It's true... technology changes everything!

We have always been taught about the advancement of technology and how it has changed the world and all communications, including how it has impacted the PR industry. I felt and noticed the change first-hand while working for an online-based company. 

1. Press Releases

In the good old days, press releases were printed out and mailed to the media. However, with the advent of technology, the media releases that I have sent out are rarely in hard copies, but all through email. The exceptions that I have encountered are when a creative press kit is utilised to capture the attention of the targeted journalists, or when the press releases are distributed personally at press conferences. 

There are obvious pros and cons to this, as a digital release would reach the journalists so quickly, but may not be noticed as their mailbox are usually bursting at its seams. But with the attention span of our audiences (and us!) getting shortened and the need for instant news growing, it becomes essential for hot news to be delivered as quickly as possible. 

Press releases can also now be uploaded online onto portals such as Mynewsdesk (www.mynewsdesk.com). This increases the exposure of your press release exponentially, as journalists or individuals can search for news and updates in real time automatically anywhere in the world. Someone from Austria could pick up your press release that was written in Singapore just by browsing through these platforms. I find that so cool and exciting, and it really brings the point across - technology makes the world so so so much smaller. 

2. Newsletters

Likewise, in a corporate communications setting especially, corporate newsletters are rarely printed out for every employee in the company, but simply sent to their inboxes. So easy and environmentally-friendly! 

3. E-invites/eDM/e-Cards

I'm sure everyone is familiar with these, but it really wasn't too long ago (maybe 10 years ago?), when I was still receiving birthday and Christmas cards from my friends. In the same vein, companies who used to send physical cards, invites to the media, and direct mailers have gradually stopped doing so, and started relying on communicating electronically. 

My company is totally paperless. I create eDMs twice a week, and send out e-invites to the media to our events. Maybe it is just because I'm an old soul by heart, but I do miss the personal touch of snail mail and actual hard copies of things. 

With technology developing so rapidly (even more so within these past few years), I'm really excited to see what changes it would bring to the PR industry, and how our working styles and habits would evolve in time to come. Maybe we will all check back on this blog in a couple of years, and laugh at how old-fashioned or "predictable" a blog or a written press release is! 

That's it, friends. Hope you enjoyed my final post, and see you in space! 

A little peek behind the scenes of a PR girl in a fashion start-up

The fashion industry is always seen as a glamourous elusive world from the outside, but let me assure you, as Shakespeare once famously wrote in The Merchant of Venice - all that glitters is not gold. 

There are many stakeholders that one has to deal with when working in a fashion e-commerce start-up. Here are some of the important ones that I have to manage with on a daily basis:

1. My boss and colleagues

2. The labels that my company is currently stocking

3. The labels that want to be stocked by my company

4. The media

5. My customers

6. Existing and potential partners of my company

Due to my company's positioning as an online retailer that stocks only the best and top Asian designers, there are many brands who wish to be stocked with us. Meetings are arranged for potential brands to showcase their collections, and I would have to join in the meeting along with my colleague who works as a retail executive, to evaluate and give my opinion on the media friendliness of the pieces and if there are any key pieces that we can highlight to the media. The following picture shows a meeting we had with a high-end Chinese shoe label. 

As a multi-label retailer, I would also have to deal with the copious amount of press material from the labels that we are stocking, and the working corporate partners of the company. Press materials such as lookbooks and media gifts have to be sorted, along with the existing promotions that my company has with our partners. These are then distributed to the media (along with any press releases), and our VIP customers. 

Events are commonplace in the fashion industry. It is particularly important as editors, fashion writers, fashion bloggers, and customers are spoilt for choice when it comes to fashion. There are thousands of brands all vying for the same pie. 

This is how an event may look like.

We chose to hold this event in an art gallery, to emphasis that luxurious fashion pieces are just like art - things worth splurging for because of their beauty and refinement. The event was a success, with the attendance of fashion editors and stylists, as well as noteworthy influential customers. 

However, what the publics and media do not see is this:

This is how our showroom/pressroom looks like before and after an event. One. Big. Unglamourous. Mess. The image above does not even show the messiest state that my showroom has been in. It is just horrible and so tiring to deal with the packing, setting up, tearing down, and unpacking. I remember having to pack musky, funky smelling press clothes (smelly from being worn by many different models for various photo-shoots and fashion shows around Asia) into those large black transport cases after a fashion season is over. I still shudder when I think it. 

Anyway, this reminds me of something that is not taught about in school, but is so obvious when you think about it. The press room, or showroom, or press rack room (fashion industry specific), or whatever term a company decides to use, is under the sole responsibility of the PR/corporate communications people. So, yes. That mess above is mine, and mine alone to bear. I had probably half a day to turn that disaster zone into this:

Why the time crunch? I had to entertain some writers and stylists coming over that day for fittings, and to pick up items for fashion editorials and spreads. 

I hope this has been a small but interesting glimpse into the busy world of fashion communications, where it isn't all just fun and air kisses!

To go social, or not to go social?

Ever since the rapid adoption of social media in a personal scope, businesses have been in a frenzy trying to jump onto the social media bandwagon. My personal opinion is to only establish a social media presence if the company has sufficient manpower, content, and a strong enough reason to even be on social media.

At Type A/shopthemag, I used to manage all the social media platforms - Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. I found it really time-consuming and tough juggling social media management and monitoring, with the other PR work that needs to be done.

I used to follow a strict daily posting schedule with different days of the week dedicated to certain themes. That proved pretty successful at first, and brought in more than couple of likes and shares per post everyday. I also conducted contests that were in collaboration with various publications, for example ELLE Singapore. The contests kept many eyeballs not only on our Facebook page, but the actual retail site, and was well-received.

Cutting through the noise, grabbing and retaining your target audience's attention everyday proved really challenging. Gradually, due to various projects that needed my attention, I found it difficult to post interesting content on all the social media platforms everyday. This resulted with a really stagnant page on Facebook with a drastic drop of views (you can view the statistics on a business account). I have since passed the management of social media platforms to a colleague, so that I can focus on other work.

The lesson? Consistency and content are key to building and retaining a social media platform. Do not be too hasty to leap into the scene without a long-term sustainable plan.

Practising PR the fashionable way

Hello to whoever is reading this, I'm Dorcas and am a double major final semester student of Marketing and Public Relations.

As you could perhaps infer from the title, I am currently in the fashion industry and am doing corporate communications for my internship. Here is a little bit about myself - before I was a Curtin student, I studied Fashion Merchandising and Marketing and worked for a couple of years in the fashion and education industries. I am now in a small start-up company called Type A Projects, and am solely in charge of all the communications for one of their outfits - an online retailer called shopthemag.com that was launched only two years ago.  

shopthemag is a luxury e-commerce website that specialises in retailing the best designer labels in Asia. It was conceived by my boss with the vision of educating fashion-conscious consumers of the excellent quality and superior designs of Asia-based designers - that Asian luxury brands are certainly competitive with the well-established western labels. 

It has been a blast thus far, connecting with the editors of various fashion magazines and stylists of high calibre, as well as nurturing relationships with the retailer's customers. With the advancement of technology and the world's escalating interest in fashion, it is indeed a challenge to manage PR in a fashion industry as fashion editors and writers are bombarded with an increasing number of fashion news daily. It is hard to stand out from the crowd; to ensure that not only the brands we are carrying get media attention, but more importantly, the retailer obtains media coverage as well. I am still trying to find the right balance of promoting the brands, and building a reputation for the website. 

It has been an interesting journey, and I will keep you updated on the various PR activities I will be embarking on. 

Wishing whoever is still reading this a marvellous new year ahead!