The New Fashion Editors

Okay, it’s been said, but really, blogs are everywhere talking about everything. With people busier than ever, we’re seeing more and more segmentation of media outlets. Many people want to stay up-to-the-minute on a given subject, but claim they don’t really have time to search through an entire newspaper or sit through even half-hour news broadcast. Specialty magazines for sports, technology, fashion, whatever… keep us updated on the information that interests us. Now blogs have taken that specialization a step further. Yes, there are blogs devoted to fashion for the woman who needs/wants to know what the latest is in that industry and doesn’t have time to wait for the Style section of the Sunday New York Times. Enter the Style File blog on style.com.

Two Dallas ‘soccer moms’ and former industry insiders decided they could narrow down fashion blogging even further by sticking to their favorite subject: handbags. Kelly Cook and Tina Craig started bagsnob.com in 2005 because they wanted to stay in the fashion industry, but after getting married and having their first children, the flexibility of blogging appealed to the fashionable friends. Three years later, bagsnob has launched five other fashion blogs and generates profits from major brands and retailers advertising on their site, and are invited to showrooms and fashion weeks with designers hoping Cook and Craig will give them a rave review on their popular site.

Cook explains, “Blogs can publish in an instant. It’s the biggest advantage over traditional media, which can take months to compile. Sometimes, by the time magazines get to it, the trend might be over," making them particularly relevant for the fashion industry. 

Of course when anyone is capable of putting information on the Internet at any time, there is the added risk that the information will not be trustworthy. Cook understands this, cautioning, “Many blogs don’t fact check. There’s no standard practice for blogging as there is for traditional news media.”

The bag snobs know the importance of fact checking first-hand. The post that shot their blog to industry authority status was their expose on a site running a fake bag scam. The bagsnobs also are seen as highly credible by their readers because they do not accept freebies from designers who may be trying to win a good review from the women. 

Bagsnob has is an excellent case study of how blogs are shaping our fast-paced world. By providing accurate, breaking bag news, the bag snobs provide what today’s internet-obsessed consumer with what they expect of the fashion industry.

While brands and fashion editors have been cautious about getting involved with blogs, the industry is taking notice of bloggers like Cook and Craig; with sites like theirs getting thousands of visitors per day, designers really can’t afford not to.
Photos: Bottega Veneta from bagsnob.com

See for yourself: http://www.bagsnob.com/

Meet the Snobs on GlamLive:

http://blogs.glam.com/glamlive/2007/07/31/meet-the-publishers-bagsnob-beautysnob/

Fashion insiders on blogs: http://www.bagsnob.com/images2007/chinamorningnews_crop.html

Technoology for PR: Google, Inc. Premieres Free Business Software

While Microsoft waits for a response to their latest offer to purchase Yahoo, Inc., Google, Inc. continues to update it’s programs for business. The latest update, “Team Edition” software debuts today. According to New York Times, the free online software program will “make it easier for people in the same organization to share documents and information.”Users within organizations who share the same e-mail address extensions will be able to easily sync projects through instant messaging and calendars, in addition to standard word processing and spreadsheets. 

Google hopes that a portion of the businesses that sign up for the free version of “Team Addition” will later upgrade to a premium version of the application.The “Team Edition” software will pose more competition for Microsoft Corporation, who charges for it’s word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation programs. To date, Google reports that more than 500,000 businesses have signed up to use the company’s free applications.

Video Preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOYFv47zSz0

How Can PR Pros Use It?
Professionals in the Public Relations and Marketing industries may find the new software from Google, Inc. valuable in upcoming projects. “Team Edition” free software is now available for download on the company’s mega-profitable search engine site, Google.com. “Team Edition” is a great tool for the communications industry because so much of the work in it is done in teams made up of different departments from creative to finance. The “Team Edition” software allows all parties involved on one project to work together seamlessly by sharing calendars, spreadsheets, e-mail, instant message, and more. Whether a marketing team is working over a period of months on a campaign for a client, or a member of the team need to respond quickly to a media development with a press release, everyone involved with the project or client. Some early customer comments for “Team Edition” can be seen on sites reviewing the application. One common source of praise for “Team Edition” is the cost-effectiveness for smaller corporations. One user commented that for companies that lack the budget for a sophisticated IT department, “Team Edition” gives employees a means of staying connected. The chief complaint among users is the limit for “team” being users with matching e-mail address extensions (i.e. ___@compnayx.com), according to comments on Internet articles profiling the software. Comments reflected concern over having team members from multiple companies who therefore have various e-mail address extensions making them unable to sync through “Team Edition.”

Buzz about "Team Edition:"
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Google-Software.html?pagewanted=all

http://mashable.com/2008/02/06/google-apps-team-edition-going-viral-on-companies?referer=sphere_related_content

http://www.venturebeat.com/2008/02/07/googles-group-focused-applications-vs-microsoft-project-management-startups?referer=sphere_related_content

http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7911&referer=sphere_related_content

Media Relations in PR

It should go without saying that maintaining excellent relations with members of the media is vital to public relations professionals everywhere. The presence of so many news sources, whether it be 24-hour news stations or up-to-the-minute websites makes information constantly and instantaneously available to the viewing public. There is no way to control what all of these media outlets will report, but it helps to have strong relationships with the people who put the information through those news sources… the gatekeepers. As much as PR professionals need the gatekeepers, the gatekeepers need the PR professionals. Relationships between PR pros and media members are mutually beneficial. The PR people need to get their stories out and the media need those stories…it’s a match made in heaven. Professionals in all areas of the public relations industry benefit from establishing and maintaining relationships with key influencers from broadcast to print to Internet media. Such relationships can make various parts of a PR professional’s job more manageable and effective, which obviously will keep their clients happy.
Effective media relations is particularly relevant in the fields I am drawn to; entertainment, fashion, and beauty. In these industries, business depends on presenting an image that distinguishes your brand from its countless competitors. That image must be updated constantly to stay fresh while always staying true to the brand. While it is highly visible in the three industries I mentioned, media relations continues to become a more significant aspect for public relations professionals in all industries, and it’s not limited to the basics of press releases, press conferences and media kits. Today, seeing results from media relations requires being charismatic and intuitive, and savvy with the latest developments in technology, current events, pop culture, politics, and business. Being this well-rounded requires hard-work and knowledge; I’ve listed some resources below that relate to the practice of media relations in public relations… If you find more sites that are helpful or interesting please leave a comment!

Media Relations Helpful Hints:
LA-based PR pro offers practical, easy-to-read comments on the importance and practice of media relations.
“Anthony Mora Communications, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based public relations firm that focuses in the areas of media relations, image development and media training.”
http://www.evancarmichael.com/Public-Relations/318/What-The-Media-Wants.html

Media Relations in Fashion, Beauty, Entertainment:
-Seventh House PR
http://www.seventhhousepr.com/

-LGPR (Lizzie Grubman PR)
http://www.grubmanpr.com/About_Us/aboutUs_default.asp

-Gossip Blog Jossip responds to celebrity-publicist Leslie Sloane Zelnick’s recent work
http://www.jossip.com/category/leslie-sloane-zelnik/

Crisis Management through Media Relations:
“If developed before a crisis or a major issue flares up, these loyalties can help counter damaging attacks or mitigate the assumption of guilt. But if a crisis strikes before you have courted those with clout, it’s usually too late for newfound advocates to help much. And those you do enlist often end up feeling used.”
-Paul Rand is Partner, Managing Director of Ketchum Chicago and Director of Ketchum’s Global Technology Practice.
http://www.ketchum.com

Something to think about...

Since enrolling in a class that centers around maintaining my own blog, I've found myself typing the word "blog" more often than usual. As I was spellchecking my last post, I noticed that my computers spell-check did not consider "blog" to be a word. "Blog" is not in the dictionary I've had since being in college, however it is listed on dictionary.com with a definition. I just thought it was funny, maybe a little ironic, that as many of us are writing posts about popular blogs have become, the very machines that allow us to write on those blogs don't know the word exists.

Blogging as a PR Tool

In my four years of studying communications at SMU, a few points have been repeated throughout the various classes I’ve taken, agreed upon my all of my professors. One such point is the importance of staying current for PR professionals. That said, it must also be important for PR professionals to show current and prospective clients, as well as the public, that they are in fact up-to-date on news, new technology, current events, etc… and that they as a professional have something more to offer than the competition, and blogging presents a perfect opportunity to achieve that. 

Blogs can be updated quickly, entries may be as short or as long as the story requires, and topics can be fairly diverse; really whatever the blogger wants to talk about that day. 

President and CEO of Edelman, the world famous PR company, appears to update his blog about once a week on topics ranging from his family’s winter vacation in Shanghai to an annual Edelman study being unveiled that day at the World Economic Forum (his “favorite four days of the year”). 

Heather Hamilton, Senior Marketing Recruiter at Microsoft Corporation, operates another popular blog. Hamilton often blogs on industry topics, but in a recent post she mentioned how she often has trouble coming up with interesting work-related topics, so she invited a “guest blogger,” Chris Russell, founder of All County Jobs. Inviting guest bloggers is an excellent way to drive traffic to your site. I found Russell’s post on moving up the corporate ladder relevant and interesting as a college senior in the midst of a career search. Also, I think Hamilton’s blog will be a unique source of knowledge for me in the future. The diversity of topics on her blog left me looking forward to future visits. 

Blogging Compassionately

In the last two weeks I have spent a lot of time looking at blogs that I've never read before and re-examinaning the ones I refer to on a daily basis. In looking at these blogs, I've made some conclusions, the first of which being, there are SO many blogs out there today. Not only are there thousands of blogs with topics ranging from fashion to finance, many of these sites are updated weekly, daily, even multiple times per hour. In our globalized society, information can be made available with alarminly rapid turnaround. Information, pictures, even videos can be seen by the world seconds after a story breaks. While one may marvel at how far we have come in our production and use of technology, we also need to be careful with the power extensive technology has afforded us. One way I think this 24-hour information cycle is impacting the world in a negative way is our increasing obsession with celebrity watching. One blogger who has capitalized on celebrity obsession and built a lucrative career on it is L.A. based blogger Perez Hilton. "Perez" updates his site almost by the minute with pictures, gossip and his own opinions. I'll admit, I love seeing what my favorite it-girls are wearing today as much as the next girl, and I often refer to Perezhilton.com to see the latest pictures; but the media circus that has been created by paparazzi and reporters trying to snap Lindsay getting coffee or Britney going to court is scary to watch. I think the number of pictures we see everyday of certain celebrities is excessive, but I've also noticed lately the the comments Perez uses to accompany the paparazzi photos have become increasingly vulgar and mean-spirited. What used to be a fun site to see new pictures and make casual jokes about some socialite's messed-up spray tan has become something that I almost feel guilty for looking at. This past Tuesday when I found out about actor Heath Ledger's death my first thoughts were about how the media would handle it, including Perez. The predictable circus of photographers appeared within minutes in front of Ledger's apartment and even waited outside his two-year old daughter's home to catch a glimpse of Ledger's greiving family. The media pounced on the story so quickly that Ledger's parents found out about their son's death on television. While I expected not much more from the relentless paparazzi, I was still saddended and disappointed in the photographers' disregard for the tragedy Ledger's family is going through. When I got home from class yesterday, I logged on to perezhilton.com to see what I'd missed that day, I was pleasantly surprised at one of his entries. Perez reported, like other media outlets the latest on the investigation into Ledger's death and what his family and friends were doing. When Perez reported that Ledger's ex-girlfriend and daughter had returned home, he used a picture of the late actor instead of video and pictures of the two arriving home. Perez said that he would not use pictures of any family members, friends visiting, or the memorial service out of respect for the greiving family and encouraged other news outlets to use the same discretion. Even though Perez knew millions of people would have logged onto his site to see the heart-wrenching pictures and video, he did what he felt was compassionate and ethical, and I very much appreciated and respected that. It also gave me the inspiration for my first blog...

For a start...

Welcome! You are reading my first-ever blog which I have created as part of an upper-level communications class at SMU. The class is about looking at trends and practices in all aspects of communications including marketing and public relations. I will graduate in May with a degree in Corporate Communications and Public Affairs and a minor in Spanish. For future entries on my blog I hope to explore the exciting trends in the communications industry and build upon the skills I have learned over the past four years. I also hope to relate what's happening the communications industry to what is happening in the fashion world. I am passionate about fashion and style and hope to work in fashion after graduation this summer. More to come...