Meghan Markle was warned by a PR expert over her next move as she made yet another change to her social media following the staff shakeup last month. The Duchess of Sussex has had a difficult year regarding the negative press about her, as most of her business ventures have been harshly criticised by people.
Prince Harry’s wife launched a new brand, a new cooking series and a new podcast show this year, however, while some fans were fond of her new projects, most of her endeavours were savaged by critics. But she also launched a new Instagram page for herself as well as an Instagram page for her As Ever brand, years after staying off the online radar following her marriage to Prince Harry.
Initially, the Duchess was very active on her social media, posting candid snaps and clips of her life with Prince Harry and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, in Montecito, California.
But last month, the Sussexes fired at least six members of their PR team, including UK-based Charlie Gipson, their Director of Communications in Europe, and US-based Kyle Boulia, their Deputy Press Secretary.
They replaced them with PR agency Method Communications and kept Meredith Maines as their chief communications officer and Emily Robinson as their director of communications.
Ever since the Sussexes’ staff shake-up, there has been a notable shift on Meghan’s presence on social media, and now a PR expert has explained why.
Renae Smith, founder of The Atticism, told the Express: “Her new social media strategy is clearly PR-led, and while it’s not exciting, it’s probably the only smart thing they can do right now.”
She continued: “Going quiet slows the noise and stops her from making more mistakes or what I call a ‘panic pivot,’ which makes a brand look desperate. I’d guess they’re letting the dust settle before rolling out something new.”
Meghan was recently dealt another blow, as her lifestyle series on Netflix, With Love, Meghan, did not manage to get into the top 300 most-watched shows globally.
Ms Smith warned that reinvigorating the Duchess’s brand would be like “trying to resuscitate an old dog”.
She told us: “Good Luck to her PR team because trying to reinvigorate Meghan’s brand right now feels like trying to resuscitate an old dog. It might breathe again for a minute, but it’s not fetching sticks ever again. I feel like she’s cooked. Turn the stove off. It’s done.”