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2days class: Fashion Biz vs. Social Media

30 July, 2009 by Imran Amed, Editor The Business of Fashion (excerpts)

On why fashion companies are beginning to use social media, such as blogs, Twitter and Facebook:

Part of it is that advertising budgets have been slashed so much they’re looking for ways to communicate more cheaply. This is a moment of turning, a shift in the way people think about mass communications and communicating with the customer. It’s not just one way anymore, it’s a many-to-many conversation.

On the two-way nature of social media:

...Lots of people think it’s about broadcasting because that’s the way media used to work. In the previous incarnation of media, it was one-way communication. It’s not enough to tweet once a day about what you’re selling or to put up a Facebook page.

On how the Internet has affected the fashion cycle:

The fashion cycle is a little bit of an anachronism. We still show clothes in february and they’re not available until July or august or september. by that point, images of the collection have been seen all over the internet and discussed ad nauseum on blogs and social networks and on Style.com, and by the time it reaches the store, people are already [tired of it], it’s done. The fashion cycle does not fit with the speed of communication. Instead of showing things on the runway [that won’t be in stores for several months] we should be showing things that can be bought right away.

On the connection between social media and revenue:

If you have an engaged group of fans on a web site coming regularly to talk to each other, it will probably end up driving further dedication and loyalty to the brand. you’re probably going to create an impact on revenue and sales. People say it’s hard to make a connection between social media and sales. I think that’s true, but it misses the point. It’s not only about the impact on sales. it’s also about engagement.

For full article visit - TheBusinessofFashion.com | via @mediaprince

 

2days class | Targeted Social Media

Just as the Internet has fractured the audience for newspapers (and magzines), it has similarly affected the public relations industry.

“You have to communicate with people on multiple fronts,” said Kathy Frega, director of communications for the Connecticut Education Association.

A year ago, the teachers union hired a new media coordinator who sets up Google chat groups with teachers, posts videos on YouTube and sends out e-mail alerts using the Constant Contact software program, Frega said. CEA also sets up “micro sites” to drive debate about issues such as last fall’s proposed constitutional convention, she said.

“The audiences have really broken down, so you have to reach people on their own digital turf,” she said.

The University of Connecticut is also using new ways to inform people because newspaper cutbacks make it harder to reach a general audience, said Karen Grava, UConn’s longtime spokeswoman, who retired June 30.

“We need to tell our story more than ever before because other people are not telling it for us as much,’’ she said.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences regularly interviews professors about their research and posts them as podcasts. President Michael Hogan has his own blog, and the university and students regularly post videos on YouTube.

UConn will also launch a news web site in the fall, called “UConn Today,” that will allow parents, students, faculty, alumni and others to view news, sign up for e-mail alerts and RSS feeds.

Students and some parents want to receive text messages about news, and UConn does use text messages to students when it has crime alerts, Grava said.

There is pressure to post news quickly, but UConn worries about placing speed over accuracy, Grava said.

“They want it instantaneously, but we won’t post any message until we know it’s true,” she said.

In the past five years, marketing has really merged with public relations, and the role of a publicist, who “placed” stories in the Wall Street Journal or The Courant, has been reduced, said Ira Yellen, president and CEO of First Experience Communications in Glastonbury.

“It’s harder and harder to even find the reporters to talk to,’’ he said. “There’s no guarantee that anything will get in the newspaper.”

Yellen and Onofrio said weekly newspapers in Connecticut have filled a void for printing press releases. And some of Onofrio’s clients, including the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain, have used The Courant’s iTowns section to post their own photos and stories on Courant.com.

Yellen advises clients to become their own publishers, printing newsletters or posting newsletters online, holding “webinars” to reach small audiences and directing e-mails to customers and other businesses.

“We used to be publicists,’’ he said. “We’re the editors and publishers now.’’

Yellen, however, is skeptical that Facebook and Twitter are successful ways for many traditional businesses to get the word out.

“They seem to be for people with too much time on their hands,’’ he said. “There’s more talking and not a lot of listening.”

But ESPN’s Soltys is a convert. He uses Twitter to drive people to ESPN’s web site to see more complete stories and press releases. He said it’s imperative that the public relations industry embrace the social media.

“The social media give you the opportunity to go directly to people,’’ Soltys said. “In the public relations business, it’s an important thing to play with.’’  

HartfordBusiness.com | @mediaprince