Fabulous role for a Senior Press Officer to join a High Street Fashion chain for 4 months.

Starting at the end of April, this role will join the press team for the womenswear and lingerie departments.

Role Responsibilities;
- Develop and implement PR strategy under the direction of the more senior team members.
- Day-to-day contact with all press
- Overseeing the junior members of the team
- Excellent writing skills with an ability to write engaging copy

Your duties will include, but are not limited to: helping to oversee the organisation of the press day and all seasonal press mailings, taking part as a key player in the coordination of various fashion team events, overseeing general show coverage, managing samples and having the responsibility for putting together seasonal trend reports show. To be great at this amazing opportunity, you will need to keep up to date with news and current affairs that relate to their clients, maintain fashion magazine archives and coordination the submission of monthly reports. You will be in charge of managing a team of interns so you must have a confident and managerial personality.

As part of this company’s nature, it is vital that you are able to build long-term relationships with clients and so great communication skills are key! Ideally your experience will be within the fashion industry, but this isn’t a must! You must have at least 2 years experience within an administrative role.

A fabulous role has just come in for a leading lifestyle footwear brand who are looking for an experienced PR Executive to join their team.

The purpose of this role is to drive the overall UK PR strategy working closely with Brand, Digital and Retail Marketing to ensure the key seasonal and brand initiatives for the brand are executed in the region.

It’s a new role and a very exciting time for the business so it is a really fantastic opportunity for the right person.

If you have strong PR experience, are well connected and come from a fashion background then apply now.

We are looking for a focussed, exceptionally well-organised and resourceful fashion PR assistant to help out in the press office, assisting with all PR, marketing and brand collaborations, and generally shadowing the Brand Manager. You will be educated to degree level and have aspirations to be the next Mary Portas or Kelly Cutrone! The role is fun but highly involved – tea making skills not essential (but appreciated!), fearless attitude and enthusiasm crucial!

You will be involved in arranging and chasing up press send-outs and liaising with UK national and regional press. This is a fantastic opportunity to prove your worth through achieving great pieces of press coverage whilst making contacts within the industry. Working alongside the Brand Manager in central London, you will manage all press materials and be responsible for adapting the pitch depending upon the target magazine (we deal with fashion/lifestyle/technology/travel/business publications). We don’t expect you to have experience selling-in stories to journalists – we can teach you everything you need to know – but confidence on the phone, a can-do attitude, organisational skills and self-belief are a must.

You will have exemplary writing skills, perfect grasp of English, a good telephone manner and a creative flair. In return, not only will the right candidate achieve great press articles for their portfolio, we will provide a fantastic reference and also advise on CV presentation, portfolio organisation and finding paid work upon completion of the placement– you invest your time with us and we will invest our time in you.

Additional areas for involvement will include assisting with the brand blog, Facebook page and Twitter page; researching events and other information for brand collaborations, and helping to write press releases. As a growing company (stocked in Selfridges, Harrods and Apple amongst others in UK) and available across the globe, you will get to see and experience all aspects of the business. We are currently preparing for Spring 2011, along with a collaboration with a hot new band for Autumn 2011. We will also soon be working on our Autumn11 model photoshoot so creative ability and a love of styling will come in handy. See www.knomo.com for more info about the brand.

Successful candidates will be:

• Assisting with catwalk show preparations and execution.
• Engaging in frequent interaction with clients and liaising with local, national and international media outlets on behalf of clients.
• Coordinating production of press materials including press releases, client biographies, email correspondence, etc.
• Coordinating and preparing large mailings.

Applicants must:

• have exceptional communication skills (written and verbal) in English
• have exceptional organisational skills
• be able to work as part of a team
• be able to work under pressure
• understand varying media styles
• have basic professional office skills (phone answering, fax, copier, etc.)
• have a professional and enthusiastic attitude

Please email CVs and covering letters to Laura McCluskey: laura.mccluskey@forwardpr.com. Please quote vox-popPRcareers in your application as the source of the vacancy.

Courtney Blackman is one of the top women in fashion in the UK. The MD of boutique agency Forward PR and the co-founder of the Fashion Business Club, Courtney has been featured in Drapers and Vogue.com.

Forward PR has secured coverage for their clients in press such as InStyle Spain, British Vogue and The Financial Times’ How to spend it supplement, to name a few.

1) What was your inspiration behind starting Forward PR?

I started Forward PR in 2004 after working as the in-house PR and marketing director for a British designer who relocated to Tokyo. Honestly, I’m not sure if there was a lot of inspiration behind it. I absolutely love doing PR and it was more like oh, the label I’m working with is moving abroad and I’m staying in the UK. I’ll just launch my own agency! I initially worked with jewellery and accessory designers, which occurred organically, but in the last few years, Forward PR has taken on a variety of clients ranging from fashion designers, jewellery designers, luxury lingerie designers, a model agency and a handbag label, to big events including the Ford Models Supermodel of the World UK Search and the Fashion Summit.

2) Forward PR works with lots of designers. Can you give us an insight on how designers are like when it comes to promoting their work?

When signing a new client, I have to feel a connection to the brand and the designer behind it, and the client has to bring something to the table in terms of quality, uniqueness and marketability. They have to understand the commitment that PR requires from both them and us. A lot of times brands want to engage in a PR campaign, but they’re just not ready. Some designers are really quite media savvy and understand the power of both traditional and online media, which is great!

Maintaining a profile and market presence is so important in riding out fluctuations and coming out on top. I think if designers can understand what an important role their profile plays in consumer awareness and therefore sales, they’ll do well.

3) As a co-founder of the Fashion Business Club, how important do you think is the business of fashion, and what part can PR professionals play in it?

Looking in on the industry, the glamorous side is often the only side portrayed, almost like looking at a photograph and not realising all the time and effort that went into creating it, but the truth is that business is the backbone and without the support of the business arm, the creative arm couldn’t function. Creatives need a team around them that can manage supply chains, cash flow, marketing, sales, everything that makes a business work. Building strong relationships, engaging in ethical practices and communicating with consumers are all important elements of the fashion world.

This is where PR professionals come in: they have both the skills and expertise to act as liaisons between fashion brands and their end consumers via the media and unique partnerships, which is fundamental to success. Maintaining positive relationships with other industry professionals is a good way to stay relevant. Idea-sharing and professional collaborations are products of such relationships, and this is what keeps the industry innovative, growing and continuously moving forward.

4) For fashion obsessed graduates, films and TV shows like The City have made fashion PR look like an exciting industry to be in. Do you value work experience for entry level graduates?

Work experience for graduates prior to entering the field is really important. I fully believe that a day in the field can prove more fruitful than an entire semester of lectures. Learning about the industry and actually working in the industry are two very different things. A graduate with previous experience is more likely to be able to add value to a company and complete tasks confidently. However, a graduate with no work experience can be more easily shaped by a company and may be more willing to learn from his or her own mistakes. Also, students with previous experience may have developed bad working habits or been taught improper ways to handle situations, so breaking these behaviours may be necessary.

5) What tips would you give to anyone wanting to start a boutique agency as you have?

Anyone starting a boutique agency must have a deep understanding of press/public relations and be passionate about brands and promoting them. They also must understand the basics of business if they are to make a success of running a business! And of course, connections. A boutique agency will have to work that little bit harder than a larger, more established agency, so having good, solid contact is of critical importance.

6) Is it vital for graduates to work for someone else first or can they start a business from scratch?

Understanding the business from the inside out would make starting a boutique agency a bit easier, but if someone feels confident that they can start cold and have the business skills to underpin a new agency, why not give it a go?

7) How important is social media in your daily work?

Social media is an extremely important part of our daily work at Forward PR. We are active users of Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare. We use the platforms for promotion, engaging with people, discussing events, anything and everything. I personally find Twitter more functional as a PR tool, due to its flexibility. I think technology and especially social media is brilliant for growing a business, in that information can be shared quickly and inexpensively. It just takes time and intelligent communication.

Photograph courtesy of Courtney Blackman.

1) When you started PR Couture, did you have any idea that it would be so popular and even get you an award as blogger of the year?

Absolutely not. I knew I wanted to create a space online to talk about fashion PR, because when I was writing my Master’s thesis it was really hard to find any research – academic or anecdotal about the profession. I knew that there was nothing like what I wanted to create out there already but certainly at the start I had no real long-term goals or sense of how long I would stick with it. I went through a period of questioning if I was the right person to do this – but I also had this tiny voice saying, “well, why not you?” and that was the one I tried to listen to.

2) How important is PR to fashion brands?

Many fashion brands often turn to PR because 1) they don’t have large budgets to sustain advertising campaigns and 2) there is more perceived credibility when say, a dress shows up in the Editor’s picks section of Lucky Magazine, rather than in a full page ad that so many people just skip through to get to the real content of the magazine. Fashion is all about the story and how a particular piece fits in to a larger trend, even certain societal and cultural movements, PR is key to telling that story effectively and over time.

3) How has social media transformed fashion brands in your opinion?

Social media requires fashion brands to be accessible to their customers at an unprecedented level. I think it’s also helped designers and all the people working behind the scenes connect more authentically with customers. Social media marketing, community building, blogger outreach – these are new channels where fashion brands can build a base of influencers, solve customer service questions, and leverage the creativity and brand passion of their fans for new content and greater brand affinity.

4) If you want to work in fashion PR, what are the most important cities to live in within the US to get your career going?

Obviously New York or LA, but I think there are also opportunities in places like Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, Atlanta, Portland, Seattle.

5) So many aspiring PRs would love to be at Chanel or YSL as a PR, but don’t have the contacts. What tips can you give for networking in fashion?

Leverage social media tools to build your own personal brand and engage with people who work in fashion PR or who work at companies you are interested in. Participate in weekly chats with other PRs to learn about the issues and contribute your ideas. Starting a blog is a great way to build a writing portfolio and showcase your personal point of view. Attend local fashion networking events, volunteer at fashion events – and if there aren’t any where you are, start your own!

6) What would you say to critics who think that fashion PR is not a serious sector in PR?

Research that I compiled in my thesis demonstrated that fashion PR is every bit as strategic as corporate PR. We develop strategic plans, measure results, provide media training, contribute our thinking across multiple departments etc. Fashion is by nature, visual – so yes, media relations and media placement is a core focus of the outreach – but this isn’t the whole job, and I would argue that cultivating and maintaining relationships with fashion editors who are facing extremely tough times and continually coming up with new and innovative way to pitch and promote is an extremely difficult and tenuous job.

7) What has been the crowning moment of your career thus far?

I suppose being sponsored by Microsoft Windows Phone to attend Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in September 2009 was a wonderful experience, but being recognised among my peers in my town as Blogger of the Year possibly takes the cake.

Photograph courtesy of Crosby Noricks.

Image usage: Creative Commons Licence of attribution via flickr user litonali

{Image source}

1) Start grafting

Malcolm Gladwell’s hit book Outliers touches on the concept of the 10,000 hour rule, which is about spending time working hard to achieve your goals. Fashion PR is of no exception. Alison Lowe, founder of boutique firm Felicities says: “Normally, working hours in an agency are from 10-6pm.” But, extra work means more time is needed. “Sometimes extra hours are necessary for events and shows”, Alison adds.

2) Know your limits

However, it is important to make sure you are not overworked. “You need to ensure that you are not taken advantage of”, Susan Czarny who runs her own firm, says. “From my experience, I’d say 75 per cent is hard work. Hard work is never glamorous”, Sophie Sheikh of pr-eo pr tells vox-popPRcareers.

3) Be enthusiastic

Sophie Sheikh says: “I started pr-eo PR with no training in fashion. It’s all about passion. You can do anything if you’ve got passion.” This passion has translated into success: Sheikh has secured coverage for her clients in publications such as ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar and Tatler.

4) Be a powerful networker

Tierney Fox of Dangling Carrot, a Bristol-based PR firm thinks networking is vital to career success. Fox says: “Superior contacts should form the armoury of a PRs campaigning. Good contacts in any industry will always give you the edge. Though it’s what you do with them that counts!”

5) Look beyond the glamour

Alison Lowe stresses the importance of avoiding being seduced by image. “If a graduate is entering the profession thinking it is glamorous they have made the wrong career choice”, Lowe says. The PR entrepreneur explains: “We work in a glamorous world working with beautiful people and clothes, but at the end of the day we are there to represent the client. We often work in the background and it is hard work, so any glamour attached to it is a bonus”

6) Keep your eye on the prize

“If you really are of that mindset that ‘I want to be MD by tomorrow at six, put the effort in today at three”, Sophie Sheikh says. While ambition is regarded, try and avoid being side-tracked. “You are only as good as your last job, whether you are an actor or a fashion PR”,Sheikh advises.

7) Have ideas

Susan Czarny suggests that aspiring PRs come with ideas. “One way of showing your worth to the company would be to put together an outline plan with a range of fresh new ideas for promoting the clients”, the PR veteran suggests.

8 ) Sharpen your personal skills

Tierney Fox says: “Fashion PR graduates will require tremendous grit and tenacity if they expect to succeed in the industry.” Fox’s agency has secured coverage for their fashion clients in magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Harper’s Bazaar. “Like any creative profession, competition is fierce and clients expect consistent results, whatever the season”, Fox explains.