Don’t Miss A Stitch!

This year’s New York City Fashion Week prompted new abstract methods of updating fashion followers. The yesteryears of pre-writing stories weeks in advance to run during Fashion Week, then waiting for collections to arrive in stores to cover them are now replaced with play-by-play coverage. Listed below are some of the ways PR professionals have put a spin on giving onlookers the sense of truly taking part in the Mercedes Benz NYFW. 

1.     Facesofnyfw.com- Behind The Scenes
Faces of NYFW gives a behind the scenes look of who showed up and what it really looks like backstage. Those in attendance can submit pictures via Twitter, Instagram or Tumblr to Faces of NYFW.

2.     Style.com- Serious Innovative
Style.com created “The In Cloud” which ranks the most influential people in the fashion industry for viewers’ discretion. They also developed the “Fashion Tracker” which locates attendees on a NYC map from their social media updates on the shows.

3.     Pinterest- Targeting the Fashion Market
Pinterest is now making it easier to find related posts on their Fashion Week hub- http://pinterest.com/fashionweek/. This hub features designer brands and style experts’ boards with the latest and greatest of NYFW.

4.     Instagram- Instant Pictures, Instant Interest
Plugging in common hash tags will lead you to endless posts on NYFW by designers, fashion magazines/bloggers and news channels. Some include #NYFW, #MBFW, #SS14, #fashioninmotion, #behindthefashion, etc. Instagram provides eye-catching images captioned with descriptive details on the designer, model, photographer, etc.

5.     Video- Live Streaming To The Max
As usual there are live shows streamed from newyorkfashionweeklive.com and mbfashionweek.com. Some of the newest videos covering the shows were viewed through a serious of visual diaries produced by The New York Times on interpretations of line, pattern, volume, etc. This content created interactive buzz on all things fashion- think this was the PR professionals’ purpose?
Gaining an all access pass to one of the most exclusive events of the year is no simple task. This time it was made possible and as Women’s Wear Daily put it, the ramped-up social media and live streaming led Fashion Week to become a veritable “digital spectator sport.” 

Innovative media marketing is catching fire in the PR world so stay tuned!

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Nicole Leo.

Now that's Pinteresting!

In 2012 Pinterest exploded by the millions after two underground years and has since been added to big social media names Facebook and Twitter. Tuesday, Pinterest released their in-house analytics to help brands better know their audience on the site. In November of last year, Pinterest formally introduced business pages however many brands had already been using the site as a virtual pinboard.  

Pinterest describes its new feature in their blog:

“If you have a verified website, you’ll get information about how many people have pinned from your site, how many people have seen these pins, and how many people visited your site from Pinterest. We’ll also show you a selection of your most repinned, most clicked, and most recent pins so you have a better idea of what’s popular. For example, if you have a travel blog, you’ll be able to see whether people are pinning your ski vacation posts or beach vacation posts more.” 

To learn more click here, happy pinning!

The Social Media High School Yearbook

For most college students, high school seems like it was just yesterday. We all remember the cliques that made up the student body like the nerds, the athletes and the band geeks. Each group had their own interests and similar personalities that set them apart from the rest.

In the dawn of the social media age, I guess you could say that social media sites are the high school of the Internet.

Wix, a popular web desgin company, took a look at social networks and found out which site fit each cliche high school stereotype. Based on what we all are sharing, Wix developed this inforgraphic comparing each social network to a high school stereotype.

For example, YouTube is the drama enthusiast. Twitter is the Chatty Cathy. Instagram, naturally, is the flirt of the bunch.

Check out the rest of the social media yearbook to see where you fit in:

Can you think of any other social media stereotypes? Let us know!

Pinter-what? Can Pinterest Appeal to Men?

I know from experience that many hours of life can be lost in the depths of Pinterest browsing through wedding dresses, recipes, and more, but do they exclude men?

While DIY crafts and cute pictures of puppies might not appeal to the other sex, Pinterest needs to start promoting their pin-board based site to men in order to keep their already huge audience growing. Here are some ways the site can harness male users:

• Balance content. Instead of being barraged with things women are interested in, it needs to be known that they can access workout tips, brands they may like and just plain cool things to look at.
• Filter. Depending on what you are interested in viewing, the site allows you to filter results based on what you choose. With this feature men can avoid "girly" things that could quickly turn them off from the site.
  
• Interaction. A lot of user communication is limited to the "repin" but this doesn't mean that there isn't room for growth. Not only does the site connect you with your Facebook friends that have accounts, but you can see their boards and follow things that you like as well as comment on their posts.
  
• Be resourceful. Even if men aren't on the site for their own personal enjoyment, Pinterest can be a great resource to see what their family and friends like and even give them a clue as to what activities they would enjoy. Also, with Valentine's Day coming up, what guy wouldn't want a guide basically telling him what his significant other wants?

Are you on Pinterest? Do you think they effectively reach men?

Pin it to Win It

The new Pinterest has been circulating around the social media block. I'm personally a fan, all you have to do is "pin" things that you like; food, fashion, decor, people, and even art. The things you pin will then go on their designated board, showcasing your personal boards to the public. But bored college students and stay-at-home moms aren't the only people benefiting from Pinterest. Below are "3 ways to use Pinterest for business right now":

• Hold a contest- What many companies have been doing is holding contests for customers to pin products on their website and publish it on their boards in exchange for a small prize. One of the best things about Pinterest is that it allows you the option to incorporate both your Facebook and Twitter. Whenever you pin something, you can choose to publish it on your Facebook and Twitter as well, making the ability to share on multiple social media accounts simple and effective.
• Add the "Pin It" widget to your sites- Pinterest allows you to add their widget easily onto your website. Connecting your website to Pinterest will allow users to simply click on the widget whenever they would like to pin something on your website.
• Create a company board- Some company's have already jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon and have created boards. While you're not allowed to obviously advertise your brand, you can categorize your boards strategically, much like Nordstrom did, and pin products that are available through your company.

Not on Pinterest yet? The site is still invite only so feel free to let me know if you'd like an invite!

There's a New Procrastination Tool in Town

While we all love wasting time on Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest is rapidly catching up to it's online competitors.

Needing a personal invite from a Pinterest member to join, the photo sharing site allows users to "pin" to manage your themed image collections. Just like Facebook, you can "friend" other users and "like" pins that they may have posted on their own boards.

There are more than a variety themes you can peruse, most popularly being food, apparel, hair, wedding, DIY, architecture, art, fitness tips, home decor, just to name a few. When these pins are clicked on, it usually leads back to the original website that the item can be purchased at or gives more similar items the user might enjoy. Soon enough talking about something you "repinned" the other day, will become just as socially acceptable as "tweeting" or "liking" a page.



Are you on Pinterest?