All about PR = Public Relations

[christrinity]

I'm asking this question again because no one answered post #38...

Ok, currently I'm a freelance stylist but I'm looking to get into PR, preferably in house. There's a situation that might come up for me to do PR for a small accessories brand (or atleast interview with a strong recommendation).

I know a few PR managers on a friendly level, and as a stylist I interact with quite a few... but what do they really do all day? It seems as though the ones who work for smaller brands just lend out samples to stylists, but what else do they do?

I'm thinking coming from a background in styling & college degree, albeit unrelated, I should be able to do this job. I understand product placement, etc. Also, the place I want to work has such a small office- 5 people!

I would really appreciate if anyone has any info on what other job duties a PR manager who essentially lends out samples also does!

Hello, maybe I can offer some help!
I worked/work(I'm on a temporary hiatus to finsih my studies lol) in a PR office for one of the LVMH fashion houses in Paris with four of us in the office.
We had like a presss office manager and a director of the press office/Public Relations of the brand. The press office manager was more just like a press officer, in other words in charge of keepin all the magazines sweet, stayin in touch with them dealing with their requests for samples and passing them onto us who were lower down the cahin. The PR director was more involved in things like organising big meetings with influential editors like Carine Roitfeld etc with our president and creative director etc, a lot less day to day work with journalists/sample requests. Trying to co-ordinate/write all the press releases for the events, new launches, limited edition products etc, much more about the marketing/public relations of the brand u know?
Then the two of them were also basically in charge of all the people who got invited to the show for fashion week and then where they were seated!
I'm sure there's more but cant think of it off the top of my head lol
If u have any more specific questions, just post and I will try to answer! Hope that helped! x

 

[MsBeej]

Thanks so much Christrinity! I understand a bit more but I still want to know what it'd be like working for a really small brand that only carries one thing. You're with a brand under the LVMH umbrella which has a bunch of people working in the PR dept... in my case (if so lucky) I'd be the only one doing it in a office of 5 people.

I guess I'd be doing all of the stuff you talked about; just on a smaller scale.

 

[christrinity]

Thanks so much Christrinity! I understand a bit more but I still want to know what it'd be like working for a really small brand that only carries one thing. You're with a brand under the LVMH umbrella which has a bunch of people working in the PR dept... in my case (if so lucky) I'd be the only one doing it in a office of 5 people.

I guess I'd be doing all of the stuff you talked about; just on a smaller scale.

Haha well even though its a company under the Lvmh umbrella, its one of the smaller ones and our PR "department" literally consisted of the 4 of us in our office so much the same nvironment as ur describing really, as there is a seperate headquarters for the brand's fragrances wing.
That being said I imagine if you are gona be doin the PR managers job for a very small brand that the most of ur time would just be taken up by keepin journalists sweet and attempting to get them to pull items from u for shoots, as that is the majority of any press offices workload, let alone a press office that also deals with bigger events, or publicity on a larger scale

 

[Visionaire]

Wow, that would be my ideal job! I noticed your location says Dublin, Ireland. Did you go to uni there or in England? I'm just curious to know success stories sortof thing.

 

[KamillahZoraide]

I'm trying to get into PR at the mo' just looking for work experience, Fashion and Beauty PR i would love to, but man this thread has put me a bit off lol.
My degree is in history/economics but i don't want to go into either field.

 

[christrinity]

Wow, that would be my ideal job! I noticed your location says Dublin, Ireland. Did you go to uni there or in England? I'm just curious to know success stories sortof thing.

I went to uni in Dublin, but I spent a year in Uni in Paris and that's how I ended up living there and having the chance to be offered the internship etc

 

[christrinity]

I'm trying to get into PR at the mo' just looking for work experience, Fashion and Beauty PR i would love to, but man this thread has put me a bit off lol.
My degree is in history/economics but i don't want to go into either field.

Why has the thread put you off?

 

[KamillahZoraide]

Christrinity it was a little negative at the beginning lol!
But i am working hard trying to get some Work Experience, i had to take a year off after graduating because i was a carer and i'm just scared that puts me at a disadvantage since i will be competing with people who have loads more experience, but i guess all i can do is cross my fingers!

 

[starz1]

PR assistants are pieces of ****.
PERIOD.

Homegirl told me that when people / designers / etc. send stuff to X celebs,
the pr assistants actually will 'steal' the stuff, and backtrack to the person who sent it and say "Oh ya, it got there... don't worry..."

****in' liars.
It's like legalized robbery.

 

[christrinity]

PR assistants are pieces of ****.
PERIOD.

Homegirl told me that when people / designers / etc. send stuff to X celebs,
the pr assistants actually will 'steal' the stuff, and backtrack to the person who sent it and say "Oh ya, it got there... don't worry..."

****in' liars.
It's like legalized robbery.

Thats a bit harsh! While I'm sure there are plenty of PR assistants who do this kind of thing there are plenty of editors assistants who will also do it,claiming gifts for themselves,seats at fashion shows etc. its just how the industry works,everyone wants their piece of the pie, and fashion while not very well paid for those at the lower echelons is based on a system of perks

 

[babes99]

I work in Beauty PR and I really love my job. I'm not sure if its because I like the beauty industry better than fashion (i've worked in both fields) but the attitude is so much nicer in beauty and we still are able to be involved with fashion. We sponsor shows for fashion week, so its great being backstage for shows like Vera Wang and Michael Kors but not dealing with the clothing madness. I feel that beauty editors are easier to work with and its a nicer industry in general.... just my overall thoughts on beauty/fashion pr.

 

[christrinity]

I work in Beauty PR and I really love my job. I'm not sure if its because I like the beauty industry better than fashion (i've worked in both fields) but the attitude is so much nicer in beauty and we still are able to be involved with fashion. We sponsor shows for fashion week, so its great being backstage for shows like Vera Wang and Michael Kors but not dealing with the clothing madness. I feel that beauty editors are easier to work with and its a nicer industry in general.... just my overall thoughts on beauty/fashion pr.

That does sound great but I would just miss working with the clothes and the fashion! Beauty doesn't really interest me that much at all compared to how obsessed I am by the clothes!lol. Beauty section in the magazines etc is always the one I tend to skim over

 

[harlen]

PR assistants are pieces of ****.
PERIOD.

Homegirl told me that when people / designers / etc. send stuff to X celebs,
the pr assistants actually will 'steal' the stuff, and backtrack to the person who sent it and say "Oh ya, it got there... don't worry..."

****in' liars.
It's like legalized robbery.

Where are you getting this information from? PR assistants are part of the PR agency, which HIRED by the company to watch over and track samples. Some clients will even charge the PR company for lost samples, so why would PR assistants steal from themselves?

What kind of PR assistants are you talking about?!

 

[BetteT]

I think that starz1 is not talking about the publicists /PR firms who work for a designer, and do have to manage the samples closet. These samples are inventoried, as you say ... and very carefully tracked. They need them back for the next shoot or for the next loan to a celeb.

But, in addition to that, celebrities and some stylists to the celebs also have their own publicists. It's these publicists who would receive incoming donated stuff from designers ... gifts. I think this is probably where items might "disappear" ... before they get to to the star to be worn. Sometimes it's legit ... the star is not interested in the piece, so he /she just tells the publicist to keep it or give it away ... since it was a "gift" to start with. These gifts are not tracked samples ... they just give them away in the hope that it show up in the media on the back of the celeb, thus giving the designer's brand some free publicity.

 

[harlen]

^^thanks for the clarification bette. even so, i don't think it's fair for starz1 to call them thieves or liars. the items ARE gifts, and hey if the celebrity doesn't like it, too bad! designers don't expect to get GIFTS sent back to them!

 

[gian-franco]

i'm also one of those who are planning to work in the the pr (fashion preferably) in the future. this is not too new for me, for one year i have worked in one really small pr company and now its more than a half year i'm working with one big project partly as a journalist/partly as a pr.
what can I say, is that this job is extremely interesting and I love the power that it gives you to manipulate people's minds, change and create their opinions. But it's so difficult, not only because you have to become best friends with everyone and that is so fake. Journalists understand that there is no huge love between them and pr specialists. What is also really difficult to me - that you can not control everything, huge part of your work, of your success doesn't even depend on you, it depends on other people, on their good will. That's what I find most difficult. But still I'm not quitting my future career plans and if I will not become the next carine roitfeld (my dream ) my plan B will be fulfilled - and that is pr.
i live in lithuania, so that is a really small country and for that reason i'm searching now for possibilities to go to ny or paris (my second choise) to work/ study their in this field. if anyone could help me with that I would be extremely gratefull.
but what i think about pr - that it is really very good to have a journalist job practise, to work in nespapers/magazines for some time and then turn to pr - cause that's probably the best they to get to know the people from which you will depend every day in your further job.

boy, i've said much.. )

 

[IWantToBeChloe]

I got a job as a Communications Director of a luxury fashion mag straight out of college- at first it was REALLY scary because I was basically handling everything with no training (I majored in Geography) but it's almost better to dive right in and take a really hard job. You learn everything WAY faster. It's 2 years later and I now work on all our promos, Web stuff, I do all our Style & Social writing.

Here's a model search we're working on

 

[Miss-V]

i think its hard to say, i interned in luxury PR for a top fashion house. was very fast paced, and yes there are perks like freebies. its not as easy and simple as The City or The Hills portrays. it certainly isn't part time. its a full time job, and it can be glamourous. but there are alot of down sides.
if your at the bottom you won't enjoy it for a while, but when you get into it you'll be fine.

 

[christrinity]

^^ Couldn't agree more!

 

[aquarian5]

Public Relations

Hello all, I hope i am not way off topic, im still trying to learn this site but I was wondering what courses does one need to take to get into a career in public relations (not in fashion but more on the lines of working with celebrities). Would a Major in Communications be a good choice? or do i specifically need to have a major in public relations? for those in the industry, i would love to have your input as well.

thanks