This week I once again read my classmates blogs, and picked two entries that I thought were interesting and worth discussing! I read blogs that I normally didn't read or comment on as to get a different feel for what my peers are interested in and are writing about.
The first blog I read was Laura Valenti's blog about entertainment PR and its connection to social media. Her post titled 'You May Try This At Home', about conducting blind experiments. Laura developed on the idea that experiments do not always have to be formal and precise, and that sometimes we conduct experiments without being aware that we are doing so. Laura writes about how one might be looking at Lady Gaga's Facebook page, "How many followers does she have on each? Comments? Feedback? By figuring out which website seems to be more popular for her audience and fans, you are conducting experimental research -- a blind experiment to be exact". I thought this was very interesting, seeing as this is something most of us do on a daily basis. The different way that Laura approached experiments was intriguing- plus her blog was extremely fun to read.
The next blog I read was Jenn Quinlan's blog, which focuses on sports in the public relations industry. One of her most recent blog posts titled 'The Extra Jolt' was about athletes and their use of sports drinks and supplements and how public relations practitioners have to be aware if they are representing an athlete. Jenn knowledgeably referenced the recent steroid scandals of athelets like Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz, who had public relations teams that had to do major damage control when allegations of steroid abuse first became public, through press releases, press conferences and media interviews. Jenn talked about the ethics behind using these illegal substances and whether it was the duty of the athlete to confess- she (and I agree) that in most cases, it is ethical for the athlete to come clean if they are using and abusing to get ahead in the game. I though Jenn's blog was a great take on the public relations industry within the sports industry- it was refreshing to read a new perspective on the subject!
Well, it's hard to believe that this semester is about to end and this is (sadly!) my last blog post. I hope you all enjoyed reading about my blog and learned something new in the process. I have a had a lot of fun researching public relations in the retail corporation aspect, a field that I could possibly see myself getting involved with one day. Looking forward to reading all of your final blog entries!!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Blog Post #10
Whoops! Looks like this blog saved as a draft and never got posted! Here is the blog that was meant to be posted for week 10, experimental research!
I've made it no secret on this blog that I spent the summer working at a certain well known retail store. In fact, the specific store I was hired at was called the 'concept store', aka the main headquarter store for the corporate side of the comany. As the concept store, our location was the one to recieve every new collection months ahead of the other stores. For instance, when I was hired in May, we were already dressing the mannequins in down vests and scarves for fall. But being the concept store, we also were the first to try out new trends and to observe how they were percieved by our clients. Then, the corporate side of the company would take these results and see if the new procedures were to be implemented in the stores across the country.
One trend that kept popping up across our store was the new 'partnering' with other companies. Although I worked at a well known clothing company, many other brands were featured in our store as partnerships, and doing surprisingly well. Over the course of the summer, I saw several new brands featured in our store that one might not immediately associate with clothing. Essie became a partner, and released new nail polish colors to coordinate with every season. Bobbi Brown became a partner as well, with lipglosses sold at the register. Cosabellas appeared in the store too, which confused most shoppers. Partnerships were advertised within the fabrics of clothing, from the exclusive house that made the cashmere for the sweaters to the expensive leather of the ballet flats. I often wondered, how did these partnerships come about, and how did the company know if they were being successful or not?
This article I found talks about why it is beneficial for both the wholesale retailer and smaller company to partner up- basically, it creates more publicity and recognition for the smaller company, while promoting sales for the larger company and offering something new to clients. Working in the store, I often wondered how my store had become so successful at finding great partnerships and making them last- the conclusion I came to was experimentation. Partnerships were tested out in my store, and if they worked, were made national or available on specific coasts. If clients weren't responsive, the partnership was nixed and it was back to square one. Looking at the company's website, it's hard to find a shoe, piece of jewelery, or handbag that isn't designed by an outsider...
It's interesting to see experimentation happen on a daily basis in the workplace, whether one is aware of it happening or not. Experimentation happens in many forms, from on a large scale to the smaller experiments.
Talk to you next week!
I've made it no secret on this blog that I spent the summer working at a certain well known retail store. In fact, the specific store I was hired at was called the 'concept store', aka the main headquarter store for the corporate side of the comany. As the concept store, our location was the one to recieve every new collection months ahead of the other stores. For instance, when I was hired in May, we were already dressing the mannequins in down vests and scarves for fall. But being the concept store, we also were the first to try out new trends and to observe how they were percieved by our clients. Then, the corporate side of the company would take these results and see if the new procedures were to be implemented in the stores across the country.
One trend that kept popping up across our store was the new 'partnering' with other companies. Although I worked at a well known clothing company, many other brands were featured in our store as partnerships, and doing surprisingly well. Over the course of the summer, I saw several new brands featured in our store that one might not immediately associate with clothing. Essie became a partner, and released new nail polish colors to coordinate with every season. Bobbi Brown became a partner as well, with lipglosses sold at the register. Cosabellas appeared in the store too, which confused most shoppers. Partnerships were advertised within the fabrics of clothing, from the exclusive house that made the cashmere for the sweaters to the expensive leather of the ballet flats. I often wondered, how did these partnerships come about, and how did the company know if they were being successful or not?
This article I found talks about why it is beneficial for both the wholesale retailer and smaller company to partner up- basically, it creates more publicity and recognition for the smaller company, while promoting sales for the larger company and offering something new to clients. Working in the store, I often wondered how my store had become so successful at finding great partnerships and making them last- the conclusion I came to was experimentation. Partnerships were tested out in my store, and if they worked, were made national or available on specific coasts. If clients weren't responsive, the partnership was nixed and it was back to square one. Looking at the company's website, it's hard to find a shoe, piece of jewelery, or handbag that isn't designed by an outsider...
It's interesting to see experimentation happen on a daily basis in the workplace, whether one is aware of it happening or not. Experimentation happens in many forms, from on a large scale to the smaller experiments.
Talk to you next week!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Week 9 Post: A Survey In Action
Through my personal experiences working in the retail industry, I have found that surveys are a popular and effective way of measuring the opinions and thoughts consumers may have. Surveys are often anonymous and as a result, let the customer express their true feelings without having any inhibitions. In fact, just the other day I was shopping at Urban Outfitters in New Haven. It was a particularily busy Saturday, and I found myself waiting in a long line of parents, students and shoppers at the register. While waiting at the cash wrap, I noticed that most people were filling out a survey about the store from Yale Properties, who rent the space to the corporation.
I took the minute to fill out the survey as well, which asked only a few basic questions. My age, which nearby university I attend, how often I shop in New Haven, my opinion of the store, etc. I was most interested by the survey because I immediately knew who was behind it- my best friend, Alex Forman, who is an intern at Yale Properties. For this blog post, I decided to interview him informally and find out why he likes using surveys in the field and how they are helpful to his company.
First I asked Alex why he chose to use survey as opposed to any other method. He concluded that through trial and error, survey was most successful. It was brief and anonymous, which made participants more willing to take the time to fill them out. Furthermore, he was able to reach a large amount of people in a relatively short amount of time- he recieved many more responses than he would have with holding a focus group or observation. Additionally, he was able to put copies of the survey in every store that Yale Properties oversees, which gained him even more feedback. Alex then went on to explain why surveys were his most preferred method of research- the ability to quickly calculate and evaluate the data. He described this process, which simply involved collecting the completed surveys and recording the data in a spreadsheet, which the company then looks at to determine what is effectively working for them or what needs to be changed.
I thought that this example was a great depiction of how, when used properly, surveys can be a very successful tool in research. When conducting a survey in a busy setting such as a retail store, it is obvious that one that is short and succinct will be the most successful!
Looking forward to reading all of your blogs and seeing what everyone else's thoughts on surveys are like! Good luck with classes this week!
I took the minute to fill out the survey as well, which asked only a few basic questions. My age, which nearby university I attend, how often I shop in New Haven, my opinion of the store, etc. I was most interested by the survey because I immediately knew who was behind it- my best friend, Alex Forman, who is an intern at Yale Properties. For this blog post, I decided to interview him informally and find out why he likes using surveys in the field and how they are helpful to his company.
First I asked Alex why he chose to use survey as opposed to any other method. He concluded that through trial and error, survey was most successful. It was brief and anonymous, which made participants more willing to take the time to fill them out. Furthermore, he was able to reach a large amount of people in a relatively short amount of time- he recieved many more responses than he would have with holding a focus group or observation. Additionally, he was able to put copies of the survey in every store that Yale Properties oversees, which gained him even more feedback. Alex then went on to explain why surveys were his most preferred method of research- the ability to quickly calculate and evaluate the data. He described this process, which simply involved collecting the completed surveys and recording the data in a spreadsheet, which the company then looks at to determine what is effectively working for them or what needs to be changed.
I thought that this example was a great depiction of how, when used properly, surveys can be a very successful tool in research. When conducting a survey in a busy setting such as a retail store, it is obvious that one that is short and succinct will be the most successful!
Looking forward to reading all of your blogs and seeing what everyone else's thoughts on surveys are like! Good luck with classes this week!
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