As a PR professional, by now you’re probably well aware of the growing importance of visual storytelling when engaging with client audiences in the digital space. Successful fashion brands act much like media entities themselves, publishing trend-driven, often interactive content on their websites, blogs and social media channels. With the right tools, visual storytelling doesn’t need to be a complex endeavor requiring fancy graphic design or coding skills, and we’ve rounded up a list of content generation apps and tools to rely on as you develop campaigns that include increasingly visual elements.
Officially launched at the beginning of the month, Ador bills itself as a shoppable magazine with blogger and celebrity looks, as well a product catalog of over 7 million items from more than 150 retailers daily. The editor team at Ador creates shoppable looks from its retail partners, which app users can easily shop or simply “Adore.”
How to use it: Publicists can pitch product (women’s style items only – apparel, accessories, shoes, etc) as well as style bloggers and celeb looks to: business@ador.com. Product pitched can be single items or head-to-toe looks, however must be available for purchase online. Ador images can be easily embedded on a company a company blog.
Compatibility: iOS, iPhone, Android, Desktop
Cost: Free
A platform for creating magazines, Glossi is an easy way to put together a branded digital fashion magazine that can be published on the Glossi website, shared on social networks, or embedded elsewhere.
How to use it: Event recaps, press previews, a mini-brand magazine and even lookbooks can be easily created through Glossi’s easy to use interface. For inspiration, check out how Lucky Magazine, Rent the Runway, and Brit Morin’s Briti & Co have used the platform to create original branded content.
Compatibility: iOS and iPad
Cost: Free
Stipple allows brands to enrich images with additional content and links to create and publish shoppable images. Using the “Pipeline” function, brands can label and tag their products within images, and Stipple will scale this labeling across all similar photographs (i.e. multiple photos of a celebrity wearing your client’s product). This way, regardless of where your client’s images are published, they will be shoppable. Stipple’s photos have built-in Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest sharing buttons.
Stipple will then aggregate all images and corresponding data, tagged as belonging to your client’s brand, which you can then choose to monetize or build-in calls to action. This past April, Stipple also released Stipple Shopping through which people can browse multiple images of a product, view related products, and make purchases.
How to use it: Include interesting facts about a product, link to a YouTube video about its creation, embed a link to purchase, or take that celebrity photo and embed product purchase info before sending it out to bloggers for coverage. Tell the entire story of a fashion show through an interactive image that includes audio files, an entire playlist, and of course information about the new collection. Includes analytics so you can measure the engagement and reach of your images.
Compatibility: iOS and iPad
Cost: Free/Paid options available
Wanelo aims to be an online community for all of the world’s shopping. Brands like Urban Outfitters have more followers on Wanelo than Facebook and Twitter combined.
How to use it: With its relatively new Stories feature, it’s now easy to aggregate items together and add a short description. The perfect way to introduce client products to Wanelo’s audience of more than ten million, Stories are also easy to embed onto a company blog, making gift guides or outfit looks or trend pieces quick and easy to create.
Compatibility: iOS and iPad, Web
Cost: Free
A new app that allows you to create Pinterest-worthy text + images, Word Swag is responsible for all the great Fashion PR Confidential images shared in the PR Couture Instagram this weekend.
How to use it: A gorgeous way to add designer quotes, a press quote, or a “how to wear,” use Word Swag any time you want to add a line of text to an image. Post on Instagram or use on Pinterest or a company blog.
Compatibility: iOS and iPad, Web
Cost: $1.99
According to Krista Neher, author of “Visual Social Media Marketing,” trends suggest that the modern consumer wants to see “real photos of real things taken by real people.” Keep this in mind when you are helping clients develop digital campaigns and grow their audience. A mix of lo-fi and hi-fi content, as Rachel Tipograph, Director of Global Digital & Social Media at the GAP would say, is a powerful way to maintain the aspirational qualities of fashion while humanizing the brand at the same time. What tools do you use for content generation?
Photo Credit: Leanne Surfleet
