My Top 5 Fashion PR Agencies

To most people, choosing a career path has taken all of college and beyond to decide, but that was never the case for me. For as long as I can remember I have always had a true “passion for fashion” and still today, I know that I want to have a career in the fashion industry. This industry fascinates me because it is constantly changing and there is always something new and exciting going on.

Being three short weeks away from graduation, the reality of my future and the career that I will embark on is right in front of me. I feel lucky to be leaving college with a degree in journalism with a focus in public relations that I can apply in the industry that has always been my dream. Although it may take some time for me to get my foot in the door in this fast paced, ever-changing industry, I am confident that I will be doing something that I love. There are many fashion PR agencies that I aspire to work for, but I wanted to showcase my choice for the top five in the industry for other aspiring fashion PR pros.

Mullens Public Relationsvtekcg7j0wnj8098wg5a_400x400

  •      San Francisco based boutique public relations agency
  •      Specializes in fashion, lifestyle and design
  •      Founded by Jessica Mullens Engelman in 2000
  •      Services include: strategic planning, special events, social media solutions and influencer marketing
  •      Some clients include: Burberry, ELLE, Donna Karan, J.Crew and Levi’s

Mannfolk Public Reltaions

  •      Offices in Los Angeles and New York2fb3e6e
  •     Specializes in fashion, lifestyle, beauty and social media
  •      Delivers integrated communication campaigns designed specifically for the client
  •      Services include: brand image development, creative direction and copywriting, media representation, press liaison and product integration, special events, social media support, hollywood showroom, account management, advertising and marketing
  •      Some clients include: American Apparel, Allen Edwards and Lyla Jarn

Factory PR

  •      Offices in Los Angeles and New Yorkny
  •   Specializes in   Fashion, Lifestyle and Celebrity communications agency
  •      Specializes in launching and repositioning brands, tailored to each client
  •      Services include: public relations, events, creative, digital and marketing
  •      Some clients include: Steve Madden, Sam Edelman, Macy’s and BillaBong

Big Picture PR

  •      Offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New Yorklogo
  •      A boutique consumer PR and social media agency focused on fashion, lifestyle, design, consumer technology and health brands
  •      They are a start-up agency whose approach is about storytelling
  •      Services include: product placement, media relations outreach, social media strategies, digital PR, events, launch strategies, brand liaison and many more!
  •      Some clients include: Conde Nast, Lucky Magazine, Guess and GQ Magazine

imgresNow and Zen PR

  •      Offices in New York and Los Angeles
  •      A boutique marketing communications agency focused on fashion, lifestyle and celebrities
  •      They develop and manage multi-platform strategies to build and expand brand awareness to increase sales for clients
  •      Services include: celebrity adoption, product placement on tv and film, media relations and social media marketing
  •      Some clients include: 7 for all Mankind, Express, Nautica and Desigual

by Rebekah Miller, assistant account executive

5 common misconceptions about PR

As an aspiring public relations professional working in a student-owned PR agency for a year, I have received several questions from people such as “Is PR like advertising? Marketing?” or “So, do you meet celebrities a lot?” I don’t know where people get these ideas, but I am here to set the record straight. In reality, I spend most of my time at the office writing, pitching, managing social media, building websites, and editing photos behind the computer.

According to PR Daily, there are 10 common misconceptions about PR. The following are my top five myths about public relations.

  1. PR and advertising are identical.

While there are definitely crossovers between PR and advertising, they are not the same thing. Advertising is focused on consumers while public relations focuses on building relationships with publics. Take a look at the following infographic or read this article for more differences between PR and advertising.

blogInfographicJihyun

  1. PR pros distort the truth.

People often think PR pros spin information toward the sunny side of things. However, I’ve learned that one of the most important things to remember while working in the PR field is “Don’t lie and be honest.” PR crises happen when a company starts to lie and to cover up the truth.PR pros are dedicated to telling the truth and building trust with clients and their publics.

  1. PR pros only care about media placement.

People often say PR is all about writing press releases. While writing and media coverage are still a huge part of public relations, PR pros nowadays use plenty of platforms such as social media, blogging, content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) for storytelling.

  1. PR pros work 9-to-5 and spend most of that time at parties.

When you see PR pros on TV shows or movies, they spend quite a lot of time partying, shopping and drinking. But in reality most practitioners go in early and go home late at the end of day in order to complete tons of deadlines and meetings. PR is a lot of hard work that can’t be done at parties.

  1. PR pros get a lot of attention

I think this misconception is related to budding PR practitioners. Don’t get too excited about media coverage. What is being covered by the media is not you, but your clients. If you like the idea of helping your clients’ message be heard,which will get your clients paid and continue the working relationship you have with them, you’re fit to be in PR. It’s not about being seen; it’s about getting others seen.

by Jihyun Shin, online communications director

Moving to the city comes with a cost

With the continuous growth and opportunity surrounding the tech PR industry, many grads find themselves relocating to the Bay Area after college. Landing your dream job, meeting new people and exploring all that San Francisco has to offer sure sounds appealing, but there is one dreadful factor that can’t be overlooked—finding a place to live.

Screen Shot 2015-02-18 at 11.20.44 AM

Screen Shot 2015-02-18 at 11.21.17 AMPhotos by: Kayla Wilkinson

I am one of those soon-to-be grads seeking out a career in the Bay Area. If job hunting wasn’t already enough of a stressor, try adding in finding a place to live that costs less than $3,000 per month. Let’s just say, it’s not easy. With graduation quickly approaching I’ve already started my search for finding a place to live.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

  • According to Kiplinger.com, San Francisco comes in third for the most expensive place to live in the U.S., right behind Honolulu and New York. Yikes.
  • As a rule of thumb, I found that only 30 percent of your salary should be spent on rent. Well, let’s do the math to see how much we should spend on rent:

A base salary of a public relations assistant account executive or account executive in San Francisco averages to about $35,000-45,000 a year according to hoojobs.com. Let’s just say a job offers you $40,000. That means that 30 percent of your salary would come to $12,000 leaving only $1,000 per month dedicated to rent. With the price of rent for a one bedroom averaging at $2,920.50 per month, there is no way this is financially affordable.

So here’s some things you can do:

  1. Find roommates! The easiest way to lower the cost of rent is to find roommates to split it with.
  2. Utilize social media. Tools such as Hootsuite and TweetDeck make it easy to search for keywords like “rent in San Francisco” or “Bay Area housing” so that you can stay on top of new listings. You can also post status updates that let your friends and family know you are looking to relocate. It’s all about networking.
  3. Check Craigslist. You never know when someone is in desperate need to find a roommate and is offering a great price for a room.
  4. Use Livelovely.com to refine your search and set alerts. This site makes it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for. If nothing is currently available, you’ll be alerted when something comes up.

For all of you in the same boat as me, I wish you luck on finding a place to live. As much as it is a hassle to find housing in the city, I have no doubt that it will be worth it. Let me know if you have any other tips for finding a place to live!

By Kayla Wilkinson, General Manager

Using Social Media Professionally

Blog ImageTechnology is constantly evolving and it seems almost impossible to keep up with all of the changes. Social media is one major component that has continued to grow with the changes in technology. Aside from being used for just social communication, social media has proven to be an effective way for companies and professionals to market and expand their networks. 

When using social media for a company, it is smart to create a page that consumers can easily “like” or “follow”. According to Forbes, some of the benefits of social media marketing are:

  • Strengthened brand recognition: Increased visibility through social media is vital to help the company grow. Customers can then easily recognize the brand and the content it promotes. 
  • Improved customer loyalty: With business social media profiles, customers are more likely to remain loyal to that company because they have the ability to directly connect and engage.
  • Show a higher level of customer service: Social media allows businesses to gain that extra step in customer service. Direct engagement allows for customers to easily voice their opinions and for the company to take action immediately. By responding quickly and truthfully, companies can maintain a transparent and trustworthy image with their consumers.

 Social media can also be utilized by individuals from a professional standpoint. LinkedIn is a social media channel that is specifically geared toward professionals. Users can easily connect with other businesses and individuals in order to promote themselves on LinkedIn. One advantage is that users can join groups that are directly related to specific companies and interests. Here are some ways using groups can be beneficial according to the LinkedIn Official Blog:

  • Join groups that relate to your industry: Topics can range from broad to more general, so it is easy for users to find a group that interests them. By joining and participating in groups, users can more effectively network and connect with other professionals. 
  • Become a top influencer: By joining a group and regularly posting relevant content, a user can become a top influencer of the group, meaning that other group users view them as an asset to the group.
  • Start a discussion: Creating a discussion within a group can get other members involved and can help promote a specific topic. Users can also share discussions on other social media sites in order to gain additional publicity and engagement.

In order to improve a professional image, individuals and companies can utilize social media to help network and engage with consumers and professionals.

-By Rachael DiCicco, Social Media Director

LinkedIn Grad Guide

 

 

 

 

If you’re a recent college grad, or will be graduating in December like myself, searching for your first “real” job can be overwhelmingly terrifying.

However, LinkedIn is a powerful tool that can make the search less intimidating by allowing you to simply continue something you’re probably already doing: hanging out on social media.

The truth is students (myself included) spend a ridiculous amount of time connecting with peers on social platforms, snapping selfies and posting photos of their pets. But what students really should be doing is using this energy in a more productive way by building their professional network.

Below I’ll cover some tips on how you can use LinkedIn to help land your first job.

Julieblog1

 

● Make Your Headline POP

Your headline is the first thing people will see when they visit your page. It’s essentially a 5-second elevator pitch for marketing yourself online. Be sure that your headline communicates what you want to accomplish.

Here’s my new and improved headline:

Julieblog2

● Write a Professional Summary

The summary statement is your opportunity to introduce yourself and grab a potential employer’s attention. Focus on describing your skills and accomplishments; communicate your goals, while also highlighting your personality.

See this article for more essential tips on writing an impressive LinkedIn summary.

● Get Recommendations

Ask your professors, advisors or past employers to recommend you on LinkedIn. Recommendations show your credibility and experience; they can boost your online reputation and set you apart from other candidates.

● Use Keywords

Use keywords when you are describing your work. The more industry-related keywords you have in your profile, the higher you’ll appear on a potential employers search rankings.

● Be Active
Engagement is an important aspect of all social networks. LinkedIn provides the opportunity for you to discover and share interesting content with your connections. When reading articles posted by others, provide feedback and comment on content that interests you.

These are just a few examples of ways you can enhance your LinkedIn profile as a college grad. According to Jobvite’s 2013 Social Recruiting Survey results, 94 percent use LinkedIn to recruit for talent and 92 percent have successfully hired through LinkedIn. So make sure you are doing everything you can to get noticed!

Photo courtesy of http://makeameme.org/meme/recruiter-added-me-5bq3ld
Photo courtesy of http://makeameme.org/meme/recruiter-added-me-5bq3ld

Digital Media: Breaking Through the Noise

 

 

 

by Ashley O'Looney
Social Media platforms

 

In today’s world consumers are bombarded with promotional content at every turn, click and “Like” from the second they wake up to the minute
before they fall asleep. We wake up and check our phones. We are going to bed and we are on our phone. Then add in the tablet use, computer use and even old fashioned print, and you find yourself exposed topromotional influences during nearly every minute of your waking day.

Of course there are multiple platforms to promote with, but by far the fastest growing and most popular is social media.

Some Facts:

⋅68% of people in the TIME’s Mobility Poll stated that their phone is kept
next to their bed when going to sleep at night
(http://content.time.com/time/interactive/0,31813,2122187,00.html)

⋅84% of people worldwide say they couldn’t go a single day without their
mobile devices, according to an emarketer.com survey published by the
Huffington Post.

⋅The average adult, according to the emarketer.com study, will spend over 5 hours per day online. (emarketer.com survey sited from the Huffington Post
Article)

⋅Consumer’s are exposed to almost 5,000 advertisements per day, (as explained by President of the Marking firm Yankelovih, Jay Walker-Smith, in a CBS
News article).

⋅US adults spent an average of 12 hours and, 5 minutes on media every day, according to the emarketer survey

Why is this important?
How do you, as a promoter, reach the promotee through all the noise? There’s multiple ways. Here are the top three newest marketing styles for some of today’s leading companies:

Simple
Simplicity has become a new theme to many companies’ marketing strategies. One of the greatest examples for this tactic is Apple. Apple’s modest logo
follows with their simple and sleek white background commercials. Take a look here:

– YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Unconventional
With the 2015 release of the popular football video game, Madden, Microsoft and EA Sports joined to create a video that not only captured the attention of its
main consumer market, but also broke through many of the rules commercials tend to follow. The video was not made primarily to run on television as many
traditional strategies have. Instead its choice of platform was YouTube, which has connections to all social media platforms. View their latest video here:

– YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Traditional
Gatorade, the leading company for sports drinks, follows traditional standards of marketing with its use of famous spokespeople to promote its product to an
admiring crowd. This tactic not only promotes the drink, but ensures that recipients of the media. View and example here:

Kevin Durant & Dwyane Wade Gatorade Commercial

Kevin Durant And Dwyane Wade Commercial

Tips on Landing an Internship After College

The rule is we all go to college to land our dream job. The truth is, that rarely happens. We have to gain experience through internships before moving up to our dream job.

It also involves a lot of waiting and interviews with countless companies.

I have been on four site visits to numerous companies including Zynga, Brocade and Airfoil. I have also been able to speak with company representatives from FleishmanHillard and GeekWire.

All the people I have spoken to recommend applying three months before graduation. They also recommend internships during college to gain experience and taking courses that will put you ahead of other applicants.

I have found a few tips that are helping me apply for internships.

Shaking hands in internship process
Photo credit: Chantal Richards

1. LinkedIn

Having a profile on LinkedIn helps connect you to different companies around the world. A LinkedIn profile should have everything up to date and be consistent in the job descriptions. Be as detailed as possible. Also, ask for recommendations and endorsements from your connections because this will promote your skills to potential employers.

2. Get a lot of experience

Experience is what sets you apart from other applicants. The more work you can show off in your portfolio, the better. This can also include work from classes that pertains to the internship you are hoping to land.

3. Walk the walk and talk the talk

Selling yourself starts with the way you present yourself. First impressions are everything when trying to land an internship. This includes dressing appropriately, minimizing cursing and being early to scheduled interviews. It also includes how you present yourself publicly on your social media.

4. Research companies

Researching the company you see yourself working in is key. You have to look at the culture of the company and the mission statement, as well as organize a site visit to see how the atmosphere in the office is. If you don’t see yourself fitting into the company, move on to a company you do see yourself being a part of.

5. Spread your net as far and wide as possible

Being able to land the internship you want includes applying for as many as possible. It might not be the ideal one you want, but as my motto goes: Spread your net wide because a fish is bound to bite.

Applying for internships is tough, but it does pay off because we all have to start somewhere.

Boosting Productivity With Social Apps

Being the social media director here at Tehama Group, I felt it was only right to do my videoblog about three of my favorite social media iOS apps that I’ve got on my Apple devices right now. Not only do I have an iPhone, but I also use an iPad and my Macbook Pro to do my work, so having applications that run cross-device is a big deal for me.

Check out this brief video about the three apps I currently love the most, all which have a social media aspect to them! All are free, and two out the the three are available for Android as well as iOS! Rockmelt, Hootsuite and Wunderlist 2 have not only helped me to increase my productivity this semester, but are absolutely awesome to use and gorgeously designed. Check them out!


Social Media Painted Red for Same-sex Marriage Equality

The current focus on same-sex marriage and social media’s solidarity campaign challenges people to stand up for their beliefs and show their support. This heightened focus on the issue expands the discussion. It helps same-sex couples feel supported, which enables them to voice their views, exposing the public to the reality of same-sex marriage. This increased awareness can only lead to increased acceptance, and eventually to full inclusion.

Marriage equality has been a popular topic in recent years. There has been much debate aimed at swaying minds of those on the fence and raising awareness among those that are mildly informed. While still an extremely controversial topic, same-sex marriage has sparked public interest and has created an ongoing conversation, especially through social media sites.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week or have completely avoided every aspect of social media, you have probably noticed at least one of your Facebook or Twitter followers has changed their standard profile picture to one of a red and pink equality symbol in support of same-sex marriage.

Last week, nine Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments in two cases regarding same-sex marriage.  The first was Hollingsworth v. Perry, which questions the constitutionality of Proposition 8, which eliminated recognition of same-sex marriage. The second was United States v. Windsor and challenges the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and unfair treatment of same-sex couples.

Meanwhile, Monday, March 25 marked the beginning of social media sites being painted in shades of red. The Human Rights Campaign posted a photo asking followers to change their photos to show their support for marriage equality.

Over the next 24 hours, The Facebook Data Science Team notes that Facebook saw a 2.7 million user or 120 percent increase in profile photo updates compared to the previous Tuesday, showcasing one aspect of the campaigns impact. While the campaign spread nationally, it spread demographically as well, with Facebook users in their 30s participating the most in the campaign.

Throughout the week, many people had fun with their icons by creating various versions of the image to reflect their own personalities.

While social media can sometimes be a source for the world’s nonsense and misinformation, it has proved to be a powerful tool to focus attention on worthwhile causes and engage people in conversation about topics that may have an effect on political decision makers and legislation.

The reason I believe this campaign is so important is because it clearly points to a shift in public opinion. As social media users were exposed to the campaign, it seemed that one of two things happened with each user:

1. People who were already in support of same-sex marriage saw the equality symbol and shared the image or post a status in support, showing acceptance and influencing others to do the same.

2. Someone who is opposed to same-sex marriage is exposed to the campaign, wirnesses friends, family members, colleagues, etc. in support, and as a result, may reevaluate their stance, especially if the people they love are supporting the cause.

Happy Birthday, Twitter

March 21, 2006 marked the opening of Twitter, a microblogging host that limits user’s posts to 140 characters. The date is recognized because it was when Jack Dorsey, the recognized creator of Twitter, posted the first tweet.

Today, it is said that there are more than 500 million created user profiles and approximately 200 million users are posting actively. It is estimated that 400 million tweets are posted each day.

To celebrate the Website’s seventh birthday, Twitter released a video demonstrating a couple of concepts for which Twitter was able to create a very successful platform.

By now, most Internet users should be familiar with the concept of a hashtag. Twitter did not create the hashtag, but its implementation allows users to search and see anyone posting on the topic. Hashtags are now created for every major sporting event, television show, political movement, cause and much more. The hashtag for the 2012 Summer Olympic games was #London2012.

The hashtag is just one tool that allows crowdsourcing to be so effective. The Jan. 15, 2009 tweet from @jkrums in the video above illustrates how he was able to be a source close to the Hudson River crash while helping rescue people from the aircraft.

The most recent Twitter development is the launch of Vine, a mobile application that creates a user-friendly interface to post short videos–no longer than six seconds, and share them on Facebook or Twitter. Twitter acquired the company and the free app debuted January 24.