Meghan Markle launched a new brand, American Riviera Orchard, in March, accompanied by the release of a new website and Instagram account.
Since the brand's launch on March 14th, Meghan has not posted any additional content. American Riviera Orchard is believed to be a lifestyle brand that will offer a variety of products, including home decor and pet items. Currently, the brand's Instagram account has 616,000 followers.
In a recent social media phenomenon, Kourtney Kardashian's son, Mason Disick, made his Instagram debut, quickly surpassing the follower count of both Meghan Markle and her American Riviera Orchard brand. Despite being on the platform for only a short time, Mason has already outshone these established figures, cementing his status as a rising star in the digital realm. On Saturday, May 25th, the 14-year-old, whom Kardashian shares with ex Scott Disick, launched his official Instagram page, sharing rare photos of himself looking grown up.
In his first post, Mason posed outdoors on a balcony, wearing a cap over his face, a black T-shirt, and khaki green baggy pants. In a second photo, he turned his back to the camera to show off his outfit. Mason received emotional reactions from his aunts, Khloe Kardashian and Kim Kardashian, in the comments. "I can't believe this is happening," wrote Khloe, while Kim added, "You're really on Instagram!" In just one day, Mason garnered over 400,000 followers, while American Riviera Orchard still trails behind at 616,000.
A PR expert has cautioned that Meghan Markle's Instagram risks appearing disorganized due to two significant mistakes made during the brand's launch. Emma Lloyd, founder of Big Little LDN, told Express.co.uk that American Riviera Orchard used an outdated method of posting teasers on Instagram. This method involved multiple images with very little content to create one large image. Lloyd explained that this isn't how users engage with content on the platform; they typically view individual posts in their feed rather than the entire channel. She added that the Instagram algorithm only serves one of those uninspiring beige images at a time, making it unlikely that users will click to learn more. Furthermore, as more content is posted, the large image will become fragmented and incoherent, resulting in a messy appearance.
The second mistake, according to Lloyd, was that the Instagram story teaser was designed for landscape viewing (16:9 format) instead of the vertical (9:16) format preferred for Instagram stories. This resulted in a polished TV ad-style post for a channel where users seek more authentic and unpolished content.
Additionally, a marketing expert suggested that American Riviera Orchard's Instagram account has a significant number of fake followers. Stacy Wong from the digital marketing agency Own Your Space noted that while the account boasts over half a million followers, a 13.77% fake follower metric reveals a common challenge in digital brand management. Wong emphasized that navigating this landscape requires strategic engagement and authentic content to maintain and enhance brand integrity.
