Fashion PR rarely deals in crisis communication, but if there is one sore spot that continually emerges, it is negotiating the relationships and expectations between Fashion PR’s and Fashion Bloggers. Although many PR agencies have begun to value the voice of the fashion blogosphere, many still don’t give out the kind of respect that fashion bloggers often feel is their due. Additionally, lingering bad blood from initial experiences, often due to poor decisions on the part of Fashion PR agencies, continues to impede any positive steps that are made.

Blogs are appealing to Fashion PR’s for several reasons. Unlike traditional monthly fashion magazines, most fashion bloggers update daily, giving readers more immediate access to fresh news and content. Savvy consumers appreciate the insider tone and expert knowledge fashion bloggers share – as well as their independent affiliation. I think fashion blogs are gaining in importance within PR because they provide a highly targeted audience, read by people who like to shop! Through comments given by readers about posts, it also gives insight into how people are reacting to a trend or product.

There are fashion blogs that focus on everything, from general fashion news, to very specific niches like celebrity fashion, lingerie, handbags, and shoes. Fashion bloggers have a real passion for fashion, and their promotion, or dismissal of a particular product, trend, or service carries real weight with readers.

It’s a great platform for pitching client products because bloggers update more often. We don’t have to deal with the traditional press deadline. Also, the online format means that there aren’t any space issues – no concerns that a fashion editor might pull the article at the last minute to make room for something else. The influence and importance of fashion bloggers is becoming a crucial factor for fashion public relations, with issues of transparency and legitimacy at the forefront.

The importance of fashion blogs for PR is part of a larger shift from traditional to new media tactics. New media impacts PR greatly – there is talk of the death of the traditional press release, and the growing need to not only understand social networking and social media, but to participate. Getting up to speed with all the emerging technologies out there is a challenge for a lot of agencies – the old tools and tricks are becoming less effective and less comprehensive. Knowledge, familiarity, and competence online, blogs included, is crucial for staying competitive and continuing to bring value to PR clients. Increasingly, these skills are very attractive to employers.

I wrote something similar to the above for a Eliza, a journalism student at Concordia University in Montreal who blogs at My Empty Closet, as part of her final piece. It seemed particularly important to share these thoughts today, given the current controvery regarding the leaked photos of Sarah Jessica Parker’s new Bitten line that surfaced on Fashion Blogs. [Read more...]