Just checking up on my bloggers..

Hey guys! So once again, I'm taking a look at my fellow bloggers and seeing what they had to say about experimental research. It's always so interesting to see how this method is used in other areas of research other than Fashion PR.

In Alyssa's blog, she discusses the aspects of experimental research. Her hypothetical experiment intrigued me and really made me think about eating habits. I think it would be a great idea to have the two groups in that experiment consist of college students. It would be interesting to see how many students actually care about calorie contents and health issues versus which students are just trying to get a quick meal. This experiment would help college students get an idea about how unhealthy their eating habits are and how they make decisions irresponsibly. Her experiment would also help teach college students about this research method in an interesting way.

The second blog I read was Laura's blog. Her blog is about experimental research in social media. She have a great example about finding out which social media site allows for the most fans and likes of a specific celebrity. She used Lady Gaga and all her fan pages. Her experiment compared results from Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace and ultimately determined that Facebook had the most fans. That was very interesting to me because as I read her blog, I assumed that Twitter would be the winner. Her blog also teaches students about experimental research in a new and interesting way.

Reading these blogs about experimental research gave me a better understanding of the topic even though I already knew what it was. There are so many different ways to conduct this research and they can be fun to do as well!

Concerned about our Environment? Try Bio-degradable clothing!

I recently read a very interesting article about a new approach in saving our environment. Designer and scientist Suzanne Lee and material scientist Dr. David Hepworth have teamed up to conduct experimental research on a new idea for fashion. This is a new concept for the fashion industry and will definitely be a big hit with our fashionistas who are environmentally friendly!

Experimental research is a method that allows researchers to test their ideas and get real results. In this case Lee and Dr. Hepworth have been using this technique to test materials that will function for this biodegradable clothing line. The purpose of this line is to bring more sustainable and eco-friendly methods of manufacturing clothing. The line is named Bio Couture and is made of all natural resources including vegetable composites and fruits to mention a few. This experiment began in 2006 and has three completed garments up to date. Lee's experiment depends heavily on costs for research and development to create more pieces.Lee has also created Bio Jewellery which is a jewelry line that uses human bone cells. This jewelry line has received lots of attention because of celebs who have donated their bone cells to help make the jewelry. 

This is a very innovative and different idea for the fashion industry but that is exactly what this industry is about. It is constantly looking for unique and interesting ideas that branch out from the norm. I am intrigued to see this line grow and definitely hope it gets the attention it deserves. I think this clothing line is a much needed approach to save the environment in our society. For the fashionistas that are extremely pro-conserving the environment, this can be a new trend that is spread to all other fashion followers. I would be surprised if one day in the future our very own president is giving a speech wearing a biodegradable suit!

Glam or Sham? You tell us!

This week in class we learned about the survey method of quantitative research. This is the perfect method for researchers, corporations, and people to learn about consumers opinions without having to get personal and listen to them speak. It is an inexpensive method and it produces quick results. Questions are usually direct and require yes or no responses or use rating scales.

In the fashion world, this is a great way to hear from consumers. Designers can use this method to know if their collection is going to succeed or if things need to be changed. Customers can rate customer service in a store or rate a collection for a designer. Surveys can also be used to predict trends based on what consumers say they will be wearing the following season.

In other cases, consumers can give personal opinions on specific outfits celebrities are wearing. If you all haven't watched Fashion Police on E!, you must tune in on Fridays at 10:30 and get the scoop! Fashionistas Joan Rivers, Giuliana Rancic, Kelly Osbourne, and George Kotsiopoulos all rate celebrity outfits from major red carpet events and allow you to participate also. Viewers can go on the website and rate outfits either "glam" or "sham" and the hosts refer to the polls. This is a very innovative way to get opinions from viewers without having to connect with them personally. The show is very funny and also gives fellow fashionistas great ideas for glam outfits. I am follower of the show and of the hosts' blogs because their opinions usually are very accurate and funny as well!

Hey bloggers, what are you thinking?

This week, I'm checking out what my fellow bloggers have been writing about and how they have been interpreting the info we've been learning in class. I think its important to keep an eye on what your peers are writing about because not only does it teach you new things, sometimes it opens up your mind and makes you think about things in a completely different way.

I read Alexis' blog about fashion and entertainment in the public relations industry since the topic was so similar to mine. Her idea about qualitative research in the fashion industry was interesting because it discussed a different approach that is used to get ideas. Alexis mentioned focus groups as a technique to get ideas from consumers and referred to an Avon article. I find this article so interesting because it provides statistics that are unknown but used a qualitative method to find them. Personally, I find focus groups important because although they cannot be used a general consensus, a company might hear very unique opinions or suggestions. I also think that focus groups can provide insight that is not expected because the consumers can be so diverse. 

Kaitlyn's blog about qualitative research last week was very interesting to read about. Her blog itself focuses on crisis management and for her research, she conducted her own focus group with students who live on the York Hill Campus. Since I live on the campus myself, I was so intrigued by her questions and responses she received from students. One of the points I agreed with most was the lack of an infirmary up at this campus. It is unacceptable that we do not have medical attention at hand and must be rushed to hospitals if there is an emergency. If something were to happen on this campus, there would not be a safe place to bring the student and ambulances or security would have to be called. I had never actually realized this until I read her post and that shows how informative a focus group can be. Participants might bring up ideas that you might never think of and that can start an entire series of questions and conversation topics. I think this focus group was a great idea to gain experience in crisis management since this campus has been such a controversy. I was so interested while reading this blog!

I love reading my fellow classmates' blogs and learning what the new information or ideas are. I think as a public relations practitioner it is very important to be up to date and constantly learning new things about people in your industry and outside of it as well.

To observe is to dress...or is it?

In the fashion world, the best way to research a designer, clothing style, or celebrities is to observe. It is obvious that consumers must observe in order to make purchases, but what isn't often noticed is how the designers and corporate workers must observe also. The technical term is called qualitative research which is using opinions, observations, and more intrusive methods of research to obtain results.

Observation is extremely important in the fashion industry. It helps designers get inspiration about what they are going to create in the upcoming seasons and it helps the corporations predict what the new trends will be and how they will be able to market them. In order to make these predictions, these corporate workers must observe the media, the celebrity influence, and what is in the newest magazines. This is extremely important because in today's society, the consumers are heavily influenced by what they see in the magazines. If the newest and hottest celebrity decides that her new favorite color is neon green and she wears it to an event, most likely the next day you will see neon green in many store window displays.

Observation is also important for the designers because they learn about the business as well as get inspiration. For example, in this interview with fashion designer Lois Samuels, she explains that she learned a lot about the fashion industry through observation when she was a model. She learned more about the business through experiences in fields where she wasn't comfortable but had to learn about, like accounting and marketing. She explains that she draws inspiration and tries to be different because stores do not need more of the same thing. Samuels also expresses how important it is to be noticed in the fashion industry so that your work can be observed by others and then brought to the consumers.

In both the fashion design industry and the corporate industry, observation is a key part of their ultimate goals and success. Without noticing what is around them and what drives consumers to make purchases, they cannot prepare for future seasons and trends.

What's going on fellow bloggers?

This week, once again, I will be commenting on my fellow blogger's ideas and seeing what they are up too. I'm focusing on unobtrusive research since it is one of my favorite topics so far and the most recent posts we've blogged about.

The first post that caught my eye was Paige Weiner's blog about fashion. Since we have the same topic, I figured I read about how she explained unobtrusive research also. I loved her post because it made me think about the research tactic in a whole new way. She discusses that designers can use this method to observe how consumers wear their pieces when they don't know they are being watched. She makes a good point when she mentions that it is crucial that the subjects don't know they are being watched because then they might focus more on the outfit than usual. For example, they might perfectly match their shirt and pants that day rather then just throw it on with the first thing they find. After thinking about her example I started to think about how I dress when in these situations. If I know I am going to be observed, I definitely pay more attention to how perfect my outfit is, rather than when I just pull two things out of my closet. Her blog made me think of unobtrusive research in fashion in a completely different way.

The second post was Francesca's blog about celebrities and social media. Her focus last week was about how people conduct unobtrusive research without even knowing what it is. That made me so interested to hear what she continued to say. Interestingly enough, she focused on how we can keep up with our favorite celebs through their twitter posts on a daily basis. This is such a great point because I am always on my twitter account "stalking" my celebs every move. Also I realized I do this in on other social media websites with my friends and family. Facebook is a huge enabler of unobtrusive research because you can see status updates, pictures, and conversations between other people. Francesca's blog got me thinking about how good of a researcher I've been waaaay before I even took PRR 332!

Unobtrusive research is such a common research method and people all over who don't even know a thing about public relations conduct it everyday. This method is also very influential in many decisions. For example, you can be rejected from a school or not get a job because someone looks at your Facebook page. That is unobtrusive research because we do not even know they are looking us up. So for all you potential college or job applicants, clean up your evidence because you never know who is researching you!

Do they know you're there?

This week we are discussing unobtrusive research. For those of you who don't know what it is (don't worry I didn't either before this class), it is learning about a subject through research methods where the subject is not aware it is being researched. The most common method through which this can be achieved is observation. Observing others can be very interesting because it teaches you about how people act in their own element. In the fashion world, observation is the most important component.

For example, fashion is observed every single day. When someone walks by you, you look at what they are wearing whether you admire it or question why in the world they own it. Observation is the way that designers get noticed and make money. A new designer who doesn't have connections or a way to promote themselves will give their clothes to people to create publicity. These people will walk around hoping someone stops them to ask them where they got their clothes. This is a very important element of fashion.

Observation for unobtrusive research is a different kind of observation however. In the fashion world this means looking up your designer and looking at their line without them knowing. This can mean looking at the look books, websites, magazines, celebrity outfits, and fashion shows. The most important and meaningful observation method for a designer is fashion shows. All year designers work on their lines for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. This week is the most important week because it showcases their new looks, new inspirations, and new ideas that are unique and beautiful. The most important people attend these fashion shows and make or break a designer's career. Editors of magazines, celebrities, and fashionistas from all over the world fly to these fashion shows to learn new trends. Fashion designers know that these famous people are attending but what about every one else? These are the followers conducting unobtrusive research. Although it is very exclusive and difficult to get tickets, students and followers from all over do everything in their power to work the shows or attend the shows or stand outside to catch a glimpse. These fellow fashion stylists go to these shows to learn about their favorite designer's new ideas and try to recreate them. This kind of research is so important because it makes the designers more well-known in different demographic groups.

After learning about unobtrusive research, I realized I do it everyday. I constantly study people without them being aware. Whether I'm admiring a jacket or criticizing the way they speak, I am already a very developed researcher!

What are my fellow bloggers talking about?

This week, our assignment was to read blogs of our fellow PRR332 classmates and discuss our thoughts about them. After going through some of the blogs I found the blogs about ethics the most interesting because of how many problems can ethics can cause in the public relations industry.

The first blog I looked at was Katerina Torres' blog titled Social Media for PR Use. Her blog focuses on all major issues and benefits associated with social media in today's society. Every week she comments on a different topic and how it applies to the social media world. This particular blog is about ethics and how it can be positively and negatively affected. She referred to two terms "respondent study risks" and "respondent recruitment" which I found very interesting. The respondent study risks applied to how negatively it can affect research. Someone who adds someone on a social media outlet will never know if the person answering is actually the age, sex, or race they write down. They may also add someone with the wrong intentions and could be harmful. On the other hand, respondent recruitment is positive because the social media outlets reach more people and can get more respondents for surveys or other possible research tactics. I never realized that ethics could be so important to social media outlets but once I read Katerina's blog, I realized how it plays such a large part in my life considering how many social media outlets I use.

The second blog I read was Blaine Dulkerian's blog titled E.PR which focuses on the entertainment industry. Every week she posts public relations related issues that are seen in the media industry. Her blog on ethics brought up some very interesting points. She mentioned the campaign launched by the IPRA in 2001 banning unethical and illegal practices between PR practitioners and the media. Blaine also discusses one of the most talked about fashion statements of 2010, Lady Gaga's dress made of meat. Blaine makes really good points about who allowed her to make that judgement and if she had any PR support. I agree because if I were Lady Gaga's publicist I would remind her that wearing that dress could have put her name in negative connotations. And it sure did. PETA had a major issue with how wearing meat represented slaughter and blood. Blaine's blog raises good ethical points and definitely made me realize how important ethics are in the entertainment industry.

After reading these blogs, I feel like I looked at these sides of public relations in a different way. It also made me aware of how many ethical problems are around me everyday. Although I have a love for fashion and have always set my mind to working in that industry, I could definitely see myself working in the social media or entertainment industry after reading these blogs and thinking about these issues!

Are you trying to sell clothes or not?

Fashion Ads have been used since the beginning of time to create buzz about a designer. In today's society, the more risqué the advertisement, the more attention it receives. There are ads relating to drugs, sex, and lifestyles. A specific ad that has been one of the most commented on in the past two years is the 2007 Sisley Fashion Junkie ad. Sisley is a French brand who has been known throughout the years for their shocking ad campaigns.

This ad shows two women who are snorting a dress to symbolize their addiction to fashion. The dress represents a cocaine which the models are snorting. The advertisement was designed to show society's (mainly women in this case) addiction to fashion. The ad received a lot of attention however not all of it was positive. According to various blog posts, women felt as though it was addressing the wrong issues such as women's health and drug problems. Personally, I found this idea to be horrible Public Relations research.

This shows that the company did not think about the negative image that would come to the brand. Younger teens who would see this in magazines would be exposed to drugs and sex (referring to the exposed nipple on the model on the left). It also gives the idea that this brand supports the use of drugs and that these skinny models are using them. Also the campaign gave the idea that a woman's love for fashion is as problematic as one's addiction to illegal substances. This is an offensive message because it is not unhealthy (at least in most cases) to be "addicted" to fashion.

After looking at the 2010 advertisements posted on the Sisley website, it doesn't seem as if much has changed. The photographs are still provocative and may not attract customers.

This photo which is not as intense as some that can be found in the slide shows on the website (photos include men kissing other men and women kissing other women), is not one that many parents would be pleased with their young daughters looking at. Although it is a subtle approach, it doesn't take long for a person to realize it is a reference to sex. The company also has a children's line which doesn't use as shocking of an approach to promote the clothing. The issue is however, that by using these ads for adults, prospective parents will not even consider the childrens' line.

Personally, I find that this company should research a different way to promote their clothing. I also think they lack an established demographic because a company that sells women's clothing and children's clothing should have a link in the brand and a children's brand definitely should not be linked to these photos. Like our textbook says, "Advertising and public relations is a perception-driven business" and this perception is definitely not a positive one. 

Without PR, what would we wear?

Not one person in the world does not follow fashion or take part in it somehow. Regardless of how many people say they are unique and do not follow trends, they have taken some part in the industry unless they are nudists. Every person who purchases clothing, makes a decision based on another decision that someone working in the industry made. Fashion trickles down to even those who don't purchase clothing because they got the clothing from someone who took the time to decide on the purchase.

Public Relations is an extremely important aspect of the fashion industry because it is what causes all the consumers to buy clothing. Practitioners who work in this industry can do a variety of tasks. Working at an agency  promoting several fashion labels and designers or work at a fashion house doing their in-house PR. In each area there are many jobs that need to be done in order to successfully promote a brand. Tasks range anywhere from recruiting famous models to wear the clothing to stalking magazines and social media websites to see what celebrity wore which designer. Either way, fashion is very closely linked to the communication world because it uses majority of the mediums practitioners in every field use to do their jobs.

Personally, I have experienced fashion PR firsthand and realized how much work it takes to make a brand big. It also requires a lot of research to be successful. Two summers ago I interned at the Cole Haan Design Studio in NYC. The public relations team often recruited me to help them with projects and organize the closets at the office. A typical day consisted of the team calling stylists to promote our accessories and shoes for celebrities to wear to events. After they agreed, we would contact publicists and photographers to attend these events and photograph the celebrities wearing our brand. Following, we would have to call magazines and different social media outlets to display these pictures to the public so that the consumers would follow trends and their favorite celebrities and purchase these items. We used research to find the appropriate media outlets, contact people, and the right celebrities to promote our brand to the correct demographics. This industry uses public relations in a very important way and makes sure to use all techniques to make the job successful.