Meghan Markle and Prince Harry must face up to their mistakes and not "listen to the b*******" if they are to recover from losing their Spotify deal, a PR expert has told Newsweek.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a multi-year deal with the streaming giant in December 2020 but produced just one, 12-episode, show: Meghan's Archetypes podcast.
To make matters worse, Spotify executive Bill Simmons called them "f****** grifters" and suggested he had an anecdote to tell about a Zoom meeting with Harry to help him develop a podcast that has never materialized.
There are, however, already signs they are attempting to fight back from the blow, with a rumored deal between Meghan and fashion house Dior.
Mark Borkowski, PR consultant and author of Improperganda, told Newsweek: "You learn more from failure than you ever do from success. The hard cold reality of a failure gives you a keen focus on who you are and what you stand for and what you should be doing.
"They've got a huge following, as much as people want to take potshots at them, there's still a younger generation that follows them."
He said Simmons' swipe would not stop them signing deals with other media brands, whose judgments would be made predominantly based on data.
"Every tech platform now has some really impressive either AI tools or tools that they use to give them the sort of data or analytics they need," he said.
"Bill Simmons is one thing, but it's cold data that will give them some sort of analysis of whether or not it's worth it.
"They clearly are not great at producing the content that people want. So you do a reboot, you learn."
"They need good people," he added. "Above all, they need critical friends. They need someone to challenge them and hold the truth out.
"I don't get a feeling that they've got that in their camp, it is their way or nobody's way from what I've been hearing, and I think this leads to a disastrous inconsistency. To be successful in this world, you have to be consistent."
However, he said if they "listen to the b*******" and believe nothing is wrong then "they're going to completely find themselves on the snake rather than the ladder in this global game of snakes and ladders of fame and reputation.
"Look, I would learn from this, and move forward with it. Every crisis has an opportunity every failure gives a rebirth. Be truthful and be forthright to yourselves. Be honest to yourselves."
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
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