PR in Fashion — GVSU PRSSA – Grand Valley State University Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America

The world was completely transformed with the arrival of the internet. It created a platform for businesses and consumers to foster relationships. Sound familiar? This is exactly what PR is, to build and maintain relationships for the good of a business and the good of its publics. There are a lot of other factors that go into the PR process, such as media relations, community relations, communication strategy, and digital marketing, among others. One industry has grown significantly because of the internet and more specifically, because of social media: the fashion industry.

Fashion and branding have changed drastically within the last few years. With the use of social media, brands have the power to bring information to consumers faster. It has brought a whole new realm of tactics and promotional tools that are used by hundreds of fashion brands. It can generate a positive influence on the behavior of their consumers when utilized in a strategic way. This allows for mutually beneficial relationships between brands and their consumers.

The greatest PR a brand can receive user-generated content. This is essentially a consumer advocating for a brand or product solely because they are fond of it. This can be in the form of a review, blog post, social media post, and countless others. This generates word-of-mouth communication between peers who may be interested in the brand or product as well.

I have first hand experience with fashion PR because of my internship with CollegeFashionista. I have the opportunity to write about my experiences and products about the fashion industry. It is basically a community of college women who love fashion and want to share it with others through the internet. Those involved get to experience PR in the fashion world without having to physically be in the popular fashion cities of the world. This is a perfect example of how far the fashion industry has come besides solely being presented on billboards and fashion magazines.

The fashion industry has always been a growing field, but ever since the implementation of social media and the internet, it has thrived. A fashion brand can connect and foster relationships with their consumers, which is important in creating an overall positive brand perception. The company benefits when they can create a space where the consumers are welcome to be themselves and share experiences and information with the products. This sense of community is a platform of opportunity. Fashion brands can benefit from it by watching what people are saying about their products and what they can do to improve them.

Social media stands as a factor of influence for the fashion industry. Consumers’ behaviors change when they can see content posted by different brands. They can interact with brands and create relationships, which is one of the main goals of PR.

About Lauren

Lauren Froman is a senior at Grand Valley State University majoring in Advertising and Public Relations, accompanied by a minor in Business. She is currently serving as a GrandPR Account Associate for the 2017-18 school year. Through her membership with PRSSA and GVSU’s Advertising Club she is excited to learn even more about what the industry has to offer. One of her favorite aspects of PR is community relations. She loves bringing people together for the benefit of everyone. She is gaining new experience of this aspect through her internship with the volunteer program of ArtPrize. In her free time, you can find her studying the newest fashion trends, exploring West Michigan, or snuggling her cats.