Fashion PR Inside Scoop with Erin Crumpacker of Jack + Bill

After our initial coverage of the fashion PR agency that has everyone talking, PR Couture was able to snag a little email time with Jack + Bill’s spokesperson, Erin Crumpacker, in the midst of all the preparation for the Pop-up agency’s casting call on July 15 and 16. During the casting call, Jack + Bill will select one model, women’s apparel designer, jewelry designer and fashion stylist for complimentary representation for the next three months, including brand messaging, media relations, viral and word-of-mouth marketing.

Erin has over five years experience in Consumer PR, including media relations, event planning, strategic account counsel, managing celebrity media interviews and coordinating PR activities at the Sundance Film Festival and the MTV Video Music Awards in addition to developing broad consumer campaigns for companies including HP and Mercedes-Benz. At Porter Novelli, she is an Account Supervisor overseeing Capital One, Chapstick and Me to We: [Responsible Style] accounts. However, Jack + Bill has a more democratic structure, and all members are considered Partners.

While Porter Novelli is not best-known for their fashion PR, Jack + Bill is an exciting opportunity to break the mold of traditional PR while aligning PN with fashion opportunities. As Erin says, “Fashion is so much more than a pretty dress. It’s a sign of the times and we wanted to be a part of it,” she goes on to quote Coco Chanel, “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”The idea for the agency came from members’ young, creative, talented friends in New York looking to get their brands off the ground. Erin explains that the team “realized that with our PR skills, contacts and experience we could provide them a service that’s very hard to come by when you’re first starting out,” adding that”senior management at Porter Novelli was incredibly supportive. They’re very open to trying new innovative ideas that will help introduce the agency to a new generation of potential clients.”

For the lucky winners of the casting call, Jack + Bill will offer aid to “emerging talent that normally wouldn’t have the resources of a global agency at their fingertips.” In addition, Erin explains that Porter Novelli is knows for strategic planning and brand building.”For us, PR is more than just calling up editors and pitching a story – it’s about being smart and strategic with our communication to build and sustain a brand.”

Erin is an Account Supervisor at Porter Novelli, Jack + Bill’s parent agency, Jack + Bill is structured democratically, and each young member (average age is 26) is considered a Partner. Partners come from diverse PR backgrounds and have collective experience representing fashion brands, working in fashion photography, running runway shows, casting calls, and New York Fashion Week parties. Erin is quick to point out that, “in addition to our style credentials, we are tech-savvy individuals experienced in running social media campaigns, which is really driving Jack + Bill.”

Partners at Jack + Bill are experienced in Social Media and often develop and execute Social Media campaigns for fortune 500 clients. Not surprisingly, social media fashion PR strategy is a core piece of Jack + Bill promotion. Erin explains that tactics include “a good mix of traditional and online tactics…but really, social media is a crucial part of our launch. We’re looking for the next-generation of New York fashion, and going online to drive interest is the best way for us to reach these designers, stylists and models. On our end, we’ve created a microsite, www.jackandbillpr.com, featuring agency background, bios, a blog, casting call details and criteria. The microsite is designed for easy tagging and sharing, and every page can be tagged through Technorati, Digg, del icio. us, Yahoo, BlinkLIst, Spurl, reddit and Furl. Additionally, the team has focused on digital and social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, to drive organic online coverage and spur interest in the casting.”

So what can we expect to see at the casting call on Tuesday? “Everyone can expect a lively environment complete with DJ. Once they arrive, they’ll register, get their picture taken and wait to meet with our team. We’ll ask them to talk about their experience and show us their portfolio as well as their personality! We’re a really playful group, so it will be a very relaxed, fun and experience for everyone who comes out!”