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!