In the ever continuing battle that is my struggle to make Fashion Week work for my community I have been spending a lot of time emailing, faxing, and phone calling to the many public relations firms and in-house representatives of designers. Because I have a responsibility to secure usable and syndicatable coverage for my 185 people strong network that literally has hundreds of thousands of readers a day I am taking my job pretty seriously.
I have had blogger requests for shows ranging from the tiny to the huge, from designers I have never heard of to Marc Jacobs, and I am doing my best to make those requests a reality. I have a photography team that actually will get the major shows so my community has great photography work that is legal and safe for their commentary. But I want more than just photos, the new media age is upon us and we have technology that can enable whole new worlds of content.
I have a talented DP working with me to create the twenty odd pieces of video per day for our network to share with their audiences to help make their coverage come alive. Now I know I sound a little preachy with this whole new media revolution thing but I really do believe that this kind of content has a place and that it is an unparalleled opportunity for designers to reach even wider audiences. Our audiences are that more engaged than an average girl flipping through a magazine. If you can help people create both kinds of content as a public relations professional wouldn’t you want to do so? I would even go so far as to say making sure a member of the Coutorture team gets in is more important that your average mid-tier editor at a Conde Nast publication. Associate editors might feature a piece of your collection once if she can work it into a shoot she has marginal control over. But we will talk about your collections for months.
Anyway, I just want to give everyone a taste of how this access process works and praise the professionals who have been outstandingly helpful and discuss my issues with the more reticent players. I believe that letting my community know how this process works will help all of us in the future and will gently put pressure on the old guard to improve their communication with the new media.
One firm that I really want to commend is People’s Revolution. Their entire team has been nothing but warm, welcoming, and encouraging of our coverage. I got an email from Kelly Cutrone at 2am last night about Alexandre Herchcovitch. If the head of an entire firm is taking the time to get back to me at 2am on a Holiday weekend then you know they are making the extra effort to get their designers the most exposure and coverage. Of all of the firms none has been as generous with invitations. Everything from Atil Kutoglu to Jay McCarrol has been opened up to my team and they are working to ensure we get interviews with all of their clients. Now how is that for embracing and working with new media?
Now that me switch gears and talk about Calvin Klein. Now we all know that Calvin Klein is as old guard as it gets and surely the entire row will be taken up with socialites and celebrities. The ladies who lunch need to be accommodated. But I imagine so do the editors who ultimately will ensure that the clothing is promoted, even the diffusion lines. The incredible publicist who is working with Coutorture, Laura Rubin, has been working to open them up for us but even she with her talents can’t seem to get through to them. It is like numbers don’t work into their reality. I sent out an email pleading with Annelise Peterson to give us even access just for our video guy and myself, not even tickets and yet somehow I just can’t seem to get through. They are stubbornly not budging even as they are the most polite. Take a look at this email:
Thank you so much for your Calvin Klein Show ticket request. Unfortunatelywith the very limited amount of space we are dealing with this year we have to be extremely frugal with the amount of tickets we give out. I am afraid that we will not be able to extend an invitation to you this year.
I apologize.
Jennifer Opalacz
Calvin Klein
205 W 39th St
NY New York 10018
Jennifer, wonderful woman that she is replied to me on behalf of Annelise, and has been nothing but sweet and courteous but yet I can’t help but wondering how our massive numbers are not enough to get even our video guy inside? Here is the note I sent Calvin Klein, in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, we can get this footage for you guys.
I of course understand that space is quite limited and we very much wish to work within your constraints but would it be at all possible for myself and my videographer to go backstage to capture footage? Coutorture partners have an audience of half a million people every single day and working with us is an incredible outreach opportunity to really touch the most dedicated of Calvin Klein fans who will be online searching for information on their favorite designer this Fashion Week. Our 180 partner websites speak to the most passionate fashion aficionados in the world and having video of your collection, backstage interviews and commentary that will go up in near real time is really and truly an unparalleled public relations opportunity. The media landscape is changing and having a strong, viable, encompassing and syndicated online presence is no longer simply a nice “addition” but rather something all designers must strive to achieve.
Heck, if we were good enough for Marc Jacobs (HOORAY!) surely Calvin Klein might come around? Bless their hearts for even responding though as many firms have ignored us outright. So let’s cross our fingers and let the world know that we love designers of all stripes and want to tell the world out our love! Right guys? Our audiences our massive in aggregate and I think it time the big boys let us do our job.
Sigh…….getting the cold shoulder at DVF too.
I apologize but I cannot accommodate your request for tickets to the Diane von Furstenberg fashion show. Thank you for your interest in DVF.
Best,
Alexis Rodriguez
Director, Public Relations
I sent a similar email to her explaining our desires for access. Same deal but slightly more pleading in that Diane Von Furstenberg really is a leader in the industry as the president of the CFDA and I believe has a responsibility to executive on changing trends.
I personally am a huge fan of Ms Von Furstenberg’s work and I know that in her new role as the president of the CFDA all eyes will be on her to execute on changing trends in the fashion industry. Surely no trend is more important in terms of fashion and public relations than working with the new media? I think that working with us would set a marvelous precedent for her new term both as a designer and as a leader in the industry at the CFDA.
We really require very little access, perhaps a ticket, and access to backstage, and I promise you will reap great great rewards in terms of outreach.
Yay! Herchcovitch!!
No offense, but Calvin Klein is populated by a bunch of stuck up has beens and I couldn’t care less about their fashion.
More Marc Jacobs, more Gryson, more Chanel, more Dior!
[...] A major part of the failure of such campaigns is the media not realizing that today’s consumer has become smarter and is exposed to a lot more global messages than before. It’s true that we’re still enamored with celebrity and for the most part are still sleep when it comes to politics, but with advertising, even the sheep think of themselves as wolves. The images and associations don’t carry the same weight they used to because they have not been defined in the new society. With reality TV and the internet we are more independent in our information gathering. Today’s consumer is exposed to a lot more, and has new points of references. As Julie of Coutorture proved in her attempts at covering New York Fashion Week, the old media is out of touch with the rise and needs of the new breed of consumers and they prove this constantly with images such as the one on The Independent. While many charities are seeking to involve the public in their causes they are still employing the old media communicate with a new consumer who rebels against it. Some would say that the controversy from both the Kate Moss and Gwyneth Paltrow images helped to bring attention to the causes, but I would argue that most people could not tell you what issues those images were trying to bring to light. The old media has not done it’s homework on what Africa means to the new consumers. And like a parent, the old media’s message gets lost in it’s arrogance. ::::: Tags:Books/Magazines, celebrity, Charity, Events, Fashion, photography, pop culture social awareness [...]
I hear your nicely-worded frustration. Although I have been attending the shows with press credentials for several seasons, and THE ADVICE SISTERS was apparently one of the first online publications to receive these credentials for the shows, it has been an uphill battle to be recognized by the powers-that-be, and the decision-makers who decide who gets in, who sits, and where.
There are so many people hoping to get into the tents these days that I wonder how they can all be accommodated. To be sure, you make some really good points that the old guard should not ignore: we have readers that span the globe, not just the news-stands. Our publications are never used as cat pan liners or for packing material–they stay active and are linked to for years (and in the case of some of our Advice Sisters’ columns–for literally, decades). Our column are accessible 24/7. We will use many more photos and space isn’t at such a premium we can’t include a few more links and quotes…quite an endorsement and true free advertising to increase awareness of a designer’s brand.
The problem as I see it is that it is still hard to determine who is a “player”(and that isn’t always necessarily determined by size, but by quality and reputation) and who isn’t. Any 10-year old can put up a web site or bog that will look great–but that doesn’t make it credible.
I have found that the very best way to get those PR folks to notice you is to produce and keep producing. I have certainly worked with several who staunchly “diss” the internet press, but I see the tide turning in a positive direction.
all the best
ALISON