meant to have a sexy body.

I have no doubt that Victoria's Secret also thought they were retaining their brand "integrity" too. That's before their parent company J Brand's share price tanked, and their integrity went out the window. Too bad.

So what can we all learn from this situation?

First off, allowing Harry and Meghan Markle to retain their "Royal" Sussex brand would have been an excellent opportunity for the entire British royal family brand. I have no doubt the dynamic inter-racial duo would have helped the royal family press refresh on the brand that is quickly losing relevance, especially in the USA. As I've said in my interview in with The Times, in 2017, the U.S. declined to go gaga over the royal baby. I'm not saying we haven't seen a temporary uptick in interest since the wedding and the royal exit fiasco. But as a whole, Millennials and Gen-Z are just not that into the royals.

Secondly, there is a greater need for innovation and entrepreneurialism in the marketplace—not to mention more forgiveness than ever before. Long gone are the days that the most prominent celebrities like Michael Jackson would emerge from their Neverlands once a year to do an interview with Oprah. Now audiences want full access to organizations and individuals, and they don't mind if they mess up with their brand extensions. They want to see it all.

Does anyone remember Mastercard's Kardashian Kard, the prepaid debit card? How about Cosmopolitan yogurt? That's right, the women's magazine Cosmopolitan, that launched a yogurt. Probably not.

Even if some of you do remember these brand mess-ups, today, it makes these brands more human. Vulnerability and flaws are where's it at for organizations and individuals today. And, leaders need to recognize that if they're not facing resistance or making any mistakes, they're probably not on the right path.

Last but not least, I'm a big believer in the age-old saying: “no risk, no reward.”

Audiences want to align with individuals and enterprises on a values level. And, a whole new breed of fan-appointed "Royals” have arrived. (Think David and Victoria Beckham or Beyonce and Jay-Z.) So, there's no sitting on the fence and playing it safe. Not in this climate anyway.

Twitter is abuzz with encouraging responses to the Queen's decision to ban Harry and Meghan Markle from using "Royal" in Sussex Royal.

"You don't mess with the boss," states one, "Boom!" says another, "The queen always wins," tweets a third.

But does she now?

I believe with decision making like this, she might end up being the biggest loser.


https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeetend...ts-a-bad-idea/

[thesheriff443]

They ran away from the royal family and responsibilities but wanted to hang on to royal status to live independently while using it to make money by selling them selves to anyone that will entertain them.

[thesheriff443]

And as to Forbes article, what a load of bollox, Harry and Meghan are an embarrassment to the queen not an asset.

[jet]

https://www.ccn.com/meghan-markle-pr...-royal-hurdle/

Meghan Markle & Prince Harry’s Shameful Brand Plot Hits a Royal Hurdle

What Meghan and Harry choose to peddle to audiences in the U.S. is entirely up to them. But in the U.K., where they know a thing or two about royalty, they aren't buying it.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped away from royal duties due to privacy concerns. Or so they claimed.
Harry’s $1 million JPMorgan speech signaled the “coming out” party for Meghan and Harry’s new brand.
Their plans have been disrupted by the Queen ordering them to stop using the Sussex Royal tag in their branding.

It was all going so well. Meghan Markle and her real-life Prince Charming managed to negotiate their way out of royal life and the stresses that come with it.
Not only that, they’d done so while managing to retain the components needed to kickstart their money-spinning brand and take full advantage of the royal name.
Sure, they wouldn’t be able to use the HRH titles. That wasn’t ideal, but hey, they still had the far sexier “Sussex Royal” brand.
Or so they thought.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had spent thousands of dollars to secure the trademarked rights to the Sussex Royal tag.
There was a website launched with the name last month. That seems to have coincided with their announcement that they were too fragile for life in the public eye.
Plans for the Sussex Royal brand had been well underway.
There’s just one problem. It seems the Queen isn’t having any of it.

[Marsh.]

Multi-billion charitable foundation?

Omg how SELFISH.

[Marsh.]

"Grifter"

[Candy Annie Cane]

The Queen only has jurisdiction in this country therefore if Harry and Meghan wanted to sell themselves as Sussex Royal in the States, they can. They have said they won't do that to respect the Queen and her decision

[jet]

Originally Posted by AnnieK

The Queen only has jurisdiction in this country therefore if Harry and Meghan wanted to sell themselves as Sussex Royal in the States, they can. They have said they won't do that to respect the Queen and her decision

'Respect' my ass.
They didn't have much respect when they set up the 'Sussex Brand' and trademarked hundreds of items in the first place behind her back months ago.

[Candy Annie Cane]

Originally Posted by jet

'Respect' my ass.
They didn't have much respect when they set up the 'Sussex Brand' and trademarked hundreds of items in the first place behind her back months ago.

Why then have they decided to not use it in the states where the Queen can't stop them?

[jet]

Originally Posted by AnnieK

Why then have they decided to not use it in the states where the Queen can't stop them?

Because they wouldn't dare to defy her because their arrangement is on a years trial, after that it is going to be reviewed. I think the Queen is leaving the door open for them, or more probably Harry, to come back into the Royal fold if/when it all goes wrong.
They already deceived her by setting up the Sussex royal brand and website without her consent beforehand.

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by jet

'Respect' my ass.
They didn't have much respect when they set up the 'Sussex Brand' and trademarked hundreds of items in the first place behind her back months ago.

Yeah it was known by everyone but was "behind the Queen's back" that makes sense.

[Twosugars]

Big ****ing deal!

It's a new arrangement. They thought the brand was ok, queen disagreed. They've worked it out. At the end of the day the queen is in charge so they went along with her wishes.
I'm sure they will manage without the royal in Sussex, everyone knows who they are.

Another reason for those hostile to them to make a song and dance over nothing. Pathetic.
I'm glad they left this hostile environment behind them.

[Christmas Lights]

Originally Posted by Twosugars

Big ****ing deal!

It's a new arrangement. They thought the brand was ok, queen disagreed. They've worked it out. At the end of the day the queen is in charge so they went along with her wishes.
I'm sure they will manage without the royal in Sussex, everyone knows who they are.

Another reason for those hostile to them to make a song and dance over nothing. Pathetic.
I'm glad they left this hostile environment behind them.

I agree

[Twosugars]

Deceived?

Check the meaning of the word before using it.
They'd have deceived if they set up the brand but told her they didn't.

But that didn't happen and so they didnt "deceive" her.

[jet]

Originally Posted by Twosugars

Deceived?

Check the meaning of the word before using it.
They'd have deceived if they set up the brand but told her they didn't.

But that didn't happen and so they didnt "deceive" her.

As they would have had to have the implicit permission of the Queen, they did actually.

[Twosugars]

Originally Posted by jet

As they would have had to have the implicit permission of the Queen, they did actually.

You can say they did it without authorization but that's still very very different from deception.
Do try not to make up things.

[jet]

Originally Posted by Twosugars

You can say they did it without authorization but that's still very very different from deception.
Do try not to make up things.

I disagree. Do try not to gloss over their underhand, deceptive actions like when they released their televised news of leaving the Royal family before telling the Queen and she found out about it 10 mins beforehand by a phone call telling her to go on her ipad.... I suppose that is okay too, eh?

[jet]

As for settling in Canada, I’d bet a high stake that they have no intentions of staying there. They said they were going to divide their time between Canada and the UK - which was misleading bull**** as they have laid off all 15 of their UK staff and closed their Buck Palace office. They have a few engagements still to fulfil in the UK until sometime in March and then that’s it.

No, they will be off to LA celebrity land before too long, which I suspect has been Meghan’s plan for quite a while…...if not all along.
They will still be able to make millions with the help of their celebrity (ahem) ‘friends’ and their royal family connection but how long will that last in that fickle, shallow world? A few years?
That is her kind of life, but it isn’t Harry’s. He has given up so much. I wonder how he is going to fare? He'll get gigs talking about his mental health problems (they are already in talks with the bankers Goldman Sachs for those) until he really goes mental. Awful idea. Poor guy.

[Marsh.]

Released their televised news of leaving the Royal family BEFORE telling the Queen and she found out about it 10 minutes BEFOREHAND?

Both those things can't be true.

[Twosugars]

Originally Posted by Marsh.

Released their televised news of leaving the Royal family BEFORE telling the Queen and she found out about it 10 minutes BEFOREHAND?

Both those things can't be true.

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Marsh.

Released their televised news of leaving the Royal family BEFORE telling the Queen and she found out about it 10 minutes BEFOREHAND?

Both those things can't be true.

Actually Megan Markle is a demon from the quantum abyss where anything can be one, other, both or neither so I think you'll find that the queen both did and didn't know, thanks to that Markle succubus and her paradoxical gaslightling . We should have known all along that she was the sort of creature who would think nothing of defying the laws of spacetime to upset arr Liz.

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Actually Megan Markle is a demon from the quantum abyss where anything can be one, other, both or neither so I think you'll find that the queen both did and didn't know, thanks to that Markle succubus and her paradoxical gaslightling . We should have known all along that she was the sort of creature who would think nothing of defying the laws of spacetime to upset arr Liz.

[jet]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Actually Megan Markle is a demon from the quantum abyss where anything can be one, other, both or neither so I think you'll find that the queen both did and didn't know, thanks to that Markle succubus and her paradoxical gaslightling . We should have known all along that she was the sort of creature who would think nothing of defying the laws of spacetime to upset arr Liz.

But I'm disappointed in you, TS. I've just discovered that even you don't read posts properly.

[user104658]

Originally Posted by jet

But I'm disappointed in you, TS. I've just discovered that even you don't read posts properly.

Full disclosure I didn't read the post at all. I'm stuck in a weird sort of limbo with the Harry and Megan stuff because;

1) People are so obsessed with it and spaff so much hyperbole and nonsense about it that it's really sort of fascinating and worrying BUT

2) I inherently don't give a **** about the royal family, their dinner table dramas or what they're up to in any sense. Any of them. Including the Queen. Like I literally hold her in no different regard to any random old lady.

So it all starts getting a bit... Daft...