Classmates Commentary 4

For my last blog entry of the semester I have chosen to check out some more classmate's blog to get an even better feel for what is out there in the world of Public Relations.  First I looked at Lisa's blog.  Last week, Lisa reflected on experiments, after learning about them in class.  I found it really funny how at first she talked about Lindsay Lohan and her psychotic life and how they thought of Lindsay Lohan in jail, and her new diet there as an experiment.  From this class Lisa acknowledged how that really is not an experiment at all since its missing a control group, experimental group and other vital factors.  From taking PR research I have to say I really have learned a lot about the different types of research methods.  If I had read this article in a different context,  I am fairly certain I would have the ability to realize that is hardly an experiment that they had described.  Lisa also then referred to the Placebo effect to make the idea of an experiment easier for the reader to understand.  The Placebo effect is a great example and I was really impressed by Lisa's ability to tie Lindsay Lohan, the placebo effect, and experiments all together in an entertaining and tasteful form!

Next I looked at Jackie's blog.  Jackie discussed a topic that all together I am not that familiar with seeing that event planning is not readily discussed in most PR courses held at Quinnipiac.  She provided the reader with a really useful site on the in's and outs of event planning, covering nearly all aspects.  I really enjoyed how she provided reasoning behind why she was so interested in this and some other aspects that the reader may not think about at first.  She made an interesting note about how she wouldn't think about the size of the bar at a big event.  After thinking about it, I realized that is pretty important but would have definitely overlooked that myself!  Looks like that guide is pretty helpful! 

Experimental Research

Experimental research isn't exactly as it sounds.  You don't have to be off in a science lab with all different chemicals--its actually much simpler than that and is often used in the fashion industry today.  Experimental research begins with a control group and an experimental group.  The control group and experimental group should be the same but the experimental group should have one small change in it.  This way you have the ability to measure exactly what you want to measure, and they both start off similar.  Another important aspect is the idea of a pre-test.  A pre-test is just another way of ensuring that you have a valid experiment. 

In the fashion industry, one way it could be used is again with determining different trends and seeing if they will work.  If you start with two groups of people who have similar fashion styles and separate them between the control and experimental group and then ask them some basic fashion questions, such as what shoes they like to wear in the winter, if they like layering different shirts, or if they like things that are of a silk material.  This way you know exactly what they are all at from the start.  The experimental group then would attend a fashion show of a designer's new fashion line, such as Tory Burch and her new winter line.  Then the questions would be asked again to both the experimental group and the control group.  This will provide insight to the designer to determine if showing people their new thoughts and idea's for clothing will influence their puchasing patterns.

Who knew research could be so stylish?

Survey

This week in classed we discussed a new type of research method--survey's.  This type of quantitative research is the most popular in the industry.  Its typically inexpensive and allows you to easily get data, access a large amount of people quickly, and then can simply analyze the information.  What's great about survey's is that in an instant you can get a sample of people that are geographically and culturally diverse.  Different data collection methods include mail, telephone, online and in person surveys.  Not one particular method is nessecarily the best--they all exhibit pro's and cons. 

In the fashion industry I can undoubtedly see how survey's would be resourceful.  In order to find out information about your target audience a survey would be perfect.  On a daily basis, designers are trying to find out about if their consumers are liking the pieces they design, if they are useful, or if there are certain defects such as the way it is worn doesn't always work out.  Survey's give designers the ability to learn about their customers in a way that doesn't put them under any pressure.  They can fill out a survey, answering whatever questions the designers want to know, but won't feel forced to hold back or answer any questions in any certain way.  It give's them an edge, while costing minimal amounts for the designer, but at the same time they will be able to gain a whole sort of knowledge on what they need to know.

Tommy Hilfiger, American fashion designer, started out at the young age of 18 designing jeans.  Today his line offers a whole lot more than what the designer once offered.  He has completely redesigned his notably classic looks for something still classy but a little edgier.  Survey's very well may have helped Hilfiger during this process.  The designer easily could have sent out survey's to his usual target's finding out the type of classic clothing that they would be willing to purchase with a new design to it. 

Classmates Commentary 3

The first blog that I looked at this week was classmate, Kevin Mahoney's.  Kevin's blog had an entry that really stood out to me because it focused on something I know a decent amount about, and spend a decent amount of time working with (or wasting time, whatever you consider it!)--social media.  Today's society is now consumed by social media.  On a personal level, almost all people use facebook or twitter.  We are able to be fully connected to whoever we want to be, whenever we want to be.  It has taken society to new heights.  As Kevin points out, on a business level, it is nearly essential that every field, especially within communications utilizes social media to their advantage.  Companies can promote and express to viewer's just what their organization is doing.  Being that social media is used so much by people it is instantaneous and requires little effort by interested consumers to find out information.  Besides it being helpful, it seems to be that if those in the field of communications are not using social media, they likely will fall behind their competitors.  Facebook, twitter, blogs, etc. are all going to become a major aspect of what we know to be the communications, and the Public Relations field. 

The second blog that I looked at was Roberta Soares' blog on Fashion PR.  Not only did it stand out to me because we both share the same topic, but all the information in her blog I truly found to be so interesting.  Roberta emphasized how important observations were to the fashion industry--and I couldn't agree more.  People are heavily inflenced by what they see celebrities wearing, that is basically what starts a trend.  People get ideas for fashion of what they see in magazines or on the red carpet or what the cast of their favorite t.v. show is wearing.  It is important that these influencers are observed so that designers know exactly what they are going to where, which will eventually lead to the commoners like the rest of us, buying these new styles to add to our wardrobe!

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is thorough.  It emphasizes finding out about the subjects you are studying through ways that the subject's will have the ability to remain in their natural element.  Normally, qualitative research is done through interviews, focus groups, etc.  It's a way to find out about your subjects through detailed questions and ideally detailed answers.  Quantitative research normally uses surveys, and during that type of research one normally doesn't find out as thorough answers as one using qualitative research would.

Public relations courses often express different types of qualitative research and how in the PR industry it is used.  I never realized until learning so much about different kinds of research, just how much the fashion PR industry utilizes qualitative research.  By using qualitative research we look to understand certain behaviors and the reasoning behind why those behaviors occur.  In the fashion world, styles are changing so fast that it is often difficult to keep up for customers—let alone the designers who are faced with pressures to create the most up-to-date looks to keep their clients pleased and well-dressed.  Fashion designers are constantly coming up with different ideas, probably more than the average person could even imagine.  However, a designer can come up with as many ideas as he or she would like, but if it’s only as good as the people who buy the clothes.  Take Mark Fast for example.  Fast has lines of new clothing but still holds onto a whole line of classic looks.  When thinking of what new styles to create for the season, designers need to think of if their target market is actually going to wear the new trends.  Designers need to gain insight on what their customers want next, what they have liked in the past, and what they have not liked all in an attempt to get a better idea of what trends are going to work.

Focus groups are a perfect use of qualitative research for designers.  With a group of 6-10 of their customers, focus groups can provide information about what the target market (as reflected from those particular customers) likes when they look for a new dress or pair of shoes.  They can express that they love when a certain dress is versatile enough to wear it to Sunday brunch or to a fancy cocktail party, or on the opposite end of the spectrum address that they like dresses that are fancy and perfectly suited for a very special event.  Gaining insight through focus groups can serve a great purpose for designers when they are creating/working on pieces.



Research is necessary, we get that.  For designers, qualitative research may be the very best kind they have access to.  Gaining their public's insight is only going to help their collection.

Classmates Commentary 2

This week for my blog post I examined a different two classmate's blogs.  The first blog I looked at was Katie Warner's.  My fellow classmate's blog is all about non-profit Public Relations.  I do not know extensive details about non-profit PR so I found it truly interesting to look at Katie's writing.  The post that I closely looked at was entitled "Non-Profits, Facebook and Unobtrusive Research".  Like that of any college student, I was hooked once I saw the word 'facebook'.  I find myself absentmindedly on my facebook multiple times a day.  Katie explained the importance of non-profits relying heavily on social media--specifically Facebook.  With millions of user's accessing the site on a daily basis, I can see why research has shown that it is an effective outlet of research and PR in general.  I really liked how Katie linked facebook, a common past-time for many, to unobtrusive research.  By doing this she really made it a lot easier to understand the topic, and included an interesting journal article to reinforce the subject. 

The second blog that I looked at was Alexis Gerleit's.  We both are using Fashion PR as our focus' for our blogs this semester, So I thought it would be interseting to see if we discuss similar things, or if we have totally different viewpoints and perspectives.  Right away from reading her post on unobtrusive resarch I could see that our views were fairly similar.  We both emphasized how designers use unobtrusive research all the time, that is how they get their inspiration with certain designs, colors, materials etc.  I found it to be really entertaining to read Alexis' blog as she discussed unobtrusive research in the fashion industry as well as research in the field overall! 

Unobtrusive Research

Unobtrusive research is a truly interesting aspect of Public Relations Research.  Research, as we have learned, is collecting all different sorts of data and information and analyzing it so that it the researcher gains a better understanding of what they intended to find out.  Unobtrusive research follows similar standards of normal research, however the vital part that makes it very different from other types of research is that  the subjects can't know they are being studied and researched.

Fashion Public Relations of course requires a variety of different types of research.  Unobtrusive research is used during Fashion PR as well.  For designers to determine how their clients use the clothes and what styles the particularly like, unobtrusive research fits perfectly.  If a consumer of the clothing knew they were being observed they likely would make certain efforts that they wouldn't if they didn't know they were being studied for a research report.  An important part of unobtrusive research is that the subject be in their natural element.  For example, someone who know's their shirt is being observed for research would take a few steps subconciously or conciously to make their outfit look ideal to them.  Perhaps they would be sure to match it perfectly with their pants, or wear certain under-garments to make it more flattering or even make sure that the item of clothing is ironed so that they look neat.  In reality, the designer most likely wants to see the shirt when they dont really think about it.  They want to see if the shirt goes well with all different pants, not just a certain color.  Or perhaps they would like to see how the shirt looks when it has been worn a few times and not been washed or ironed.  Unobtrusive research  allows for the designers to see exactly what the clothing is like for their customer's on a typical day.

Los Angeles is innundated with large clothing stores.  Designer Rachel Salzman decided to open up a store with her business partner that would make it for a unique type of botique.  They did a great amount of researching to ensure that their store would have an edge or something different.  They saw that the area had Japanese authenticity, a variety of gardens and after viewing people in the area they saw that they always were going to the gardens or restaurants and then leaving.  There was no store for them, so using research they figured out the ideal place for their new botique, that would have the Japanese influence in it!

Classmates Commentary

The first of my classmates that I read was Sacha Kaufer’s blog on Non-Profit Public Relations.  I examined her most recent post about research results.  She emphasized the importance of research pertaining to that specific field because it is “important to see what the company needs to improve and what areas they need to be focusing on.”  She related everything in this post to her current internship at Habitat For Humanity.  It made it more helpful because it put the information she was explaining into a very easily understood topic and something that really existed out there in “the real world.”  She included a link an article that further showed how Habitat for Humanity used research and the way it was produced in.  It was an overall interesting read! 

The second of my classmates that I read was Meghan Parmentier's blog on food and nutrition Public Relations.  What initially drew me in was that it was a different topic that not many people were studying so I had assumed it would be fairly interesting.  I was correct!  Meghan's blog got into full detail about the research that is done in the nutrition field of PR--a field of which I hardly knew even existed prior to reading it.  Not only did she have a clever title and appropriate graphics, she had a plethora of links all leading to relevant sites.  I found the parts really interesting when she discussed how statistics about nutrition are often exaggerated and incorrect.  The links she provided furthered her point.  Again, a very interesting and informational read! 

Research Results

So by now it is more than apparent that research is needed in every field of PR—no exception when it comes to fashion.  It has been shown that the way research is done immensely impacts the fashion itself because if its not done correctly, it might as well not exist.  The next part of major importance that we have been learning during our research class is: research results.  Every field involved in public relations are bound to be faced with the task of creating a research report, thoroughly describing everything that their research has proven. 

In a research report it is very important that the audience and whom the research is being shown to is targeted to that particular audience.  If a fashion designer is fronting a new clothing line and is showing it to a series of people in the industry to communicate he or she’s idea’s it is totally acceptable to use “fashion terminology” that perhaps only those involved would know.  However, frequently a designer will showcase his or her new line along with the research she or he has done prior to arriving at that point to a general audience.  When addressing the market of the clothing is targeted to the best terms to use would be simple ones that the average person would understand, since they likely don’t have a degree in fashion.  As simplified and summarized as possible is always key.

As well, it is nearly imperative that not every solid statistic found during the research phase is shown in the report.  For example, as Tory Burch created her new line of rain boots, commonly called wellies, the statistics about the sizing, durability, and degree of weather they can take might be important.  The statistics providing information on the interior soles, exterior soles, and a complete list of all fabrics used might be a bit much to the average consumer simply looking for a cute and fashionable shield from the rainy season.  The appendix at the end of the report is also a good aspect that designers should certainly focus on.  It is where they can store sample surveys, frequently-asked-questions, and some quotes from satisfied customers could be found—all of which could have a ideally positive, or negative effect on the buyer when they are purchasing the clothing or accessories.    In the end, the recommendations and outcomes are ultimately the most important piece.  If the rain boots are getting good reviews from the NYC fashionista’s and perhaps a recommendation to don socks with the boots to avoid blisters this is where it would be found. 

All in all, research is all about discovering new information and analyzing it to create new ideas and learn more about existing ones.  Those involved with fashion week have created a new idea based off the diverse amount of research they have conducted and are now presenting their results to the public--specifically those who may entertain the idea of a Caribbean vacation and some fashionable beach-wear to go along with it!   Fashion in Aruba is apparently thriving, full of new designs and inspirations, so as a result there will be a new fashion event held in Aruba called Aruba In Style.  The research has proven that this would be an ideal location, and has explained to the general public what exactly the PR practitioners have planned for this eventful and lifestyle event. 

Research Ethics

Designers today are put into difficult situations when it comes to creating new pieces of apparel for their public's.  No designer wants to have the same styled dress as every other designer at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, (which is coming to an end this Thursday).  The 2nd designer to showcase a similar dress as some other designer, even if they are not exactly identical, and they are merely a generic brand because they seemingly have brought nothing new to the table.  What turns this into such a strenuous feat is the need for innovation.  The clothing that designers are creating each season can’t be boring and need to have a distinctive air to it.  A lot of the time there is a very thin line between an item of clothing being unique and a little too far out of the box.  Most designers occupy a large portion of their time preparing for fashion week in NYC.  It is where the best of the best gather to showcase what they have dedicated so many of their hours to.  Besides the skills of the designers at fashion week, those in Public Relations are forced to deal with a great amount of work in preparation for such an event.   

Those in the field of Fashion PR need to help the designers do thorough amounts of research.  Everything from the past needs to be examined --what worked well and more importantly, what did not work well.  A careful eye must study the styles that failed last season and the styles that flourished.  Clothing certainly cannot be anything like the styles of the previous years, but at the same time it is important to see what the target market of a particular designer likes.   In a way it helps to predict what will work for this season’s line.  One of the most important aspects to examine are different decades.  Many designers stem new ideas from very old ones, albeit with a few up-to-date changes, mostly coming from the trends of over 30 years ago. 

Focus groups and interviews are very important when it comes to fashion.  Looking at what the fashionista’s of the world like is just as important as examining what is liked by those who don’t necessarily put a great deal of effort or concern into the fashions that they wear.  During these studies, the method’s used to conduct them need to be fair.  Focus groups cannot be made up of solely female’s who are all from the same area, who shop at all the same stores and share a common taste for certain styles.  A diverse group of people need to be studied so that there is a wider view of what those involved in the fashion world's taste is and what they find to be ideal for their wardrobe.  Among the same line of whom is participating in the focus group, it is important that when recruiting people for a study you reach out to all different areas and all different environments.  You cannot simply stand outside of one specific store at the mall and ask people to be a part of the focus group.  It is important that people heading into all different stores are addressed and asked to be part of the study to ensure their is a wide variety of responses.    

At the end of the day, research is necessary in every aspect of Public Relations.  In Fashion PR, there is no exception.  Numbers need to be looked at to see what sells and what does not sell.  A designer’s piece can exhibit an immense amount of talent and skill but if it is not showcased the proper way, which is usually the job of those in the PR field, it is not going to be an infamous look that is adored by the public for its creativity. 

Focus Of Blog: Fashion PR

For a while now, I have had a major interest in fashion.  During my past few years at Quinnipiac, I have learned alot about the world of Public Relations through my classes.  Pleased was I to find out that the two worlds have combined and have created a rather promising field in today's society and world of PR in general.  The focus of my blog will be Fashion Public Relations. 

Fashion PR has a variety of aspects under the broad category.  It can be anything from the actual clothes themselves and they way they are viewed (fashion shows, magazines, in stores, etc.), the extensive work the designers put into their clothes creations, or a topic I personally find extremely interesting--celebrity branding with the clothes.  Countless magazines and catalogs have famous faces in certain fashion items to display  items that designers would like to showcase and get the attention of media and the public.  Whether it be the new shoes from Tory Burch, or the latest dresses put out by Prada, it helps many brands when a public figure or celebrity is pictured wearing the item. 

New reality shows that follow the lives of those who work in the PR field tend to emeblish and deviate from what PR really is.  Kelly Cutrone, of whom Bravo's Kell On Earth is about, is a leading figure in the field of Fashion PR--both onscreen and off screen.  Even though her show may focus a bit more on the frills of PR and the lives of those on the show, off screen she really is a sucessful and driven worker in the field.