Donating to non-profit workers is a feat that should be viewed as selfless. But, if you’re someone on Meghan Markle’s scale, everything is seen as a money-grabbing scheme. So, the latest report from the Daily Mail says that the former actress bought a bunch of $25US Starbucks Coffee gift cards for employees at a non-profit organisation advocating for parental leave.
Any other person wouldn’t have been done it for attention. However, with the former royal, everything is done to ensure she and Harry remain in the news. Ultimately, what happened with the vegan coffee she was peddling this time last year?
For those who mightn’t know, Meghan became an investor in a small startup business which sold oat milk latte mixes at $28. As we mentioned in the post we spoke about it (linked above), she sent sachets of this vegan coffee to Oprah, which was a sign of what was to come with the interview a few months later. Anyway, there’s been no reference to Clevr Blends since. Let’s not forget that the company that Meghan claims is female-run isn’t. Emma Hinchliffe of Fortune mentions that the start-up was co-founded by Roger Coppola, who serves as the COO.
Anyway, that brings us to whether it is a conflict of interest if she is teaming up with Starbucks while investing in Clevr Blends. We’d have to say “yes”, and here’s why. When you examine Meghan’s track record of bandwagon jumping, there is a pattern of her doing this. She has spoken about Black Lives Matter, Paid Parent Leave, Ethical Banking, Compassion, the list goes on. As we mentioned earlier, she hasn’t mentioned her association with Clevr Blends again. Could something have happened?
$25 Buys Like Three Cups Of Coffee Or Three Day-Old Sandwiches
Having bought from Starbucks, we’re aware the coffee isn’t cheap for the average consumer. Depending on the cup size and the type of beverage, you could pay between $5 to $10. Also, the food is pricy. The wraps cost around $8.
Let’s not forget that Meghan is worth millions of dollars. Why is she issuing $25 gift cards when she could be more generous and give out $100 gift cards or even $200? But, no. Her excuse would be she’s “perserving money”. She makes out that she’s poor when we all know she’s not. All her brand deals are public knowledge. Ultimately, this is what annoys so many people because she’s pretending to be something she isn’t and it’s not only wearing thin, but it’s tacky.
Her desperate attempt to do something nice comes off as flat as she has to advertise it every time. You don’t hear about Angelina Jolie advocating to the UN every time, do you? You also don’t hear about celebrities involved with Baby2Baby because they choose not to publicise it. They volunteer in their free time.
Meghan’s Form Of Celebrity Is Different From Every Other Celebrity
So, moving away from the coffee thing for a moment, and apparently, Meghan’s desire for celebrity status hasn’t changed too much from five years ago. She believes that if you publicise everything you do, then you’ll get noticed. Sorry, but it doesn’t work that way.
To be a celebrity, you have to a) have talent and b) know what PR works and what does not. For Meghan, she believes that everything she does, like promoting 40×40 needs to be seen. It doesn’t. The whole reason she is getting the spotlight put on her is that she has a title. If she were still just your standard Plain Jane, or better yet, Meghan Markle, no one would care, and she knows this.
Imagine How The CEO Of Clevr Blends Must Be Feeling Right Now
So, to end this post, we had to address how the CEO of Clevr Blends must feel seeing Meghan join with a bigger corporate brand. Hannah Mendoza is probably not very happy. Clevr Blends is only a small startup, while Starbucks has been around for decades.
We all know that Meghan loves going BIG! She is a big spender, but where does that put her ambition for going corporate? Well, very few big companies want to work with her. Sure, she has Spotify, Netflix, Proctor & Gamble, and now Starbucks Coffee, but you don’t see Victoria Beckham or Stella McCartney letting her get their brands for free, do you?
Meghan believes because of her title as the Duchess of Sussex that brands will throw themselves and their products at her. Moreover, when she wrote for The Tig, she got a load of freebies. We’ve all heard the story about how she threw a tantrum when she was told she couldn’t keep the designer clothing she got sent.
The thing is, dear readers, Meghan doesn’t stay on too many projects for the long term. In her eyes, they’re irrelevant. Look at how she treated her blog. Once she got Harry, she has since pretended that it never existed. The only time she did, was when she renewed the trademark to protect the IP. It is unclear if she has done so again. She also forgets what she wrote about her relationship with her dad.
