Tips For Seasonal Brands On Getting The Word Out There
By Alle Fister, Principal, Bollare Communications?
Working to get the word out there for seasonal brands certainly brings different opportunities and challenges than a typical, ?evergreen? or ready-to-wear line.? The good thing is that you can really segment the PR and marketing world into categories that make sense for your brand. As your strongest sales season only spans a portion of the calendar, it?s essential to prioritize PR and marketing efforts in a way that will really give your brand a strong clear voice in those pivotal moments when wholesale and consumer ears are listening. Based on your resources and my experience, my advice is to pick one area of focus and really make it SHINE.? It is always better to do one or two things GREAT than several so so!
In order to isolate what efforts will make the most sense to you, define your area of focus, and let it speak for your awesome brand!
Three initial points to look at are:
1. Goals ? identify them! Are we striving for market awareness, for example, or further wholesale momentum and social media engagement? This will shape our chosen area of marketing mix!
?2. Point of market differentiation ? take a competitive and realistic look at brands in your ether and note what makes your brand stand out amongst the rest. You should be able articulate this in one or two clear and punch-y sound bites that your friends (and media) can easily remember.
3. Timeliness ? clearly understand the calendar year as it relates to your brand. Ask yourself things like: When do I need my collections ready by, when do I need them photographed by, when should images be implemented into a linesheets. Dependent on your seasonal timeframe, you?ll choose different PR and marketing mediums to highlight your brand through plugging in these assets at the appropriate moments, when the media and consumers are listening.
Alle Fister
Once initial points are taken into consideration, Bollare typically works with seasonal brands in one of four different verticals of marketing exercise to spread the word:
1. Traditional public relations and product placement. This is to work with long or short lead media to seed product and brand points of differentiation within editorial realms.? Long lead media (AKA magazines that come out once per month), tends to work four months out. When you consider entering into a campaign, remember this editorial schedule. If you?re a swim brand, editors are working on their March issues often before the December Holidays, for example.
- Research research research!? Take a close and realistic look at your brand, and then at the publication and make sure those two are a fit!
- Once we know there?s a synergy there, be thoughtful with your outreach. Know the exact issue, page and editor that you think your brand would be at home with. These are BUSY professionals who hear a lot of white noise from publicists and brands that are pitching them materials that they can?t use. When you introduce your brand, do so wisely!
- Utilize visuals. Seasonal products tend to lend to gorgeous brand materials (beachy, sunny, lifestyle-exuding imagery!). Share these gorgeous shots, along with samples and KEY info (price point, delivery date, retailers) in a very focused and concise manner!
2. Shortlead media? includes newspapers, websites and blogs.? This media works on a two-to-four week lead time.? At Bollare ,we LOVE working with shortlead, dot-com media for seasonal brands which either have a strong e-commerce presence, or do a lot of business with online retailers, as you can utilize tracking links with these features, in order to analyze what results are driving sales!? This additional information can be incredibly shaping for decisions on where to invest your time and resources moving forward!
3. ?Celebrity seeding.? Great for garnering sales with Hollywood driven retailers and getting the brand out there!? For those not working with a PR pro, tap into your social network and explore friends of friends whom may have connects.? It is better to work within a focused space, versus blind sending packages to Hollywood agencies ,which may or may not ever end up in the hands you need!
4. ?Social Media.? This is one of my favorite genres for seasonal brands, namely for the lifestyle-driven imagery we discussed above!? Instagram, the fastest growing vertical in the social world, is a great channel to cultivate a visual voice that is baiting and elevating to your beach-y brand!
5. Co-branded partnerships.? Explore relationships with complimentary brands, which can help get your name out there in unexpected spaces.? Partnering with a local retailer, sunscreen brand, flip flop lines ? Think about how you can get adjacencies and marketing swaps with brands whom may have a similar goal yet a currently different customer base?
Good luck!
Alle
About the author: Alle was one of the founding members of Shopbop, heading the brand?s PR and Spokesperson efforts. When the company was sold to Amazon about seven years back, Alle founded Bollare, with her former employer as her first client. ?Bollare has grown to a bi-coastal agency working with the best in contemporary fashion, and some amazing partnerships in the action sports space including Hurley, Quiksilver, reef and Vans. Bollare has also worked with some of the coolest seasonal lines including Lolli Swim, Mikoh, and Vitamin A.
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CATEGORIZED: ask the expert, FeaturesTAGS: action sports industry, alle fister, ask the expert, bollare communications, marketing seasonal brands, marketing tips, pr tips, summer marketing, summer pr, Surf Industry, swim industry, swimwear marketing
Source: http://business.transworld.net/125989/features/ask-the-expert-marketing-pr-tips-for-seasonal-brands/
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