by Nancy | March 15, 2010

If you’re going to implement a PR strategy, you’ve probably been told to get to know the media outlet, be familiar with the reporter/writer you’re reaching out to (so that you know what s/he covers) and have a good idea of what type of pitch is going to acquire interest from her/him. (i.e. Don’t send the sports columnist images of your latest collection of high heel shoes unless you want to risk ridicule.)

It’s equally important to consider the media outlet from the perspective of your own brand image. Sure, it’s exciting to get a call from a fashion magazine or television station, but it might not be a good match for you and/or your brand. Think bridal collection in a men’s magazine. Sensible? Not necessarily. Impossible? Not necessarily. This is why you have to take a step back to a) make sure it makes sense; b) make sure you don’t accidentally end up in a publication that doesn’t make sense, or in a “most ridiculous wedding dresses of all time” feature in Maxim.

Questions to ask:

What is the target demographic for your media outlet?

If you sell women’s clothing, you may want to carefully consider before having your designs featured in a men’s magazine. Consider that your garments may be on beautiful female models who will be deemed eye-candy for the men’s magazine. Fine, but is that how you want your images portrayed? Is this going to drive any sales or hits to your website? Will this provide you a piece of coverage you will be proud to include in your press portfolio? If yes, congrats – go for it! If not…pass.

How many readers/viewers do you have?

This will give you an idea of what your reach is going to be by partnering with this outlet. This is important for obvious reasons. You don’t want all the images/looks from your latest collection to have its first appearance in a publication that reaches only 5,000, when you have an option to reach 200,000.

What types of articles or stories are covered in your publication and/or on your show?

Getting an idea of what has been featured in the outlet previously should help you decide whether it’s going to work for you and your brand image. While it’s all fashion, couture next to urban wear may miss the mark in the same medium.

Some media like to have exclusives, don’t miss your opportunity by jumping at the first media outlet. Ask to see copies or links to previous work so that you have a good idea of what type of stories, people, businesses, etc. they cover. If you don’t have any coverage or it has been awhile since you’ve had coverage, many may jump at the first signs of a press opportunity. In order to uphold the integrity of your brand image, ask questions, research and if it’s a go for you…then hurry up and call back!

by Crosby | March 12, 2010

Big exciting news!

PR Couture has been nominated for Blogger Of The Year by an organization called Influence SD. There’s going to be a swanky award show and everything, and I have a Hayden Harnett dress just waiting in my closet for this kind of occasion. Please help us win by clicking the arrow to the left of the PR Couture image. You can vote once per day.

The blogging community is picking up steam here in San Diego and it would be great visibility for all the hard work PR Couture has put in since 2006. Your help promoting this and putting us in the top running is much appreciated.

Here is a sample tweet to make it easy: One of my faves, @PR_Couture is up for Blogger of the Year. Click the arrow to vote her up! http://ow.ly/1ihpH #influenceSD

by Crosby | March 11, 2010

Brands are always looking for new and innovative ways to tell their story. Social media has provided new channels for PR and marketing, and the core of this new promotional mix is often centered around engaging the the almighty Fashion Influencer, the early adopter, the brand ambassador. While many fashion PR pros may be well versed in the rationale and purpose of pitching fashion bloggers, few brands have gone beyond the fashion blog to engage with fashion influencers in the other places where they are connecting with each other and producing content online.

American Apparel has a history of working directly with fashion influencers as well using real people, aka not models, in their advertising. To recap, they made a series of ads with Chictopia members last year, held an in-store modeling call/shoot for customers during New York’s Fashion’s Night Out, and photographed style bloggers such as The Chic Muse in Mexico City and The Cherry Blossom Girl in Paris.

However, the partnership with LookBook.nu is the most extensive to date, and is rooted in AA’s true appreciation for the LookBook.nu community, as well as a company commitment to use resources as a big company to do cool artistic projects with artists whose work they enjoy. In case you aren’t familiar, LookBook.nu is an invite-only international community of members who post their outfits. Members then vote up the looks that they like, and the more votes, the more your reputation grows. LookBook.nu regularly runs contests with fashion brands that engage their community around producing content.

As a representative from AA explains, “basically, we were intrigued with LookBook.nu when it first came out, which led us to eventually advertise and feature their users on our site. We decided to do a bigger collaboration late last year and as part of it hosted a contest where their members submitted photos featuring their favorite American Apparel pieces. Now there are something like 7,000+ looks of people using our basics. Our 132 favorites became The LOOKBOOK.nu Lookbook by American Apparel.”

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