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Two branding experts have criticized Meghan Markle following the launch of her As Ever brand.
The Duchess of Sussex officially launched the new brand in early April, and in less than an hour, multiple products were sold out.
Despite the initial success of the brand and its recent restocking of sold-out products, experts claim it lacks authenticity, suggesting that it is primarily about Meghan Markle maximizing value from her royal marriage and "Suits" fame.
Months after Meghan launched her highly anticipated brand, As Ever, Canadian lawyer Phillip Millar and California marketing executive Camille Moore have taken aim at both the brand and its founder in a lengthy rant on their "The Art of the Brand" podcast.
Millar claimed that the lifestyle brand is being "run by a confederacy of dunces" and that the sole purpose behind it is to help Meghan get the maximum value from her "fame that came from Suits and being a part of the Royal Family."
Expanding on his criticism of Meghan, Millar dismissed her as "not substantial" before explaining the reasons behind his harsh views.
He said, "I'm agitated by her so much because it is a deliberate misrepresentation of what she is because she thinks she can pretend to be that while actually being this and sucker people into buying her stuff, and every step of the way, she's failing because it's not legitimate. It's not intelligent. It's not well executed."
Meghan's As Ever brand had launched earlier in the year, after facing multiple delays, including a name change.
Looking back on the launch, Millar claimed that there was "nothing about her brand that was good from the start to a distinguishing eye," and despite the duchess selling out most of the products, he branded her as a "fraud" who "was just using opportunities to advance herself."
"Her brand wasn't one built on substance," Millar noted, per the Daily Mail. "It was based on using people.
He added, "They're not executing anything well on any show on anything. But it shows how gullible a lot of consumers are."
After Millar's brutal rant about Meghan's business, Moore also slammed the duchess's lifestyle business, calling As Ever the "worst brand execution to date."
The marketing executive questioned the former actress's involvement in the brand creation and its running.
"She's had zero ownership in this business. It's effectively like she's just like labeling her brand," Moore said about the mother of two.
"I feel like she's doing such a brutal or good job, depending on how you're looking at it, of getting this like free PR and then absolutely sh-ting the bed," she added.
Despite the criticism, As Ever has proven to be a success for Meghan, as she followed up her April launch with a restock of items last month, per the Daily Mail.
In a post teasing the launch, the former actress assured her fans that she was bringing back all her favorites, alongside "some delicious surprises."
These surprises later turned out to be two new flavors of her flagship jam: apricot spread and orange blossom hominy.
The "Suits" alum later released another product, rosé wine, which was described as having notes of stone fruit with gentle minerality.
Other products that returned to the shelves include three different herbal teas (hibiscus, lemon ginger, and peppermint), flower sprinkles, crepe baking mix, and shortbread cookie mix.
With Meghan's life now increasingly focused on being a high-profile female founder, it seems unlikely that she would return to the big screen in a traditional acting role.
However, last month, she did admit that she "sometimes" misses her former profession when she appeared on the "Aspire with Emma Grede" podcast, per Fox News.
At the time, she also noted that her Netflix lifestyle show, "With Love, Meghan," allowed her to get back a taste of what she missed from her previous life.
"Actually, having a large team, being back on set with 'With Love, Meghan' was great because I realized how much I had missed my crew," Meghan told her host, referencing her time on "Suits.
She added, "I loved the crew. So I think for me, having the [Netflix] series, even though it wasn't scripted, was really great to get that piece back, but then also building my own business. You have a team, and that's really what I was craving as well."
