Blog > Branding: Why Meghan & Harry Don’t Give A Dam What We Think!
Branding: Why Meghan & Harry Don’t Give A Dam What We Think!
Be aware this blog contains spoilers!
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry reveal the direction of their brand with a 6-part Netflix documentary, and the pundits are out and thirsty for blood.
Jeremy Clarkson, in his column, taunts that he is
“dreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant, ‘Shame!’ and throw lumps of excrement at her”
and that he hates her more than serial killer Rose West.
And Candice Owens takes absolute pride in calling her a Witch.
Under any circumstances, rhetoric like this is going to hurt.
However, here is the reason why, in this circumstance, regardless of what they may be portraying to the public, Meghan & Harry ultimately do not give a dam about the bitter vitriol.
No longer being supported by the public purse, with the launch of this documentary, it is clear that Meghan and Harry are well and truly open for business. Thus, they seek to establish their brand and need as many tongues-wagging to do it.
So let’s see what we can learn from the Meghan and Harry debacle, with the 5 things that Meghan and Harry did to launch their brand that you, as a business and brand owner, should follow.
The first thing I will say to you as a business or brand owner, wanting to start or grow a brand, is to understand and tell your story. Your story’s power will help you build relevance and relatability between you and your audience, as it is a well know branding fact that people root for people who look, feel and sound like them.
This is no different when it comes to Meghan and Harry. For them, their story is their brand, and without it, no one would care.
As we witness Meghan and Harry being shunned by the royal institution, they must show that they are just like us to win over their tribe.
Members of a feuding, dysfunctional family (never mind, they are the most powerful family on the planet) who continue to endure heartache and pain (the death of his mother Diana, and the miscarriage of their baby). They are victims of abuse and ridicule (at the hands of the press). And are being persecuted for their interracial union.
Ok, granted, not all of us can be paid $100 million for our story, but that aside, stories are powerful because they will illicit an emotion within your audience and give them a chance to feel heard.
On a side note, I thought how they hinted at the fact that they had to slum it on the grounds of Kensington Palace, as newlyweds, was a nice touch to the commoner story.
In the very candid moment, they shared how Opera commented on the lack of visible opulence when she came around for tea, how embarrassing!
In this highly competitive digital world, if you want to grow a successful business and brand, you must show why you are unique and how you are doing it differently. This and your story will encourage others to work/buy from you.
Without the decision to sever ties and go his own way, Harry would have always lived in the shadow of his brother, as that is the establishment’s desire.
Harry, as a character, has always been the pawn to make William (the future king) look good. Virtue can only shine bright amongst the shadow of vice, and Prince Harry paints the perfect villain.
Although this will always be his role, now that he has severed ties, he can go his own way and attempt to shape his own story.
As a fallen prince stripped of his titles and royal duties, he now dons a unique mix of, not quite royal enough to be royalty but too royal to be a celebrity and to add another string; he is in an interracial marriage with Meghan.This mix makes for a very unique blend indeed.
For a brand, this is hot property because there is no other person like him and no other family like theirs.
Ironically, what many consider avenues of ridicule, are the exact things that make this brand stand out. This is why when it comes to branding, you should embrace every part of who you are.
There is much speculation that Harry is under the spell of Meghan. She’s the one pulling the strings and the cause of his downfall. But to me, looking at it from a branding perspective, Meghan brings the vision, and Harry brings the contacts. And together, they are a force to be reckoned with.
After all, it was the tears of Megan that managed to elicit Tyler Perry, in the form of his $15 million mega-mansion in 2020, when they were stripped of their royal protection and were left to be fed upon by the media. #HarryFoundHisRideOrDie
If you do not have a vision and mission for your brand, then you are simply taking a p*** upwind.
Like a menu in a restaurant and a manifesto for an election, your vision and mission lays out your short and long-term plans and give your audience something to buy into.
Throughout the documentary, their vision and mission became very clear:
Tackle race inequality: Race as a debate has been at the centre of their love story and ultimately drove Meghan and Harry to step down as royals and forge their own path.
However, what I found very interesting hearing it this time around was Meghan’s admission of passing and Harry’s willingness to accept his unconscious bias.
Racial passing occurs when a person classified as a member of a racial group is accepted or perceived (“passes”) as a member of another.
Meghan explained that before she came to the UK, she had never felt the wrath of being black. She had witnessed her mother being called the N – word but not been on the receiving end herself. As a result, her mother had never had the all-important race conversations with her.
In America, according to Meghan, she was viewed as white, and she drank the kool-aid, which is why the overt racism in the UK came as such a shock.
They also tackled unconscious bias.
Unconscious bias is when we make judgments or decisions based on our prior experience, our own personal deep-seated thought patterns, assumptions or interpretations, and we are not aware that we are doing it.
In the documentary, we watch as Harry contorts uncomfortably as he explains that he suffers from unconscious bias, it was interesting that they kept it in the present tense because it sent a compelling message that just because you are part of a biracial union, you are not exonerated from it, signifying just how deep unconscious bias goes. This led to the moment where Harry shared his why.
Know your why: Your why is ultimately the thing that will drive you to take action. If your why is not strong enough, your brand/business has little chance of survival.
And in a very special moment, Harry explains he is doing what he is doing to protect his family and to ensure that his bi-racial children, who will now be considered black, will never turn to him and say he didn’t do enough. Silence is violence!
Because of their unique position Meghan and Harry will be great advocates for the race debate, and bringing awareness is clearly part of the mission for their brand.
Other parts of the mission revealed will be women’s rights, mental health and taking on the press, corroborated by the strong parallels made between them and the late Diana.
That’s why packed into this tell-all documentary were allegations, sensationalism and divisive rhetoric; Megan and Harry want you talking because “where attention goes, money flows.”
I have to admit; I wanted to know what was on Harry’s ideal woman list, obviously not as much as Meghan as she goaded her husband to spill the beans live on camera in episode 1.
This led to the funny yet slightly awkward moment, which ultimately left Harry looking like a ‘G’ as he dodged the bullet by refusing to answer and pointing to her.
Then there was the mocking of the curtsy; I mean, was she mocking royal protocol or simply trying to explain how awkward she felt in the moment of having to curtsy before the Queen aka Harry’s grandmother? I’ll let you decide because, being a former gymnast, I was more impressed by her flexibility.
Surely you were interested to hear how modern their love story was. I mean, Harry sliding into Meghan’s DM’s, was definitely one for the Millennials.
Oh, and don’t forget the name change. Just like Jennifer Lopez morphed into J-Lo, allow me to introduce you to H&M (and to be clear, I don’t mean the affordable clothes store). We all know a name change always adds to your cool factor.
I get it; this is a candid interview meant to show us the intimate behind-the-scenes moments. And I know you never call the other person by their first name when you are in love. But I could have done without the H and M abbreviation.
Is this really going to catch on? Just the thought of it makes me cringe. But what do I know-ay?
However, the tactic of all tactics is, if at all possible, when attempting to get the tongues-a-wagging, is try and garner the support of the Bey-hive, aka Beyoncé’s fans, by name dropping Queen B herself if you can. Closely followed by:
“I can’t believe she knows who I am”
Then, precede to read the message live on camera.
So there you have it. This is why H&M don’t give a dam what you or I think.
In fact, on a scale of 1-10 – I would say that the Sussex’s knocked it out of the park with a textbook launch to their brand.
I find it interesting that they have created such a diverse portfolio of ideas that they now have the flexibility and freedom to continue exploring and capitalising on.
So it’s pretty poignant that Harry mentioned he felt he had outgrown the palace environment because, with this launch, it is clear that he will never outgrow the Sussex’s brand. That’s what happens when you become king of your own castle.
If you want to start or grow your business or brand, then the strategy laid out above is a simple one to follow even if you don’t have millions to spend like Meghan and Harry:
Then, click here to begin your branding journey with me and my team by downloading this fantastic free ebook and 90minute training & getting a 7-day FREE trial to the Brand You To Success Academy.
If you are anxious about starting or growing your business and brand, then the NxSpot Academy is here to help.
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