Being a part of the inaugural Teen Vogue blogger lounge at WWDMAGIC, in collaboration with Fashionably Digital, was an incredible journey. First, it was a fascinating front row seat from which to witness exactly how the traditionally B2B fashion trade show and traditional fashion media are evolving to provide consumer access through fashion bloggers, streaming video and digital social media tools. It was also a welcome respite from the daily grind of developing and executing social media strategy for consumer brands, though I found it difficult to remove that frame of reference and fully relax into the role of the fashion blogger. Ok, it wasn’t all that difficult to get used to having my make up done every day!
Luckily, I spent the three days getting to know a wildly diverse group of fashion bloggers, which provided considerable food for thought. My head was spinning, taking into account how the varying points of view, years (or months!) of experience, direct fashion industry experience/involvement, access and privilege and how that colored each bloggers’ experience (including mine), and of course, the corresponding brand and media interest based on value and appeal. As a fashion marketer, you can be sure I was taking notes!
For example, Colby Jordan, who’s nascent video blog Minnie Muse features the sweet seventeen-year old interviewing fashion elite like Daphne Guinness and posing for photographs with Karl, and Jane Aldridge, of Sea of Shoes fame, came with their moms rightly in tow. Is it telling I felt more at home chatting with Colby’s lovely mom than posing for a zillion pictures? On the other hand, Erica Domesek of P.S. I Made This (with eponymous DIY book and crafty enthusiasm at the ready) thoroughly impressed me with her years of industry experience, media savvy, confidence and ability answer the same question (mainly, so how/why did you start your blog) over and over in a slightly different yet no less compelling way.
In addition to the media darlings, Jazz Ayers, a fashion marketing student out of LA and Nicole Giordano, a textile designer out of New York who covered the show for StartUp Fashion, both impressed me with their incredible work ethic. Fashion journalist Hilla Ohayon kept me sane through 45-minute long Starbuck’s lines and so much more! I also enjoyed the opportunity to share a bit about PR Couture during the panel on the business of blogging that was streamed live and later made available on TeenVogue.com.
While romping around the various trade shows provided great insight into upcoming trends (all hail the return of the maxi skirt!), because I cover fashion from a pretty specific (fashion PR/marketing) lens, it was rare to find fashion brands with marketing or PR people at their booths with which to connect. Instead, sales reps tended to buyers, (rightly so) and were most interested in those looking to sign orders. I hope that as consumer access becomes a larger part of the trade show experience (the way it has with Fashion Week), brands will also extend the goals of their trade show involvement and see it also as a powerful PR and marketing opportunity to tell their brand story and connect with their customers. Or at least stop yelling at a girl for trying to take a picture (it’s a wonder what a flash of press badge can do to call off the fashion hounds!).
To that end, I would have loved the lounge to have a more explicitly orchestrated schedule aligned with each blogger’s niche, including one-on-one interviews with major sponsors and time spent with Teen Vogue and WWDMAGIC representatives. Perhaps a round-table discussion with brands at the show would have sparked some fun discussion. I certainly would have liked to have an open and honest conversation about how we may be able to work together in the future, and how the shifting media landscape is impacting their promotional approach. As the novelty of having bloggers at the shows wears off, I look forward to more strategic events that facilitate greater connections between bloggers and brands. In addition, should any participating brands be reading, I’d love to learn the best way to engage and connect at future shows!
Given the niche of this site, it seemed altogether appropriate that I found myself palling around with fellow San Diego fashion industry professionals during the show, including the amazing fashion PR duo, CEO Danielle Gano and fashion publicist Dara Bu, of Elle Communications, as well as dear friend and cheerleader, Nacole Gray of RichSkinnyPretty and powerhouse Whitney Benjamin. It was great fun to have my San Diego friends around to experience the magic of magic (and to enjoy Valentine’s Day champagne and to freeze with in an Ice Bar. Yes. That happened.).
More photos are up on the PR Couture Facebook Page. Extra thanks to WWDMAGIC for inviting me, Teen Vogue, the L’oreal make-up lounge for turning a dehydrated 30-something into something worth looking at (!) and Lulus.com for sending me the incredible, huge canvas bag I lugged everywhere, and the most insane shoes I have ever owned.
25 Comments
Sounds like a pretty good event. I do think there needs to be more press coverage at trade shows, especially bloggers. If bloggers are able to go to trade shows like WWDMagic and talk to marketing/PR reps directly then there could be a real conversation between the media and the brand. Plus bloggers get the information out so much faster than traditional media and people would be interested in that content. Fashion Week content is cool but it’s the trade shows that really make or break a brand.
The outside world really has no idea that these things (trade shows) exist and the new consumer is smarter, they want to feel connected to the brands they buy from and this would make them feel that way. Also if an emerging brand is seen at a trade show and a blogger covers it, consumers may begin to demand it and buyers would have to provide that product. This would change the industry a lot so I’m not sure if it would ever happen.
Sounds like a pretty good event. I do think there needs to be more press coverage at trade shows, especially bloggers. If bloggers are able to go to trade shows like WWDMagic and talk to marketing/PR reps directly then there could be a real conversation between the media and the brand. Plus bloggers get the information out so much faster than traditional media and people would be interested in that content. Fashion Week content is cool but it’s the trade shows that really make or break a brand.
The outside world really has no idea that these things (trade shows) exist and the new consumer is smarter, they want to feel connected to the brands they buy from and this would make them feel that way. Also if an emerging brand is seen at a trade show and a blogger covers it, consumers may begin to demand it and buyers would have to provide that product. This would change the industry a lot so I’m not sure if it would ever happen.
Yes! I think there are huge opportunities for emerging and established brands to augment the traditional trade press that typically covers trade shows. It’s certainly a very different experience from Fashion Week!
Trade shows aren’t trying to compete with Fashion Weeks, they’ll compliments to them. Most brands who do fashion week runway shows also attends trade shows! This is evident form the brands present at any show in Las Vegas in February.
Not all fashion bloggers are interested in fashion shows or fashion week. Some of them want to find other things to cover that help them establish their expertise and match their long term goals. I wanted to MAGIC an opportunity for that exploration.
You are exactly right in this comment, trade shows show another part of the fashion industry. Because of shows like Project Runway and Catwalk Genius, bloggers and the consumers are interested in them! You’re supposed to give your audience what they want right? In this case, it’s inside information on how brands are launched and built.
Did you know that 15% of the show attendees are financial firms and investors looking for designers and fashion labels to invest in or purchase to add to their retail portfolios? This is not something that I believe fashion weeks are attended for. Most lines are funded and or established.
One buying team present on a trade show floor brings $261 million dollars worth of buying power from their retail establishment to a show, at the end of day, it comes down to revenue, whether that’s consumer focused or wholesale distribution focused.
From an outsider looking in, for three days there were many bloggers giving interviews and making connections with brands. Perhaps you are not an “influencer” within the blog world, or lack of focus on the event which contributed to non-materialization of marketing opportunities with brands, since you said “I found myself palling around with the amazing fashion PR duo, CEO Danielle Gano and fashion publicist Dara Bu of, of Elle Communications, as well as dear friend and cheerleader, Nacole Gray of RichSkinnyPretty and powerhouse Whitney Benjamin.”
From an outsider looking in, for three days there were many bloggers giving interviews and making connections with brands. Perhaps you are not an “influencer” within the blog world, or lack of focus on the event which contributed to non-materialization of marketing opportunities with brands, since you said “I found myself palling around with the amazing fashion PR duo, CEO Danielle Gano and fashion publicist Dara Bu of, of Elle Communications, as well as dear friend and cheerleader, Nacole Gray of RichSkinnyPretty and powerhouse Whitney Benjamin.”
Hi Luka,
I absolutely agree that many of the bloggers made great connections with brands and I have very much enjoyed reading about their experiences. I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed following along with all the content coming in. In this post I am in no way disparaging the value of those posts. Instead, I was attempting to share my own experience not as a strict fashion blogger but rather someone who has built whatever influence I may have (ouch!) on providing insight into fashion PR specifically. As such, it was a challenge to figure out ways to connect that focus with a primarily sales-focused event.
Best,
Crosby
Crosby: Thank you for your honest post about the event. This was the first time any fashion trade show engaged bloggers on a large scale; other more targeted industry shows have been doing this for about two years, usually between three to six bloggers at a time.
When looking at the social metrics related to their overall online influence and reach, there isn’t a significant impact when it came to interest in the events at the shows. When you compare trade shows against the buzz generated at conferences and fashion shows during New York Fashion Week, it seemed necessary to do something of larger scale in order to establish a baseline for minimum success.
I appreciate your comments on having things more organized and according to interest of the bloggers. The one thing we can do is organize a show floor according to brands that small groups of bloggers would like, all of the MAGIC shows have over 2300 brands combined.
Again, as it was the first time a fashion trade show added a consumer focused component of this size, we diversified the events to see which events drew the most interest from bloggers and show attendees. In August, we are streamlining events across multiple shows in order to create a richer, more cohesive experience. So the feeling of lack of focus will be addressed.
Luka: Thanks for the awesome observation. 98% of our bloggers and partners had an amazing time. It was what you perceived; an open opportunity for them to make the experience their own. Many of the girls did that! Thus far, five have been offered jobs or signed to brand deals because of the connections they chose to make! That was my number one goal for them – make connections no one else had and use them to obtain their future career goals.
As a consumer/blogger, I read the WWDMAGIC page and saw many interviews that I thought were great. Your review of your inaugural event towards the end sound more like a wiping rather than enriching possibilities for Bloggers to showcase their skills. To some extend, your post has set us back by implying that bloggers weren’t that useful at WWDMAGIC. But the bigger issues, seems to be with the administrative and how schedules or events should have been done – this sounds more like a closed brainstorming meeting than a let’s do it again inaugural post for next year WWDMAGIC.
As a consumer/blogger, I read the WWDMAGIC page and saw many interviews that I thought were great. Your review of your inaugural event towards the end sound more like a wiping rather than enriching possibilities for Bloggers to showcase their skills. To some extend, your post has set us back by implying that bloggers weren’t that useful at WWDMAGIC. But the bigger issues, seems to be with the administrative and how schedules or events should have been done – this sounds more like a closed brainstorming meeting than a let’s do it again inaugural post for next year WWDMAGIC.
Hi Tiffany.
Quite the opposite, I think that fashion bloggers were incredibly useful at Magic, their energy and enthusiasm was infectious and each one brought something unique and special to the mix. I’ve been championing the inclusion of consumer/blogger voices in PR and Marketing initiatives my entire career and there is nothing that warms my heart more than to see fashion bloggers being given opportunities like this one. Instead, for me, for this blog and its specific focus, I had a difficult time figuring out the most relevant stories to tell. I did get some great insight and am exciting to tell those stories over the next few weeks, I suppose I just didn’t feel comfortable changing the focus of my site to just covering straight fashion. Perhaps that is my own limitation however!
I think again, as a site that does focus a lot on strategy and the behind-the-scenes aspect of fashion promotion, I felt it appropriate to do a quick analysis of opportunities as I saw them. Your point is well taken however, and I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts!
Best,
Crosby
Tiffany: In 2009, I started attending WWMAGIC, MAGIC and all it’s shows, I feel in love with it. I made it a goal to be able to offer the experience I had to other fellow bloggers and writers when the chance when it arose. Two years to the date, it happened. And the partners we had, Teen Vogue, Moxsie, Whrrl and others made it all the sweeter. The group we had was diverse with two commonalities – they were all intelligent and unique in what they did.
We scheduled multiple events, some for blogger interest; some relevant to Teen Vogue’s online audiences and other for show attendees. As you can see, that is a lot to do in three days – the pre, during and post show planning was enormous. For a first round, I feel we did a good job. Are there things we’ll do differently next time? Absolutely. Now that a baseline for success has been laid.
As a consumer/blogger, I read the WWDMAGIC page and saw many interviews that I thought were great. Your review of your inaugural event towards the end sound more like a wiping rather than enriching possibilities for Bloggers to showcase their skills. To some extend, your post has set us back by implying that bloggers weren’t that useful at WWDMAGIC. But the bigger issues, seems to be with the administrative and how schedules or events should have been done – this sounds more like a closed brainstorming meeting than a let’s do it again inaugural post for next year WWDMAGIC.
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Verschleißteil Stacheldraht, Kletterwände, wie der Mann die Aktion zu klettern.
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Hi Luka,
I absolutely agree that many of the bloggers made great connections with brands and I have very much enjoyed reading about their experiences. I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed following along with all the content coming in. In this post I am in no way disparaging the value of those posts. Instead, I was attempting to share my own experience not as a strict fashion blogger but rather someone who has built whatever influence I may have (ouch!) on providing insight into fashion PR specifically. As such, it was a challenge to figure out ways to connect that focus with a primarily sales-focused event.
Best,
Crosby
Hi Tiffany.
Quite the opposite, I think that fashion bloggers were incredibly useful at Magic, their energy and enthusiasm was infectious and each one brought something unique and special to the mix. I’ve been championing the inclusion of consumer/blogger voices in PR and Marketing initiatives my entire career and there is nothing that warms my heart more than to see fashion bloggers being given opportunities like this one. Instead, for me, for this blog and its specific focus, I had a difficult time figuring out the most relevant stories to tell. I did get some great insight and am exciting to tell those stories over the next few weeks, I suppose I just didn’t feel comfortable changing the focus of my site to just covering straight fashion. Perhaps that is my own limitation however!
I think again, as a site that does focus a lot on strategy and the behind-the-scenes aspect of fashion promotion, I felt it appropriate to do a quick analysis of opportunities as I saw them. Your point is well taken however, and I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts!
Best,
Crosby
Yes! I think there are huge opportunities for emerging and established brands to augment the traditional trade press that typically covers trade shows. It’s certainly a very different experience from Fashion Week!
You are exactly right in this comment, trade shows show another part of the fashion industry. Because of shows like Project Runway and Catwalk Genius, bloggers and the consumers are interested in them! You’re supposed to give your audience what they want right? In this case, it’s inside information on how brands are launched and built.
Did you know that 15% of the show attendees are financial firms and investors looking for designers and fashion labels to invest in or purchase to add to their retail portfolios? This is not something that I believe fashion weeks are attended for. Most lines are funded and or established.
One buying team present on a trade show floor brings $261 million dollars worth of buying power from their retail establishment to a show, at the end of day, it comes down to revenue, whether that’s consumer focused or wholesale distribution focused.
Tiffany: In 2009, I started attending WWMAGIC, MAGIC and all it’s shows, I feel in love with it. I made it a goal to be able to offer the experience I had to other fellow bloggers and writers when the chance when it arose. Two years to the date, it happened. And the partners we had, Teen Vogue, Moxsie, Whrrl and others made it all the sweeter. The group we had was diverse with two commonalities – they were all intelligent and unique in what they did.
We scheduled multiple events, some for blogger interest; some relevant to Teen Vogue’s online audiences and other for show attendees. As you can see, that is a lot to do in three days – the pre, during and post show planning was enormous. For a first round, I feel we did a good job. Are there things we’ll do differently next time? Absolutely. Now that a baseline for success has been laid.
Crosby: Thank you for your honest post about the event. This was the first time any fashion trade show engaged bloggers on a large scale; other more targeted industry shows have been doing this for about two years, usually between three to six bloggers at a time.
When looking at the social metrics related to their overall online influence and reach, there isn’t a significant impact when it came to interest in the events at the shows. When you compare trade shows against the buzz generated at conferences and fashion shows during New York Fashion Week, it seemed necessary to do something of larger scale in order to establish a baseline for minimum success.
I appreciate your comments on having things more organized and according to interest of the bloggers. The one thing we can do is organize a show floor according to brands that small groups of bloggers would like, all of the MAGIC shows have over 2300 brands combined.
Again, as it was the first time a fashion trade show added a consumer focused component of this size, we diversified the events to see which events drew the most interest from bloggers and show attendees. In August, we are streamlining events across multiple shows in order to create a richer, more cohesive experience. So the feeling of lack of focus will be addressed.
Luka: Thanks for the awesome observation. 98% of our bloggers and partners had an amazing time. It was what you perceived; an open opportunity for them to make the experience their own. Many of the girls did that! Thus far, five have been offered jobs or signed to brand deals because of the connections they chose to make! That was my number one goal for them – make connections no one else had and use them to obtain their future career goals.
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