From the debate of which models will appear in the show (Heidi Klum, Adrianna Lima) to the $5 million 2008 Black Diamond Fantasy Miracle Bra, this show is the most exciting time of the year for the lingerie lovers of America (both women and men alike). And a time for a major brand push for Victoria’s Secret right before the holidays.

PR PR PR
Public relations is always in the air (and in my head!), and I’m sure it’s no coincidence that the fashion show is aired on 22 days before the holiday and is hyped up right before Black Friday. Obviously, the Victoria’s Secret PR people are no dummies and have perfectly crafted the show to cater to the holiday shoppers.

“The theme of the show is a return to glamour,” said company CEO Sharen Turney. “Victoria’s Secret is about sexy and the new sexy is glamorous for this season.”

The show was nothing if not sexy, and it definitely gave the  men and women of American something to lust over for the season.

What did you think of the 2008 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show? Was it really a return to glamour or do you think it was just another version of sexy?

For retailers, the holidays mean it’s time to up the advertising, e-promotions and in-store sales events. For many, especially in this economic state, finding the best deals no matter where they’re from is the name of the holiday shopping game. But for some companies, the holidays are a time to give back to the community.

Holiday Ads
Around the holidays, retailers put a lot of time, effort and money into their holiday ad campaigns. They hire super celebrities and come up with catchy jingles. It’s the most profitable time of the year! So that means pulling out all of the stops and opening the checkbook.

Now that consumers are on the lookout for the hottest gifts and best deals, retailers are putting their best advertising foot forward. Especially during this economic crisis, retailers are putting out cheery holiday commercials to keep the spirit alive.

Holiday retailer reputation
For the PR pros, the holidays are a time to get some good PR for their clients. Whether it be donating to a children’s charity or just giving back to the community. Many corporations donate proceeds when customers buy certain products. One company that goes above and beyond in giving back is Macy’s. The department store has a history of giving back to its community with its Thanks for Sharing program and last year it donated $13 million to various charities across the country.

Holiday favorites
Some of my favorite advertisers incorporate holiday music, snow and celebrities. Here is my absolute favorite holiday commercial.

So how much does  holiday advertising affect your shopping decisions? Or do you take into consideration the company’s charitable giving?

e-PRomotions
Like many printed forms of promotions, e-promotions are used to get the word out about sales and other promotions quickly and easily. Undoubtedly, these promotions materials are crafted by the public relations department. Unfortunately for them, these types of promotions are getting lost in the clutter of overflowing e-mail inboxes and spam folders.

Good example
In order to breakthrough the clutter, retailers must design clean, simple promotional materials that will catch the eyes of their consumers. Juicy Couture does a great job of having clean, aesthetically pleasing promotions that always have me drooling for its latest handbags and accessories. So here’s a Fashion PRinciple for all those retailers ready to press send on their e-promotions: Be clean, be simple and don’t overflow my inbox.

The PR plan
The planners of the ball came to us (the Kent State chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America) to help them create awareness to students about the event, and ultimately get more students to attend. According to Lindsey Ray, senior interior design student and one of the event’s planners, one of the biggest misconceptions about the ball was it was only for fashion, architecture and interior design students. So, our biggest advice was to reach out to students through their most commonly used tools.

Our advice (and my Fashion PRinciples for the week):
1. Create a Facebook group. College students LOVE Facebook; it’s the best way to initiate conversation about an event.
2. Reach out to the residence halls. Most students who would attend the ball would live in the residence halls and it was something fun on a Friday night!
3. Put fliers around campus and in the residence halls. While fliers can be redundant and there is always clutter, students still see them, and with the unique flier made by graphic designer students, it was sure to be noticed.
4. Use good old fashioned face-to-face communication. We suggested having some models stand outside the Kent Student Center and hand fliers to students. Unfortunately, it was a little late in the semester, but a good idea for the next ball.
5. Reach out to campus and local media. While local media is not the most direct way to reach students, it’s still a way to get the word out.

The results
According to the article, “‘Salvage’ draws biggest crowd in recent years,” in the Daily Kent Stater:

Ray said this year’s turnout was huge – between 700 and 800 guests, compared to 400 to 500 in previous years. The money from ticket sales is split between each student organization to help support the design programs. 

Score for our makeshift PR plan! The event planners took our advice and even got some local coverage before the event.The ball was a huge success and hopefully will be even bigger next year.

Greener Fashions
The fashion industry is also diving into the green movement because of the major innovations the climate change is having on the industry. According to Jo Paoletti, an American Studies professor at the University of Maryland, 

As the impact of global warming is felt, we can anticipate debates over cotton versus polyester, and increasing concern about the water and energy needed to launder clothing. In the future, smart clothing that monitors and adjusts to body temperature may help us reduce our need for air conditioning and heating.

Smart clothing? Sounds like a new, green public relations campaign.

Greener PRactices
Green PR campaigns are definitely a dime a dozen these days. Going green has been the hot topic in many industries, and they want people to know it. Unfortunately, the green theme has become old news. According to James Treece, editor of Automotive News, “the green train has left the station.” Public relations people need to find a newer, more exciting green angle to get their stories printed. They also have to be aware of green washing – claiming to be green while not actually being green. Check out “PRSSA in the D and greenwashing” for more info about greenwashing and about greener public relations.

As for the students running the Beaux Arts Ball, they’re really sticking to their theme. No greenwashing here! They have committed to using greener ways of promoting the event by using Facebook invitations, face-to-face communications, printing fliers on recycled paper and pitching bloggers. So here’s my plug for the Beaux Arts Ball: Fri. Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. in the Ballroom, Kent Student Center. Should be an awesome time!

Here’s my green Fashion PRinciple: Going green should be about the environment, not for a brand boost.

Fashion as a tactic
Celebs have been haphazardly slapping their brand on any whos-it and whats-it to get the most exposure as possible. Like in my last post about bad outfits as a strategy, celebrity fashion lines are just another tactic in the world of branding their image. Take a look at Jessica Simpson. She has a shoe line, a brand of hair extensions, a line of delicious lotions called, Dessert, and a new fashion line titled, JS. For a girl who has a mediocre singing career, she certainly is everywhere, but is it really necessary to smell, taste and walk like Jessica Simpson? Why not pick one avenue and do it well?

The PR Twist
In public relations world, too much exposure can be just as bad as too little exposure. Celebrities seem to take their exposure to the max. People eat up the clothes, perfume, shoes and hair of celebrities, but why? They’re actors and singers who have no idea what it takes to be a true designer. Ask any fashion design student. Consumers are incredibly loyal to their fav celebs, but their brand loyalty fades when it’s taken for granted. Hint, hint to celebs: your fans know when you’re being true to you and when you’re being true to the bottom line.

Smart moves
Now that the public isn’t impressed with the latest random clothing line, fragrance, etc. , young Hollywood is getting smarter. Pierce Mattie digs a little deeper in its post “The New Celebrity Brand.” For celebs like Justin Timberlake and Rachel Bilson, the brand wasn’t about their celebrity, but about their style.

Here’s a Fashion PRinciple for celebs and their PR people: Be true to you and you’ll have fans for life.

Any publicity is good publicity
So the saying goes in the world of celebrity. Every move a celebrity makes is precisely calculated by PR pros to keep their client in the headlines. Their objective is to keep the public talking about them, and they view any kind of exposure is as good exposure. Because exposure is what gets celebrities the big money.

Accident or strategy?  
Any good PR pro will tell you to always go back to your strategy. Unfortunately, in the celebrity world, it isn’t always a good strategy – i.e. putting your client in a hideous outfit on the biggest night of the celebrity year. But it definitely gets results. I mean looking like a nut job in a swan outfit is a fast and easy way to make headlines. And people are still talking about that outfit today. Thank goodness the rest of the business world doesn’t follow the rules of the celebrity world.

The Point
Celebrities (most of the time) don’t do things on a whim, and their fashion choices aren’t accidents. Their publicists always go back to the objective (get exposure) and strategy (hideous outfit + photo-op) - even though they aren’t always a good idea. So here’s another Fashion PRinciple: Always go back to objectives and strategies - it’s how you get results even in La-La land.

Suede
He started off on the right foot, winning a challenge in the second episode, but was unfortunately Auf’d in episode 11 after designing an uninspired outfit for fellow contestant, Jerrell.  

Suede’s 11 weeks of Project Runway have brought a lot of attention to Kent State’s School of Fashion Design and Merchandising. While he has brought positive attention to the school, and his class through the school’s New York City program has reached capacity, it’s important to remember that unsuspecting figureheads hold a lot of power that PR pros can’t control.

The PRoblem
As a PR student, I’ve been taught to carefully craft a specific message to a targeted audience, but what happens when a person I have no control over takes the spotlight and ruins the message?

The actions of an outside source can have damaging effects that last for years. Take for example, the shootings at Columbine High School, Virginia Tech and dare I say Kent State? And from my own alma mater, Revere High School, which will always be locally known for serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer. These schools are synonymous with killing.

Solution?
As PR pros, we want to be able to control every message related to our organization, but it’s just not realistic. We have to be prepared for the unsuspected figurehead or event and hope that our organization’s reputation can handle the unwarranted attention, good or bad.

So, here’s another Fashion PRinciple (and life lesson): Hope for the best, expect the worst and always be prepared.

Lucky for Kent State, Suede is a stand up guy. While he may be a little eccentric – he refers to himself in the third person – he has given so much back to Kent State and will hopefully continue to do so.

With the election fast approaching and the ever present media coverage, I have been thinking how the candidates, both presidential and vice presidential, have been portrayed. This then got me thinking about the journalistic ethics and the ultimate goal of equality and fairness – neither of which are present in politics.

Now, because I’m all about fashion, I’ve noticed how the women politicians are praised and criticized for their fashion choices, but not the men. Fashion hasn’t always been at the forefront of the political arena even though it’s extremely important, but now that women are more prevelant in the politics, so are their fashion choices.  

 Case and point
Hillary Clinton, who has always been criticized for her fashion choices, took a fashion risk and was slammed by the media for it. In a Washington Post article devoted a good amount of space to Clinton’s new neckline. In the article, Robin Givhan, Washington Post staff writer, wrote:

“She was talking on the Senate floor about the burdensome cost of higher education. She was wearing a rose-colored blazer over a black top. The neckline sat low on her chest and had a subtle V-shape. The cleavage registered after only a quick glance. No scrunch-faced scrutiny was necessary. There wasn’t an unseemly amount of cleavage showing, but there it was. Undeniable.”

It begs the question: Where are the fashion faux-pas of the men? I’m sure there have been more than a few fashion don’ts from the men of Washington.

Covering both sides
In a post last week, Pierre Mattice Public Relations analyzed the outfits of both vice presidential nominees, Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. They analyzed the pros and cons of both their looks. But where was the analysis of the presidential nominees, Barak Obama and John McCain from their first debate? It’s a step in the right direction yet it’s not quite there.

So here’s my Fashion PRinciple for the journalistic world: Be equal in your criticisms and compliments. Fashion is important to all.

The College Girl
So let me tell you about The College Girl. Being one myself, I’m kind of an expert. The College Girl is tech savvy and involved in all sorts of collegiate activities. She craves the cute, comfy and sweetly sexy. And I have to say, PINK hits the spot.

The PINK marketers knew exactly who they were targeting and exactly what their audience wanted. But they also delivered their message just right to hit a bigger audience than they intended. 

“It’s a very smart strategy,” Marshal Cohen, NPD chief retail analyst, said in the article, “Tickled Pink,” “because every 16-year-old wants to be a 19-year-old and every 24-year-old wants to still live like a 19-year-old.”

The Campaign
PINK not only has colorfully cute bras and panties but also sportswear for every collegiate occasion. From tailgating and studying to hanging in the dorm, this brand gives The College Girl what she wants plus a little extra.

The idea of college girl dorm wear isn’t new. American Eagle launched Aerie a few years back and Abercrombie is launching its own college-age lingerie line, Gilly Hicks. However, neither has made the impact with The College Girl audience that the PINK line has.

In just a few years, yearly sales have reached more than $1 billion. The public relations and marketing team has gone above and beyond to make PINK more than a brand. It has incorporated a community outreach campaign - sending brand ambassadors to 33 universities across America – with an online campaign, which includes its interactive Web site and Facebook and Myspace pages. PINK isn’t just a brand anymore; it’s an attitude.

The newest addition to the PINK family is the PINK Collegiate Collection. It has teamed up with 33 univerisities to create exclusive sportswear for each university. It’s fashionable and school-spirited. What more could a college girl want?!

Watch the PINK roll call below to find out which universities have been PINK-ed.

Oh, and did I mention it is helping out a worthy cause as well? As part of the community outreach, the Recycle Your Sweats clothing drive at select universities helps local domestic violence shelters by donating gently used clothing.

So I give a big college cheer Victoria’s Secret for going above and beyond. And following my Fashion PRinciple #1: Know what your audience wants and give it to them plus a little extra.