The term PR can be banded around by the many, yet only understood by the few. PR is the main driving force in selling fashion apparel, yet I feel its value can somewhat be undermined. This week I hooked up with ‘to coin a phrase’ a true guru, Raoul Shah of Exposure PR to find out what he thinks of the current state of fashion PR.

 

By Ryan Cooper-Brown 

 

Q. PR is seen by many as an afterthought how important do you feel PR is to the success of an apparel brand?

A. PR is central to any fashion brand marketing campaign. The best brands integrate PR into their overall strategy. The worst brands think it's just a cheap add on. The power of PR should not be under estimated - it is not a cheap form of advertising or even an alternative. Great PR can enhance brand value, consumer perception, and even share price. Just look at Agent Provocateur as an example.

1. Q. How would you gage the success of a PR campaign?

A. Simple measures include evaluation against industry quoted advertising page rates (eg. in BRAD) - as an example, what does it cost to buy a quarter page in GQ if you were advertising? Take this cost and multiply by anything between 2.6 and 3 - to arrive at the EAV (Equivalent Advertising Value) of a quarter page of editorial. We also measure with external measurement agencies - but the key is to provide detailed inputs and campaign plans early so the agency can track the PR output effectively. Finally, we also measure by things like how many times the phone rings once editorial is published, how many consumers bought or ordered a product that they saw in a magazine, or how strong was our client's visibility versus the competitors?

1. Q. How do you decide on a PR budget?

A. This can be defined by the cost of allocating a team on a specific campaign - what are the objectives and who do we need to deliver those? Time based costing is most accurate but can be expensive. On the other hand, you can decide once you know what the client actually wants to achieve - do they want more brand fame? Product visibility? New stockists? Board level endorsement? More sales? Launching a new product? etc. Once the outcomes are clear, it's easier to place a value on the work required.

1. Q. In terms of Fashion brands using an integrated PR mix what would you say is the most successful PR tool at the moment?

A. Our most effective tool is ultimately the strength of our team and Exposure's network. However, we believe that there are two key components to great PR. Strong creative ideas balanced with clear and realistic feature opportunities. If the story is not worth telling, don't force it, even if the client is pressurising you. You need to know your media intimately to understand what makes great news. There are patterns that emerge that set the news agenda - whether that's celebrity led (Big Brother), political (Mayor of London), topical (Brad and Angelina's twins) or culturally relevant (Olympics). Agencies need to be quick to work out how to be a part of the agenda and whilst all good campaigns need planing, the ability to react and respond fast is also important. We still talk about word of mouth as being the most influential channel to secure brand advocacy and fame.

Q.Do you think the PR sector is saturated, is it worth starting up a PR firm?

A. There are lots of agencies and freelancers out there. The barrier to entry is low - you need a client (or a story) and you need a phone to start calling media. However, the ability to build a truly strategic business that gets visibility at Board level is a different business and that's the space Exposure occupies. Writing press releases, sending them out, chasing media, pitching to clients with tiny budgets (who may not end up paying anyway) is the area to avoid. The market has evolved and changed dramatically. There are so many agencies out there competing on price as opposed to quality results and experience, it devalues the whole industry. If you start a business with a big client (which is very tempting), think about your 12 and 24 month plan. Staffing. Offices. Accounts. Travel. Office expenses. Recruitment. Pitches. Winning (and losing clients). Competitors. The list is long. Don't jump in without giving this some thought. Running a business is very different to handling a PR campaign. At the end of the day, it's a people business. If you genuinely take interest in other people and have integrity and belief in what you do, always have a go. Failure is a great step towards learning more. In conclusion, I'd say don't start up a PR firm. Drop us a line and come and talk to us first. www.exposure.net

1. Q. Do you think it’s possible to move from PR to Marketing and vice-versa?

A. Totally. This is the future. Understand the brand agenda and the available channels that now exist for brands to leverage. Integration and 360° thinking are key. PR is one of many communication tools to learn to work with. Specialist skills balanced with understanding the whole complex marketing mix is the challenge and the higher ground. Digital, Events, Design, Word of Mouth, Architecture, Product Placement, Temporary Retail....there are hundreds of new ways to reach consumers and if you can understand and embrace them, you'll have very happy clients!  

 

 

The Manchester Fashion Network would like to thank Raoul Shah for taking part.

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