A Look at How Social Media Reinvented NY Fashion Week

New York fashion week not only rallied fashion lovers to New York for a worthwhile showcase of some of the best collections by well-known designers, but Fashion Week left a footprint in the digital age: using social media to help promote and expose the week-long events and happenings.

It seemed that no stone was left unturned on the path of social media to New York. Even if you could not make it to the tents in Bryant Park, just about anyone with an internet connection could make it to the tents virtually, thanks to, either Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Tumblr, YouTube and individual designer’s websites.

Between Thursday, September 9^th and Thursday, the 16^th more than 165,000 tweets were written about Fashion Week, making #nyfw a trending topic on September 10^th, also the day when more then 34,000 tweets were sent out from individual users. Designers even saw an increase in followers. Diane Von Furstenberg, who received upbeat and prize worthy reviews in print and online media, had an increase of 3,000 followers on Twitter. Foursquare offered promotions and Facebook allowed users to comment on looks cascading down the runways and Youtube offered videos of shows.

Fashion’s Night Out, an event that was originally designed to boost New York’s economy last year, debuted again on September 8^th in full force with social media. Livestream brought to life three different events including musical performances at Nine West and Ralph Lauren and a play-by-play of Juicy Couture’s designer Erin Fetherson styling tips to shoppers, all which could be viewed from laptops and desktops around the world. Some designers opted to integrate multimedia into their events. Diane Von Furstenberg, for instance, transformed her Washington Street location into DVF and HP interactive experience all designed by Refinery29 blog, offering the fashion community a chance to look at fashion favorites picked by Refinery29, which could be posted to Facebook by anyone in the store. Furthermore for the event, all fashionistas with an Iphone were able to download the LUSTR app, the official app for FNO. The application allowed users to navigate the event with an event directory with options of posting your locations thru your own personal Facebook, Twitter or Foursquare account.

The world of blogging also hit the Bryant Park tents hard this year. Not only were the seats filled with editors from the leading magazines, but bloggers even made their way to the front row. The evolution of blogging in the fashion sphere, really allows readers and fashion lovers alike to receive information about upcoming trends, the achievements and the downfalls of the week, which ultimately means that blogging is here to stay.

It seems like Fashion Week’s biggest trend was not on the runways this season but underneath everyone’s fingertips in the many sources of social media. Fashion Week’s integration of social media really opened up the doors for information exchange in this fast paced digital age. The versatility of social media left it marks on social media and it will be interesting to see the evolution of social media in the fashion and luxury market, from this point forward.

Learning to Master Crisis Communications

How important is effective public relations? Just ask (now former) BP CEO Tony Hayward.

Over the past couple of months we have seen a slew of events that have underscored the power of public relations. In light of these, crisis communication should now be on any business owner’s radar.

You have famed college basketball coach Rick Pitino, and his alleged ‘tryst’; Target versus the LGBT community; and finally, the event on everyone’s mind: the BP oil spill in the Gulf. In the latter case, Tony Hayward, the now former CEO has stepped down and will be replaced by Bob Dudley (who, might we say, has quite the task on his hands). A series of PR gaffes played a major role in Hayward’s downfall.

What every brand name and business owner needs to think about when following these events: what happened to BP can happen to you. Obviously, we are not talking oil spill/natural disaster stuff; we are talking about an event that challenges a company’s reputation and leadership.

So, what can we all learn from these public relations nightmares? In sum: you must have a crisis communications strategy so you can react quickly and efficiently. You’ll also want a knowledgeable PR pro on your side to represent and help guide you through these waters. Some things to keep in mind:

• Remain readily accessible to the media. Be ready to answer questions, have a designated person to speak on behalf of the issue.

• Streamline communication. Make sure all documents are clear, concise, pertinent.
  

• Maintain information security. Be sure that company documents aren’t accessible to the public but, at the same time: that you are not hiding anything.

• Support multi-channel communications. Send out press releases and take advantage of broadcast opportunities. Get savvy with a variety of communication tools like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Blogs.
  

• Utilize Social Media. In this day and age, these tools can be your friend but also your worst enemy. Word to the Wise: never delete a nasty, harsh comment, it could do more harm then good. Instead, use the negative comment as an opportunity to explain your position; it allows you to engage the commenter to resolve their concerns.
  

• Show empathy for the people involved Reach out to the public by making appearances. Find time to answer their questions.

Crisis communication is an important tool for all companies to have in their ‘toolbox for success.’ Crisis communication strategies have helped companies such as: Johnson & Johnson back in 1982 when they had the cyanide scare, Exxon Valdez in 1989 when an oil spill happened in Alaska, Intel’s Math Flaw in 1994 and Jetblue in 2007 when they left passengers stranded on a airport runway in an ice storm. While each faced a tidal wave of public backlash, their response helped keep their brands from drowning in the fury. A strong crisis communication strategy will do the same for you should the worst happen.

Blogging Your Way To Success

Any ‘great’ company has one and any company that wants to be ‘successful’ has one. What is it, you ask? A blog (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog.) But why do we blog? What is the point of one? We’re often asked: if my brand is already well known, what can a blog additionally do for my company? Our answer: A LOT. A blog is not an advertising vehicle for your company; it is a tool of communication that shows readers ‘something extra’ about your services, personalizes your brand, and offers insight into your area of expertise.

For example, we here at Miamore love our blog and, while we do some really amazing work, we are not simply going to put up blog entries outlining our achievements, or how innovative our work is. Why? Because those sort of posts don’t generate interest or build relationships—the main goals of a blog or any social media. In sum: it won’t get us (or any company) anywhere.

Instead of being promotional, it is best to provide readers with information that is not only enjoyable, informative, and personal; but also something that establishes confidence in the brand. For example, Southwest Airlines built up a blog when sales were down and they wanted to hear from consumers about what they could improve upon. So, their blog began with the CEO of the company discussing trends in the industry and allowed followers to comment. Did anyone read that blog and immediately log on to buy an airline ticket from Southwest? Probably not. But, has the brand become a household name? Definitely. Thanks in part to the open communication and dialogue by Southwest on that successful blog, the company grew into something bigger and better.

Have a hard time relating to a brand as large as Southwest? Well, for small business owners, we offer up ourselves as an example. Last week, Miamore’s president, Carrie Soucy, attended a trade show in New York. In two days she heard from at least a half dozen people (the majority of whom she did not know) how much they enjoyed our blog. Many others simply recognized our brand—no doubt in thanks to our active blogging. For a company like ours, only a year old and based in a different city, to receive—without having ever spent a penny on traditional advertising or marketing—responses like: “Oh! Miamore Communications!”… well, that’s quite a statement.

So where do we go from here to make sure that all company blogs steer clear of becoming too promotional? Here are some tips:

1. 1 Designate one person to oversee the blog. (Preferably not a junior staff member; however, if they have a great writing skills and an eye for news, then by no means limit them)

2. Promote your blog by featuring it in newsletters, having a link to it via Twitter, Foursquare, Facebook, Linkedin or website.

3. Talk about stuff other then your services. Like trends in the industry, developments and newsworthy stuff.

4. Be fun and have a conversational tone.

5. Encourage comments and be sure to respond to any you receive.

Foursquare:The Newest & Hottest Kid on the Social Networking Block

You already know the benefits of the now-mainstream social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube--all phenomenal tools to engage clients and build a brand. But, if you're like many local businesses, you see the boost in engagement from those sites, but wonder: how do I translate it into actual foot traffic? Enter the newest (and hottest) kid on the social networking block: Foursquare. Why is this new tool growing so quickly? Mostly because it doesn't only drive traffic to your website, but actually drives customers to your doorstep.

Foursquare is a location-based social networking site that allows people to connect with friends and update their location via text message or by Smartphone. Teaming up with Twitter and Facebook (and now quite possibly Google, Microsoft and Yahoo- Creator Dennis Crowley is in talks with these search engine giants), this allows friends of foursquare users to be notified of their friend’s newest location (and in hopes that more friends will come and join). Foursquare not only promotes human interaction but also exploration of their surroundings. After checking in a certain number of times at a location, users earn badges and points for their location frequency or by discovering something new in their city. Users can find locations in the directory or from friends who are also on foursquare.

What separates Foursquare from Facebook, Twitter or Wikitravel, is that users are participating in a marketing game, by earning points and badges for their travels. This is where Foursquare gets interesting… Foursquare not only encourages people to wander through their neighborhoods, but with the help from local businesses they reward people for stopping in at their location. Business owners can use Foursquare to engage their clientele by offering specials, discounts and prizes for those who continue to update their location on Foursquare while at their venue. People who check-in to a particular location quite a bit are dubbed ‘mayors’ and are eligible to receive a discount, prize or special offer. Cool, right? An example: Cuban Revolution, a hip avant grade restaurant with two locations in Providence, R.I., gives a free sandwich and soda to all ‘mayors of Cuban Revolution’. The owners of business owners are not only being current and participating in a trend of pop culture, but they are also using Foursquare to track how their venue is performing over time due to venue analytics that are provided to business owners.
The best part: users who are checking into your location are doing some of the marketing and promotion for you to individuals who may never have even thought of visiting your store or restaurant. Talk about social networking.

The Importance of Creative Thinking

In an increasingly competitive economy, it is vital for businesses to think creatively to grow and expand the reach of their brands. This is especially important in marketing efforts. Press releases, social media connections, standard promotions and advertisements are vital; but not enough. What to do? First: start thinking outside of the box.

Case in point, take the perfume company Fresh, who just released a set of fragrances and candles based on the best-selling novel Eat, Pray, Love, now a motion picture starring Julia Roberts which is set to be released next month. Fresh took the three sections of the book and made three scents inspired by three travel destinations in the book. The fragrances are set to release July 15^th.

Another interesting method of expanding a brand? Twilight Makeup. Yes, a makeup brand inspired entirely on the blockbuster film series. The premise behind the company’s two Twilight makeup lines: vampires and true love. Luna Twilight is designed to artistically capture the love between Edward and Bella. The mission behind this line is for ‘ everyone from the Twilight enthusiast to women looking to highlight their inner radiance.’ Their Volutri line, is a much more dramatic, darker line highlighting the vampire elements of the movies. The makeup has been featured in eight different magazines, such as Allure, Elle and Lucky between 2009 and 2010.

Both of these companies are perfect examples of expanding a brand beyond their targeted consumers—in both cases by harnessing the power of pup culture. Fresh, whose target consumer is women, really hit the jackpot by using this book as an inspiration for their new line because as a New York Times best-selling novel, the fan-base is enormous--and expanding, with the movie due in a few weeks. Twilight beauty is not just targeting the Twihearts, but also, consumers looking to buy makeup for all ages as seen with its placement in eight nationally read magazines.

The point: remember that inspiration can come from anything and, with creative marketing and good pitch, anything is possible.

CASE STUDY: StyleWeek Providence, launching an upscale fashion week in a depressed economy

The Client:

StyleWeek Providence, a start-up non-profit with the goal of launching New England's first Fashion Week to showcase upscale fashion designers to an audience of regional and national buyers and media.

The Goal:

To support the establishment of StyleWeek Providence as an annual event by creating brand awareness, buzz and strong public sentiment via editorial placements and media attendance at the inaugural event.

The Challenge:

To launch a high-end fashion week amid the worst economic conditions in decades; specifically in a state (Rhode Island) that has been among the nation's top 5 in unemployment stats for more than a year. Also, to create excitement about and put the national spotlight on fashion in a region (New England) that has long carried the reputation of being one of the country's most traditional, conservative and staid.

Our Work:

Miamore Communications came on to launch StyleWeek Providence's public relations and social media outreach in late 2009. Understanding the market and anticipating media resistance, we began our work by implementing a viral social media campaign, supplemented by a launch event for press in February. From January 2010 until April 2010, StyleWeek Providence's Facebook following grew by 500%. While we continued our traditional press outreach during this time, as expected, media placements were slow in coming and consisted of blog placements (18,000 impressions) and one local television outlet (approximately 150,000 impressions).

In May, 2010, we began an aggressive media outreach to earn both pre-event placements and media attendance at shows. We created a message that played upon the history of design in Providence, R.I.; and formulated the key message that fashion = business for a city with such a depressed economy. This message helped StyleWeek Providence earn the recognition of city and state officials, and we were able to organize a state-wide press conference in conjunction with Providence's mayor, David Cicilline.

The results:

From May 1, 2010 until June 15, 2010; StyleWeek Providence had more than 26 million impressions in print, broadcast and online media. This included two front-page articles in the state's largest newspaper, the Providence Journal, and a special daily column on their website, projo.com; a placement in Amtrak's onboard magazine, Arrive; mentions on usatoday.com and msnbc.com; daily coverage throughout StyleWeek Providence on the state's morning news show, the Rhode Show; articles in Rhode Island's premiere lifestyle magazines, Rhode Island Monthly, Providence Monthly and the Newport Mercury; a cover placement on New England's regional lifestyle magazine, Soco Magazine; and coverage by the top fashion bloggers in New York, Boston, Connecticut and Rhode Island. A breakdown of those numbers:

• 10.5 million broadcast/video impressions
• 12.1 million online (non-blog) impressions
• 100,000 impressions from blog coverage
• 2.4 million print (newspaper and magazine) impressions

The outcome:

Media coverage has helped secure both overwhelming public support and key financial sponsors. In 2011, StyleWeek Providence will be a twice-annual event.

How well do you know your own brand?

If you think the answer is a no-brainer, I challenge you to think again. I’ll go so far as to bet the real answer is: not even close to well enough.

I see it time and again… and, as a business owner, I can personally relate. When you are living the day-to-day, it is nearly impossible to have a clear view of what outsiders (a.k.a. potential customers) think of your company or your brand. The bad news: you are likely too close to possibly have an unbiased view. The good news: oft-times, the public’s view of your brand is far better than what you imagine.

I am thinking about this concept in large part because Miamore Communications just wrapped up StyleWeek Providence. For those in Rhode Island or New England, you already know what this event was: the biggest fashion week the region has ever seen. For those outside of the Northeast: StyleWeek Providence was a year-long labor of love. The StyleWeek concept was founded by Miamore’s Senior Vice President Rosanna Ortiz Sinel last spring. Sinel and I met sometime around July, 2009; she told me the basic idea; I fell in love, and off we went… on a dream and a prayer and, most importantly, faith.

The result was a 7-day event that occurred last week, with 14 fashion runway shows for buyers and the press, and nightly after parties for the public. Each show was packed to capacity. The media came out in droves… 2 front page stories in the Providence Journal in one week, daily coverage on the Rhode Show (Rhode Island’s version of “Good Morning America”), an evening news hit on the state’s largest network affiliate, coverage in the region’s premiere business newspaper, and endless blog entries from Rhode Island, Boston, New York, Connecticut, and beyond.

Am I fluffing our own feathers? Perhaps a bit, but that’s not the reason for this post. The point: every time, in the past year, I mentioned the idea to my New York friends, they unanimously responded with something to the effect of: “Perfect! Providence is such a fantastic little city. So much culture! Such a design legacy! Great food! Fabulous places to see!” Those thoughts are precisely why Rosanna (most recently a Bostonian) and me (a long-time New Yorker) knew Providence was the perfect spot for a fashion week. Locally, however, when initially approaching local “bigwigs” and the regional press, we found, well, alternately crickets and “in our state? No. Way” as a response.

In the past week, however, we’ve seen not only the media but—most gratifying—local skeptics reeling. One Rhode Island resident posted on StyleWeek’s Facebook page about how proud she was now to live and work in Providence. Good stuff! Would this fashion/design aficionado have said that a year ago? I doubt it. Why? Because she was too close to it and didn’t understand the power of her own “brand” (in this scenario: her city), so she didn’t quite believe her town (or: brand) was what she’d hoped it could be.

And, so, I return to my original point… do you know your own brand? Do you know what "outsiders" think of it? Or are you so caught up in the mundane that you lose perspective? I’d wager most small businesses trend toward the latter answer (I know I do). So, I offer the StyleWeek Providence example as evidence of the importance of stepping back, looking at yourself with fresh eyes, and listening to the perspective of “outsiders”. Had Rosanna and the team, as Providence “outsiders” a year ago, not understood the potential of this great little city, we’d likely have given in to skeptics, abandoned the dream, and StyleWeek would never have happened.

So… what are the “outsiders” in your realm thinking about your brand? Please: stop and think about it. Ask around. Because, more often than not, it takes on “outsider’s” voice to make you hear what you always knew about your brand, but didn’t really believe.