PR Strategies in the Fashion Industry by Estee Mancini

When I first decided to attend Mohawk’s Public Relations post-grad program, I will admit… I was a newbie at the whole concept of what exactly PR meant. Now with over 3 months under my belt, I definitely feel more confident in what PR means. Recently I have been noticing how important the role of Public Relations is in various industries such as hospitals, schools, big corporations, small businesses, etc. Having a good public relations team is a very important component in creating a brand that will capture a large scale audience, and persuade them to see your company in a specific way.  Public relations uses strategies and tactics in order to increase exposure of the company/product in the media as well as its targeted audience.

The fashion industry is something that I am very interested in, and so I ask: what exactly is the role of Public Relations in the fashion industry, and what are some strategies that can be used to increase exposure among your targeted audience?

I was surprised to find how much information there is online about the role of public relations in the fashion industry. A great website called www.prcouture.com  specializes in the role of PR in the Fashion Industry and provides some excellent tips and strategies. Here a few that caught my eye:

 Partnering Up With a Fashion Blogger: Blogging now holds a very important role in the fashion industry. Blogging allows mass audiences access to new trends and products in a very personal and informal way. Some bloggers have such an impact on their audience that they may influence the fashion community more than a published magazine could. Getting coverage from the right blogger can help further develop a brand by accessing a specific targeted audience. Helping to develop relationships with bloggers can be very advantageous because you can gain access to thousands of readers that are interested in your brand.

Using Product Placement: Whether it’s in a commercial, magazine spread, or the latest episode of “Gossip Girl”, product placement is a very effective strategy in the fashion industry. It is a very powerful and successful strategy because it allows the brand to enter millions of homes. However, it is very important that the product suits the character or the script of the show, or else it will look forced and unauthentic.  In order to get your product on a show, you must get in contact with the show’s costume designer or stylist and convince them that your product would be suitable for their targeted audience.

Using Social Media: Brands use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr etc in order to release breaking retail news (renovations, relocation's, openings, and closings), release look books of their collections, introduce brand collaborations, and inform audience of the latest shopping events.  Many designers are also using live streams of their fashion shows in order to reach larger audiences.

Feel free to check out this great video I found on Fashion PR: