Social Media and the Velvet Rope

It’s September, which means the tents have risen in Bryant Park and a new season of style is upon us.  Once the bastion of fashion’s elite: buyers, magazine editors and celebrity stylists, Fashion Week continues to evolve as online and social media grow in significance. Simply put, bloggers are demanding more and more access each season and many traditional PR agencies are slow to adapt.

On this topic, The New York Observer published a thought-provoking article this week, “Oh Lowly Blogger, Your Seat’s in the Back.” Writer Gillian Reagan discussed the experience of both bloggers seeking access and the fashion publicists, who are accustomed to traditional forms of media, that must vet them.  Reagan points out:

“…the glossies also have a different relationship with the fashion houses, designers and publicists who fund their print publications with advertising and offer access. Blogs are a riskier affair: Writers tend to say what they want about a designer without worrying about access to interviews, and they can attract ads by building their traffic, which seems to increase commensurately with the level of cattiness or attitude.”

What this feature ignored is that there are many blogs, in every industry, that hold more authority and influence than the vast majority of print magazines. In the fashion space, these include sites like the The Sartorialist (blogger and former Bergdorf Goodman buyer Scott Schuman is quoted in this feature), nitrolicious and Style Bubble, which drive awareness and visibility for designers featured, not only reporting on trends, but shaping them for a rabidly loyal following.
What many PR firms may not realize is that there are relatively simple, cut and dry ways to assess the credibility and authority of individual bloggers if you take the time to observe and do a bit of digging using tools like Alexa and Technorati.  By denying access to all, many traditional publicists will find themselves at a distinct disadvantage when driving measurable results for clients.

Read the full New York Observer feature here.
-Dina Fierro