Comments on: Hiring a PR firm pt 2

By: christy fisher

christy fisher — Thu, 15 Dec 2005 16:51:20 +0000

You are so right.. It was Liz.. sorry..Liz is an excellent designer. Well rated in the industry..but her goods are hard to produce at a mass level.

By: roger

roger — Thu, 15 Dec 2005 15:31:01 +0000

Thank you Kathleen for the great article. Just to clarify–I never represented anyone called Kate O’conner–I did represent Liz Collins who was a very well known designer for a number of years and she is now a professor at RISD–perhaps that is who she is referring to. A company that does not have a budget for sales, rent, pr, labor, etc..should not really start a business in my opinion. Start ups that only have a very small budget will probably burn out quick as fashion is now a big business and requires a well planned stratagy for at least 3 years. If a designer is not ready for a commitment of that or longer before seeing a return, then no matter how talented they are, they will probably only last avery short time. Ive seen so many designers that should have waited til they got larger investors before launching. You would never open a coffee shop without having enough funds to pay at least 1 years rent, would you? No different in my world.

By: Marilyn

Marilyn — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 23:01:36 +0000

First, thanks for the great information. There are never any guarantees with PR, but no one has mentioned the most important fact about public relations. It is the creditability that is imparted. When we read a story about a new item or designer in any magazine, no matter how small the item, we tend to believe this to be “good” and “the truth” but most do not know that magazines (and newspapers) get much of their content from press releases (they no longer have the money to keep full-time writers on staff to develop stories). However, after I looked at the Mao website, read their background, and looked at how they work, I think I would look around before I dropped any money with them. If they rep 15 or so lines, how do you know if you are getting equal treatment? They also seem to specialize in “edgy” fashion which may limit their interest in anything else. Also, since both the owners have degrees in fashion, I’m certain they feel they are “experts”. This may work against the individual designer. I might want someone who doesn’t know everything about design and manufacture but DOES know that they need to work every angle to get me publicity. I think I might look around locally or regionally to find someone who could do a reasonable job for less money. A few local mentions might be picked up by a local stringer for a national magazine. OR, we can start writing our own press releases — it’s not rocket science! Thanks

By: christy fisher

christy fisher — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 19:17:25 +0000

Sorry.. I misread the amount..but even at 3-5K a month it is out of range for a startup..I’d still want a guarantee with those kind of fees.. and no..I am not “blaming” them for the popularity of the poncho..Isn’t it their job to popularize something?..They did their job well with that item.. Unfortunately the designer did not have their “back end together” or a “followup hit”..
I agree with you..one trick ponies will not make it for the long haul.

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 18:45:13 +0000

Christy, where are you getting the figure of 8-15K a month? Mao charges 3-5K a month. Also, are you trying to say Mao is to blame for the poncho fiasco? I couldn’t even BEGIN to count the number of DEs who don’t follow my advice which has in part, led to their undoing. If a poncho (or any other single item) is the only thing one has going for oneself, one has bigger problems than anyone can resolve.

By: christy fisher

christy fisher — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 15:30:54 +0000

At 8K-15K a month for a PR budget, you surely cannot be a “startup”. I am familiar with MAO (they did Kate O’Connor, who made the poncho a comeback item- she is now back teaching at RISD, after getting big for a second and then trying to take it all to China).
At 8-15 K you could be doing a trade show every 2 weeks.
A “chance” at a photo of Britney Spears is not worth it for me. I would want guaranteed placement for that price.

By: Josh

Josh — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 01:51:02 +0000

It all boils down to that ol’ adage “You gotta have a gimmick to get a head!” tehe