Columbia Fashion Week 2016 is officially underway. Today, founder and creator Alicia Zeigler hosted a press conference at one of the sponsors boutique’s in Columbia’s Five Points. I went live from Periscope for the announcement. The weeklong event will feature popular events like the Beautiful People party, recognizing the 25 Most Stylish People of Columbia, a Fashion Panel, parties and runway shows. This year, “The RoSho Live” will be taking you behind the scenes and up close to Columbia Fashion Week. I will be live streaming, tweeting and all things social during the week-long event.
There are a few ways you can participate in the most fashionable event in the famously hot city. Besides attending the weeklong event, you can also become a sponsor and expose your brand to a world-wide audience.
But in true “Rosho” fashion; see my play on words there. I wanted to give you a quick media tip we can all learn from my business savvy friend, Alicia Zeigler. I know there has been some buzz in the PR world about the death of the press release and even the importance of press conferences. However, I think both are still strategies you can use to build your brand platform. I absolutely love that Alicia sends out an email blast to the local media outlets inviting them to come to her press conferences. Did you notice I said her press conference? The whole event is put on by her staff. It features a branded backdrop, a beautiful location and materials the media can walk away with. Alicia even opens up the press conference for questions from the media.
So what is the lesson? Be an advocate for your brand. Alicia could have easily just sent a press release about the week-long event, but instead she invited the media to an “event” before the event. And even if the media did not attend, she still has a nice venue and opportunity to live stream the press conference.
You can do it too. How can you put together a “pre-event” and invite the media? Here’s an idea! Host a virtual press conference via Facebook live and then send the video to the media. Either way having media part of your marketing plan is still fashionable.
The Rosho