I’ve heard rumblings of fashion blogger backlash, appreciated even, the satirical attempts to poke fun at the poses, the affected speech, the same pair of wedges running standard. Despite this, I’ve spent several years educating major fashion brands on the value of developing partnerships with bloggers, jumping up and down (metaphorically, of course) until blue in the face about the value of working with style bloggers, of involving them in brand decisions, working with them to help boost social media credibility and drive interest and awareness. I continue to feel compelled to shine the light on brands who are working with bloggers in new and innovative ways and am a huge proponent of listening and taking in feedback from customers and digital influencers.
And then it happened. It’s late at night and I am scrolling through my “shop spam.” I click through a particularly potent offer on a GAP email and there’s Susie Bubble. Susie Bubble for the Gap? And the rabid online shopper part of me and the social media marketer in me emitted one big collective sigh. We might have even emitted the slightest of eye-rolls. And this is coming from someone who loves loves loves her some fashion bloggers.
This is certainly not directed at Susie, or even at the Gap. I want fashion bloggers to be able to make a career out consulting or writing and contributing their creativity. I want brands to evolve past the email pitch, the trunk show invite and work with people all over the world who are truly passionate about the industry, about clothing, about community. I love the fact that there are bloggers who are working with (or without) agents to negotiate incredible opportunities, finding real legitimacy in the fashion world, the quest or rejection from which often inspired their desire to blog in the first place.
And yet…
My nose is crinkling with a whiff of impending ‘fashion blogger plus fashion brand’ overkill. And, I’m frustrated that there are only a handful of bloggers – a fashion blogger brat pack – if you will, that seem to be in the running for the best gigs. Brands are just going for the obvious choices, both in terms of the talent they choose and how they decide to work with them. Two years ago it was a risk to put a huge image of a fashion blogger in your store, now its perfunctory.
So in my late night delirium, I’m calling for fashion brands, and by extension their PR departments to take a step back. Think about your long-term strategy, brand perception and promise. Consider, for example, that in another six months, the fashion consumer might find her eyes glazing over and shrug her shoulders at your latest blogger-inspired campaign and if so, what’s next? We’ve hit mainstream (it’s just a matter of time before the quintessential top 10 makes it onto the cover of a major glossy) and working with fashion bloggers, while important and powerful, is no longer innovative, no longer cause for self-congratulations, or god forbid, evidence of “social media savvy.”
May we please consider:
- Expanding and diversifying the bloggers in our selection set
- Engaging bloggers beyond including their faces and bodies in our ad campaigns, or enticing them/their readership through product give-aways
- What fashion blogger burnout might look like, how to watch for it, how help avoid it
- Do we risk drowning out/diluting the very voices we once welcomed by surrounding our style blogger partners with too much big brand agenda?
- How do we evolve our understanding of influence, rather than revert or convert?
I’m tired of seeing the same handful of faces. And while I’m venting (!), it’s not that much of a stretch to put a girl who looks like a model but who is not a model in the spotlight and then attempt to pull the “real women, real bodies” PR angle. Yuck. I’m afraid that successful fashion bloggers are being homogenized to fit the old tired industry expectations. Sure, you can be a bit quirky – but only in the right ways - an edgy hair cut, freckles and a “curvy” size eight thrown in for good measure, but as brands and industries that work with brands to propel them forward, we have a responsibility to consider what and whose points of view get the mass brand stamp of approval. Part of the power of fashion blogging for me is the way it invigorated an industry raise the curtain and examine and reflect on how clothing is being styled, worn, analyzed and experienced by all sorts of different kinds of people. Are we sending a not so silent message that to be successful as a style blogger, you must fit this “model-lite” aesthetic, and ethics aside, is that message really going to drive loyalty long-term?
Consumers will take their cue from perceived brand endorsement. Let’s consider the message behind the marketing, rather than following the herd. Let’s figure out where we can take some risks, learn collectively what can be improved upon, uncover a few hidden gems, and have some fun exploring our opportunities and evolution.
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I don’t know how I missed this gem of yours, Crosby. I’m feeling the same way, but not in a PR context…in a 35 y/o style blogging woman who wants to see beauty & fashion evolve beyond the glossies context. They’re starting to do online what they do offline. The view is too narrow & too predictable. Hating it. And, you make a great argument from a PR standpoint. The internet is moving fast & this isn’t going to work forever.
Crosby,
This was a brilliantly written piece. I have read through all the comments and must say that Felicia Sullivan nailed it for me when she said “I want to be inspired by women my age who are working executives seeking quality, timeless accessories.” As an almost 50 “fashion blogger” who runs her own online magazine, I know I don’t fit into the fashion blogger brat pack. I hope that fact is what my readership and sponsors like about me.
Crosby,
This was a brilliantly written piece. I have read through all the comments and must say that Felicia Sullivan nailed it for me when she said “I want to be inspired by women my age who are working executives seeking quality, timeless accessories.” As an almost 50 “fashion blogger” who runs her own online magazine, I know I don’t fit into the fashion blogger brat pack. I hope that fact is what my readership and sponsors like about me.
Crosby,
This was a brilliantly written piece. I have read through all the comments and must say that Felicia Sullivan nailed it for me when she said “I want to be inspired by women my age who are working executives seeking quality, timeless accessories.” As an almost 50 “fashion blogger” who runs her own online magazine, I know I don’t fit into the fashion blogger brat pack. I hope that fact is what my readership and sponsors like about me.
Crosby,
This was a brilliantly written piece. I have read through all the comments and must say that Felicia Sullivan nailed it for me when she said “I want to be inspired by women my age who are working executives seeking quality, timeless accessories.” As an almost 50 “fashion blogger” who runs her own online magazine, I know I don’t fit into the fashion blogger brat pack. I hope that fact is what my readership and sponsors like about me.
This article sums of everything I’ve been thinking about fashion blogs for a very long time now. Eloquently written.
I recently got stiffed by a huge corporation can’t say who exactly (for obvious reasons) and I have to think that It’s because I’m not sexy or cutesy looking. Whatever it is that makes a fashion blogger marketable I guess I just don’t have it. In a lot of ways this is good because now I can focus more on my writing and photography.
glowingdoll.blogspot.com
This article sums of everything I’ve been thinking about fashion blogs for a very long time now. Eloquently written.
I recently got stiffed by a huge corporation can’t say who exactly (for obvious reasons) and I have to think that It’s because I’m not sexy or cutesy looking. Whatever it is that makes a fashion blogger marketable I guess I just don’t have it. In a lot of ways this is good because now I can focus more on my writing and photography.
glowingdoll.blogspot.com
Great article! I noticed the same applies to the media. It’s like all journalists have a years-old list in their drawer they dig out when they need to mention/write about bloggers/the blogging world. The blogging world might have long moved on and there are lots of new interesting people aroung, but journalists can’t be bothered.
Thank you for this post. You put into words thoughts I had but could not find a way to write down.
While I do blog, I still consider myself a blog “consumer” most of the time. I read more than I write, basically. And I noticed myself over the last few years completely changing the roster of blogs that I read and admire. I no longer have an interest in some of the big names. Sure, I notice them in marketing campaigns but there is nothing influential there.
I don’t look to this “elite” group for inspiration anymore because they have become so commercialized and removed from their readers. For example, Sea of Shoes took off the comments on her blog. That cinched it for me. While I still enjoy the photos for the esthetic appeal, I felt completely detached. In that instant, her blog was no different from a magazine or a commercial fashion website to me.
I also feel cheated when I read a glowing review about a product from a blogger only to realize they were gifted that item. I understand the business to be made there but it really diminishes the legitimacy of future product reviews from that blogger.
This is a great article on something I (and clearly TONS of other people) were thinking about. Really great points made – love it!
WOW I thought I was the only one having these thoughts. When I see all these “style bloggers” get deals I’m thinking, they all look strikingly alike. Their “fashions” are similar and with the exception of Bryan Boy, Tavi and Susie they all pretty much fit the “model” standard of the things we see in Vogue magazine. So as bloggers, I don’t think we’re really progressing, there’s a select few that are getting attention when there are dozens who deserve it.
I don’t feel like because I would like to be successful in the blogosphere I have to stand awkwardly in a mirror with my clothes that nobody gives a crap about. I will continue to blog my way without being a narcissist.
Interesting article — I tend to agree, but I also think the idea of blogging and influential bloggers are still something companies are still trying to grapple with. I don’t think they’re are technically fully aware of ‘what to do with’ it since (to them) it’s a nascent phenomenon. So clearly, they’re having trouble incorporating them appropriately as an extension of their brand instead of just sticking any well-known blogger in a campaign and hoping it will drive their sales. They seem pretty clueless, but I still think it’s great that they’re at least starting to open up to bloggers more as a legitimate force to drive their products. Baby steps.
Love this post, and the fantastic replies too! I’m not familiar with Susie, so I can’t speak on that with real authority, I can only say that brands and bloggers at the end of the day are people. Clients have to feel comfortable with the blogger they collaborate with, they had a good relationship and collaborated, win or lose, I’d rather see big brands working with a blogger than not working with one! And lets face we all need to eat, pay bills and handle our respective bottom lines!
As a Latina, I am incredibly tired of the ‘same’ faces over and over again and having none of them look like me! Especially since Latina Women, especially those raised back home, are raised by women who set the bar high, we are in many ways ‘expected’ to be fashionable, even in our day to day lives!
I also get tired of campaigns that are exactly the same everywhere.
of seeing blogs that are all pictures in a different outfit per day and calling that fashion blogging…I agree with the fact that content is still important and yes apparently there is quite a bit of burnout going around.
Campaigns do have to evolve so that bloggers and their readers don’t burn out!
˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•
Tracy @ Ascending Butterfly
http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com
Love this post, and the fantastic replies too! I’m not familiar with Susie, so I can’t speak on that with real authority, I can only say that brands and bloggers at the end of the day are people. Clients have to feel comfortable with the blogger they collaborate with, they had a good relationship and collaborated, win or lose, I’d rather see big brands working with a blogger than not working with one! And lets face we all need to eat, pay bills and handle our respective bottom lines!
As a Latina, I am incredibly tired of the ‘same’ faces over and over again and having none of them look like me! Especially since Latina Women, especially those raised back home, are raised by women who set the bar high, we are in many ways ‘expected’ to be fashionable, even in our day to day lives!
I also get tired of campaigns that are exactly the same everywhere.
of seeing blogs that are all pictures in a different outfit per day and calling that fashion blogging…I agree with the fact that content is still important and yes apparently there is quite a bit of burnout going around.
Campaigns do have to evolve so that bloggers and their readers don’t burn out!
˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•
Tracy @ Ascending Butterfly
http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com
Loudpen,
I couldn’t agree with you more, but from a slightly different angle! While I am a Fashion PR enthusiast, when it comes to blogging, I actually blog about food and fitness which puts me in the “healthy living blogger” genre. In our niche there also seems to be very little diversity and the same group of bloggers who get the majority of the opportunities. Marie Claire magazine even named them “the Big Six.” While I think some of their blogs are great and actually read them, if you visit each of their blogs, they are all exactly the same formula: 3 posts a day (one for each meal) of what they ate and a few tidbits from their day thrown in. There is nothing wrong with this formula, except that 99.9% of the healthy living blogs are now exact replicas of this, and those that aren’t, don’t seem to get as much recognition. As for diversity, it seems like the only HL blogs by African-American bloggers that get the recognition they deserve are those that are targeted specifically to African-American readers, which should not be the case. While I, of course face unique issues when it comes to food and fitness b/c of my race causing it to inevitably come up in a post from time to time (i.e., hair issues, traditional foods, etc.) it is not the platform of my blog, so when I recently received an email from a woman telling me how happy she was to see a healthy living blogger that “looked like her” it truly made my day…and at the same time made me realize how unfortunate it is that I received that email. :/ I’m really starting to think that this is an issue in blogger-relations all around no matter what genre you’re in.
The bottom line is people will build the most positive feelings for (and ultimately brand loyalty to) what they see “themselves” in. I think this is something companies really need to take note of when working with bloggers.
“I want fashion bloggers to be able to make a career out consulting or writing and contributing their creativity”
But why? There are some of us out there who spent money and time going to school and actually honing real business skills as well as our eye for fashion and creativity. Yet, these days, any rich kid who wears a size 2 and has a camera is suddenly entitled to a “career”?
“I want fashion bloggers to be able to make a career out consulting or writing and contributing their creativity”
But why? There are some of us out there who spent money and time going to school and actually honing real business skills as well as our eye for fashion and creativity. Yet, these days, any rich kid who wears a size 2 and has a camera is suddenly entitled to a “career”?
“I want fashion bloggers to be able to make a career out consulting or writing and contributing their creativity”
But why? There are some of us out there who spent money and time going to school and actually honing real business skills as well as our eye for fashion and creativity. Yet, these days, any rich kid who wears a size 2 and has a camera is suddenly entitled to a “career”?
Interesting angle for this blog post. Also makes one question the reliability of bloggers’ view on products if they are representing or working with specific brands as well.
Interesting angle for this blog post. Also makes one question the reliability of bloggers’ view on products if they are representing or working with specific brands as well.
Interesting angle for this blog post. Also makes one question the reliability of bloggers’ view on products if they are representing or working with specific brands as well.
Interesting angle for this blog post. Also makes one question the reliability of bloggers’ view on products if they are representing or working with specific brands as well.
Awesome summer collection dude. Color combination and style both are too good. Like them
I have just come across this website and post – certainly makes for interesting reading along with the comments that have been raised around fashion PR and blogging. We have spoken to a number of PR agencies but blogging has never really been high on the agenda, certainly in the UK. Very interested in keeping tabs on how this topic unfolds as things here are different.
Many thanks for the post and comments!
Excellent post! Some really great insight
We just started our fashion site and do our own photo shoots (me and our friends model) and write commentary that we think is fun and try to create a creative theme for each one. We don’t re-post magazine editorials, we make it ourselves. We go above and beyond the quick street snap and dedicate ourselves to help promote our local designers. We are not teenagers and we are not models and I hope we’re refreshing!
I agree with everything you said. But the problem extends far past the niche of fashion bloggers. It seems in all blogging categories, brands work with the same handful of people. The same in-crowd gets all the new writing gigs. And there’s SO MUCH talent out there. It’s very frustrating.
I totally love this article because you’ve touched on many things that I’ve been thinking in regards to this fashion blogger over-kill issue……whereby the same fashion bloggers are captured all the time!! It’s about time brands released that by continuously doing this (using the same bloggers), its putting other people off who feel they have a voice but are never actually heard!
Awesome post!!
http://maxseoworld.blogspot.com
nicely written. I totally agree that we need to reach out and expand the current set of “influential bloggers.”
http://www.FabGabBlog.com
all i can say is amen woman, amen! be real, be truthful to others, be truthful to you!
all i can say is amen woman, amen! be real, be truthful to others, be truthful to you!
As an Asian female, I DEFINITELY don’t see faces (or bodies) like Susie Bubble’s in mainstream fashion media. I am ECSTATIC that someone so “ordinary” who would be normally overlooked in the “real world” could be recognized for her creativity in such a way. Instead of slapping the average celebrity face onto ads, I’m impressed that the fashion industry is looking towards bloggers. It’s like the whole “youtube celebrity” phenomenon. It’s exciting that any of us can start a blog, take some pictures, and share our thoughts with the possibility of striking a larger audience. I am all for fashion PR taking in bloggers. I’m thrilled that the exclusive world of fashion is FINALLY opening up a little to “everyone.”
Great article, glad I stumbled upon this website. There in fact needs to be more diversity for sure. Such a valid point.
Extremely inspiring post! I just came across this article today, and appreciated the acknowledgement of lack of diversity within Fashion PR bloggers. I completely agree with your stance on the modelesque bloggers posing as “real” women leaving the average woman to be continuously marginalized because of her lack of fitting the mold. No doubt, diversity needs to be seen amongst mainstream Fashion bloggers instead of tracking minority/underrepresented bloggers towards their area of “expertise”. Thank you for posting your thoughts on this subject…and bringing this ongoing issue to light!
What a great post! I have to say that I myself have thought these same things.The reason why I look at fashion blogs is to be inspired by outfit creations and mixing and matching of different brands. I feel as though bloggers who take endorsements or start promoting other brands due to a sponsorship they start to loose credibility in the eyes of their readers. If I wanted to see an outfit you created using all one brand that paid you and provided the clothes, I would just look on that companies website.
What a great post! I have to say that I myself have thought these same things.The reason why I look at fashion blogs is to be inspired by outfit creations and mixing and matching of different brands. I feel as though bloggers who take endorsements or start promoting other brands due to a sponsorship they start to loose credibility in the eyes of their readers. If I wanted to see an outfit you created using all one brand that paid you and provided the clothes, I would just look on that companies website.
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All valid points! I have been desperately searching for a group of fashion blogs I can go to daily for relevant, diverse posts. I find that a lot of fashion blogs these days just feature pretty outfits with no other substance. Thanks for starting a discussion about this!
This is a good discussion and a good idea. I felt and experience it myself.
I have a WILD SUGGESTION, How About Live And Let Live.