Did you think the same way we did when you found out Meghan Markle was launching a lifestyle brand called American Riviera Orchard? How would you describe this salad in fresh terms?
The company itself has meaning. Before the royal wedding, Markle billed herself as a lifestyle guru on her popular blog The Tig. Meanwhile, what will happen to the new brand name? “It’s just a mouthful,” said Sarah Boyd, a brand development and public relations consultant. sarah boyd coeHe has worked with such well-known and sympathetic names as Field + Supply and Waterworks. “Americans are down-to-earth. Riviera is glamorous and ambitious, and Orchard is homey.” But they’re so mixed together that “now it’s just a mess,” Boyd said.
How and why someone as bright and media savvy as Markle could come up with such a deceptive name and then double down on it? There are several theories.
Branding by bots?
American Riviera Orchards. (Read: Bandana. Bikini. Beehive.) The jumbled phrases sound like an inhuman touch to our ears. It’s the branded equivalent of an AI-written biography of a celebrity that’s meant to keep you clicking until it becomes so difficult to follow that you throw your phone away in frustration. To test our hypothesis, we performed reverse engineering. We typed into our friendly neighborhood AI generator: “Please tell me the brand name of his famous interior design brand with American and European roots.”Gems returned containing glamor maison, luxurious and elegant interiorand Prestige palazzo.
They all sounded a little pompous and lacked the homey elements of “orchard”. I led the AI witness and typed, “Please make it more autumnal.”And the cyber assistant is back Harvest Heaven Designs, maple manor coutureand Rustic rhapsody interior. Close but not American Riviera Orchard. AI involvement seemed possible, but not a given. So we asked an expert.
“I say this with love: As someone who names a brand or a product, there is no way that OpenAI wouldn’t be involved in this process before it goes through the U.S. Patent and Trade Office checks,” said Brand Strategist. said Grace Clark. GGC Consulting, who has worked with the likes of Madewell and Jones Lord. “I wouldn’t say that generative AI is a creative partner or decision maker, but it would be irresponsible to ignore it. For example, when developing a brand strategy in a crowded space, I use AI to Create competitor reviews, sentiment from Reddit, and Facebook groups to uncover white space and opportunities for your clients.”
Veronica Shelton, co-founder of a design agency led by women of color orc theory, we believe that AI may have played a role. “It’s entirely possible that an AI like ChatGPT mixed in this name. By sifting through large amounts of language data and trends, AI tools can very cleverly craft creative content that includes cool brand names. ,” she says. “But whether or not this particular name involves AI depends on whether the team behind it decides to leverage that technology. Choosing a brand name is often a complex AI may generate some ideas, but what really matters is the human touch.” Nails the feel and vision of the brand. ”
Boyd agrees that AI may have been involved in “the inspirational brainstorming sessions that they relied on a little bit.” But she said Markle was “too smart and has too many people to work with” to rely on AI to name her brand, so the final decision had to be made by a vibrant, creative person. claims.
Clearly, Markle has put a lot of thought into the names of her past business endeavors.Tig is inspired by As she sipped Tignanello wine, she recalled her aha moment. And the Sussex nonprofit Archewell Foundation not only derives its name from the ancient Greek word meaning source of action; A nod to the couple’s eldest son, Archie..
I can’t help but wonder if their daughter Lilibet will grow up to feel left out that she didn’t come up with a more meaningful alternative to American Riviera Orchards, but her The name may be too tied to the late queen to belong to the royal family. brand. That being said, we can’t wait for her to start her YouTube channel called “Lili’s Bets” where she becomes an influencer for her teens and showcases her favorite items. But I digress…
Is the problem with Riviera?
Directly below the triple name American Riviera Orchard (written by the Duchess herself!), Montecito is printed. This refers to the seaside billionaire’s playground where celebrities such as the Sussexes, Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres live in idyllic mansions complete with the ultimate status symbol: a chicken coop. (Look, Americans. Glamorous. Homely.)
A quick Google search reveals that this town, along with the rest of Santa Barbara County, has been referred to somewhere as the American Riviera. However, no one really knows who those people are. “I asked people who frequent Montecito, ‘Have you ever called it the Riviera?'” Boyd reports. “And she said, ‘100 percent no. It’s not over yet.’
A word meaning coastline in Italian. Riviera It is most often associated with the coast of southern France, popularized by literary royalty such as Fitzgerald and Hemingway during the Jazz Age. But the term has been claimed by any seaside spot looking to improve its image. There’s the Bulgarian Riviera along the Black Sea, the Bengali Riviera along the Bangladeshi coast, and the inappropriately named Redneck Riviera, which stretches from Pensacola, Florida, to Panama City Beach.
This word is so used that it has lost some of its meaning. And in Montecito’s case, there may not have been that much to begin with. “No one actually calls it that,” Boyd reiterates. “But I think Ms. Markle probably used a Toronto brand agent that she’s used in the past. If they weren’t American, they might not even know about it.” So perhaps the blame is Some are Canadian, not Riviera.
Isn’t that such a bad name after all?
American Riviera orchards smell like this: Grove organic dish detergent (It is, after all, a synonym for orchard). Also, as far as we know, Markle’s business doesn’t sell dish detergent, but body soap was included in the trademark application. After all, is it giving the right energy?
“I’m a big believer in this theory. Even the slightest bit of weirdness, uncanny valley vibe, or something that’s just not right, it’s not a coincidence, it sparks conversation and engagement and raises awareness.” says Clark. “Presenting information that is a bit ‘off’ or strange will cause people to have a discussion around your brand, idea, or product and find their own answers.”
In support of this theory, we invested considerable time, ChatGPT juice, and real human brain energy into this yet-to-be-launched brand. But things aren’t necessarily going in the right direction for American Riviera Orchard. “Names that sound like a combination of laid-back, pastoral terms are boring and unspecific, not dangerous. In fact, the only danger here is that they’re not memorable,” Clark says. says Mr. Still, that may not matter. Finally, Clark said, “It’s Meghan Markle. Her connections and networks will carry the weight.” As the brand’s name implies, Markle already embodies American glamor with a down-home side to celebrity chicken coops.
Shelton agrees that thinking about the name with Markle in mind gives a different perspective. “The addition of ‘orchard’ probably suggests a focus on natural growth and abundance, perhaps suggesting products related to fresh organic produce and natural ingredients,” she says. “Given Meghan Markle’s background, the name may also connote sustainability, health and wellness, aligning with her known interests in these areas.”
As for Boyd, he is giving free advice to the Duchess of the American Riviera. She said, “If she were to hold a microphone to Meghan, she would say, ‘Go to The Orchard. It’s simpler and more declarative.'”
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