Fashion PR show a reality
It has a name and network! Kell on Earth on Bravo. This, coupled with another season of The Rachel Zoe Project, might save my Bravo dinner parties from the loss of Project Runway.
PRWeek Awards honor industry at large
More often than not, PR pros redirect the spotlight away from their own achievements and onto their clients’ successes. Occupational hazard aside, the 2009 PRWeek Awards provided PR pros with the opportunity to put their own accomplishments front and center and celebrate an industry’s overall excellence. During my second Awards, it was a real pleasure to hear the enthusiastic applause for agencies in the midst of challenging (and highly scrutinized) projects, like Fleishman Hillard’s win for assisting with Bumble Bee Foods’ Castleberry’s National Food Recall, or small agencies, like Dig Communications, be lauded in their own right. Above all, what the the 2009 Awards did best was showcase the value created by all the nominated agencies, win or lose, and the industry at large.
Agencies on Fashion Week
This year, New York Fall Fashion Week trends include leather leggings, cropped pants, and presentations. Yes, presentations and atypical shows were all the rage and a total departure from the traditional runway show at IMG’s Bryant Park Tents. This is not news, as Fashion Week ends today. However, depending on the effectiveness of the often lower-cost venues and tactics, the trend may mandate a new level of creativity for designers and their PR and production agencies in Fashion Weeks to come. Read more »
Agent Provocateur updates its status
Agent Provocateur, a UK-based luxury lingerie brand privy to risqué viral videos, recently launched a Web site (http://helloagentprovocateur.com) featuring a blog and Twitter feed. The company is leveraging the platform as part of a larger campaign to boost awareness and sales in the US.
“In the UK, Agent Provocateur is absolutely everywhere…In the US, we have nine store locations. We’re doing amazingly but could stand for more awareness,” said Jeanann Williams, US press manager for the brand.
She adds that the site focuses on empowering women and provides an extra look into “the world of AP.”
Working with StrawberryFrog, a marketing agency that created and maintains the site, the PR team plans to interact with anyone who sends messages or comments via twitter or a blog.
StrawberryFrog founder Scott Goodson said, “We’re not trying for a massive bang at the beginning, but an organic growth.”
Honeyshed shuts down
Back in December 2007, we wrote about Honeyshed, a shopping and entertainment site aimed at 18 to 35-year-olds that was funded by Publicis Groupe. Yesterday, Ad Age that that Publicis has pulled its funding and so Honeyshed is no more. Here’s coverage from Fast Company, which wrote about the endeavor just before it launched, and a link to the site if you want to catch a final glimpse.
PepsiCo relies on bloggers to set Super Bowl ad slots
Five days and counting, PepsiCo hasn’t slated all of the Super Bowl LVIII ads it plans to air. The soda giant is relying on blogosphere buzz to determine which ads will best align with consumer interests. This news, along with a showing of the airing Monsters vs. Aliens ad, was unveiled at a press conference, held by the conglomerate, today. The company also said Gatorade’s “G” ads, which generated questions from media and bloggers, will move forward from the Super Bowl with clearer branding tactics.
The ‘nitty gritty’ from Cutrone
People’s Revolution owner Kelly Cutrone is at it again, doing PR for her PR for her PR, and everything else under the sun. Cutrone is working on a new reality show about her agency, “to showcase the nitty-gritty side of fashion publicity,” reports the New York Post. And this is not another Laguna Beach spin-off as Cutrone is working with production company The Magic Elves. “Think of it as ‘The Wizard of Oz’ meets Stephen King meets ‘Rhoda,’ she tells the Post, adding, “I’m really sure we’re gonna be the first p.r. company to be on TV that showcases what really goes down.”
Could this project be the icing on the cake (imagine The Hills as the cake) and actually up the bar for other fashion PR agencies that refuse to be in the spotlight? More to come.
‘Project Runway’ may escape the woes of gymnast-eating-disorder network
A judge ruled on Friday that Lifetime cannot air, market, or promote Project Runway because NBC Universal should have had a right to match the terms of the deal made with the Weinstein Co., reports New York Magazine. The story adds that The Weinstein Co. plans to appeal, though the networks could settle out of court. If Bravo reclaims its hit - by hit, I mean pre-season-five when there was hype and talent - it better have a great PR campaign to shine against The Rachel Zoe Project. Maybe a pre-season-preview, design-for-Tim Gunn-eco-friendly-Manhattan-at-dusk-inspired challenge aired on YouTube only?
Sacha Baron Cohen creates spectacle at Milan Fashion Week
Cohen, posing as Bruno the gay Austrian fashion-TV presenter, gave Milan Fashion Week some good PR this week, if you consider any PR good PR. The Italian Chamber of Fashion considered his actions more as a cause for crisis communications. New York Magazine’s The Cut blog (via WWD) reports that he and his camera crew managed to get backstage at Iceberg, Meriella Burani, and Roberto Musso. However, when he tried to get into Versace by aligning himself with Marie Claire editor Joanna Coles, things went downhill for Cohen.
Coles denied any affiliation, and, The Cut adds, the Italian Chamber of Fashion sent out a press release to designers showing in Milan suggesting they not allow the production companies Cohen’s probably working with access to their shows. Cohen nevertheless got onto the runway of Agatha Ruiz De La Prada’s show with a shoe tied to his leg and a security guard chasing after him.
Could this be a smart PR stunt for his next movie, Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Male, due to come out next year?
Tournament: Consumer tech advance that most benefited PR
Hello, it’s time for PRWeek’s second competition of the year. This time, we’re moving gingerly away from people and their blogs to try to find the best consumer-focused technological enhancement in the past ten years (NOTE: not considered for the competition are marketing-focused tools, like newswires, measurement services, etc.). We’re going to open the selection process for the competition a bit. A steering committee of John Bell of Ogilvy, Steve Rubel of Edelman, and Tonya Garcia of PRWeek selected 14 of the 16 items.
We need you, the audience, to a) fact-check these to make sure that it’s fair to say these technologies became popular from 1998-2008 (they could officially launch before 1998 - it’s more about when consumers began to adopt them) and b) suggest the final two technologies to round out the tournament. You can send suggestions to or leave them in the comments. After the jump, the 14 technologies. Read more »
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