MAGAZINE RESEARCH

This blog post follows on from my previous one about press release writing.

I have the basic understanding that to get press coverage in publications can be difficult. I conducted some research into different niche magazines that would be more realistic for Fortitude’s press release to be featured. Through my research, I narrowed it down to 4 appropriate magazines:

WRPD Magazine

• Bi-annual magazine that promotes the dialogue between art, photography and fashion from all over the world.

• An independent project that expresses a contemporary vision through the eyes and works of established international talented designers, photographers and writes.

Oyster Magazine

• Australia’s largest independent multi-platform media brand covering fashion, beauty, music, art, pop-culture and travel.

• Curated by creatives, for creatives, they explore the points of view and passions held by those in the business, providing a platform for forward thinkers.

• Showcase the work of established talents who are pushing the boundaries.

The Gentlewoman

• Bi-annual magazine that celebrates modern women of style and purpose and offers a fresh and intelligent perspective on fashion that’s focused on personal style - the way women actually look, think and dress.

• Features ambitious journalism and photography of the highest quality and it showcases inspirational women through distinctive combination of glamour, personality and warmth.

The Face Magazine

• An original, definitive style magazine that for over 25 years has been at the heart of British and international creativity.

• Champions fresh talent in music, fashion, TV, film and beyond.

• It is a space for immersive, dynamic, multi-faceted stores. It is a space for fun, passion and enthusiasm.

After analysing my research and discussing with Evie what her thoughts were, I chose The Face Magazine to send the press release to, to imagine getting press coverage for Fortitude. This is because it is a magazine that has a reputable history but is still very contemporary and relevant. I love that it is truly at the heart of British history, and with Fortitude’s plastic cleaning movement and pop-up fashion event taking place on a Cornish beach, I thought the Britishness is a nice connection. Its identity and imagery (and the brands that feature on this publication) reflects that of Fortitude. I also looked at their Instagram page, noticing that it has a decent number of followers of 128k, as well as featuring a post of competitor Charlotte Knowles, confirming that this publication is appropriate and aspirational to be featured in.

PRESS RELEASE WRITING

Writing a press release for our brand is part of the brief for this assignment. This morning I attempted writing mine for Fortitude’s pop-up fashion event as the final phase of their communication plan.

I had never written a press release before, so although I was a bit nervous, I was excited to get stuck into writing one. I ensured to look back at the ‘Tone of Voice’ and ‘Writing a Press Release’ seminar slides to make sure I produced a press release to the best of my ability. Key points that I took into consideration was keeping it short, ensuring my opening paragraph was strong and including a quote. I also used the press release structure example which was really helpful.

My press release broken down:

• My first paragraph, in a couple of short, catchy sentence, outlines that Fortitude have announced their pop-up fashion event to mark World Oceans Day. I tried to make sure this first paragraph includes who, what, where, when and why, understanding that the release would be cut from the bottom up.

• The second paragraph provides more details about the event that would be of interest and value to the reader. For example, it discusses the charity partnership and the idea that the two businesses will be working in synergy to create a positive outcome.

• The third paragraph features a quote or two from the creator and designer Evie. Evie explains her inspiration behind creating a brand like Fortitude, and her ultimate goal being to make people think about their actions so that one day plastic waste can be ended.

• The final paragraph provides a few extra details, but I was aware that this didn’t have to be essential information.

I actually really enjoyed the process of writing this press release. Maybe one day I could see myself working in PR and putting this learning into practice and expanding my knowledge and skills.

COLLABORATIVE PLATFORM REVIEW & REFLECTION

Earlier today my collaborative platform team and three other teams had our reflection seminar with Katie and Adele, following on from our individual reflection forms submitted to the Dropbox.

Understandably like most people, I find it hard to be truly honest with my feelings towards things like group projects, just in case of hurting people’s feelings for example. Therefore I really liked the fact that we were required to fill out an individual form before the live discussion. I enjoyed filling this form out, answering the outlined questions in-depth and really reflecting and evaluating on my personal experience of the group collaborative project. I openly discussed that we generally worked well as a team with those that chose to contribute, but disappointingly there were times where some team members definitely lacked communication skills. I highlighted that WhatsApp and MS Teams worked well as platforms/channels to communicate, and that Nataria and I worked well as a pair being team leader and deputy lead.

At the end of the form we were required to think of 3 key points that we have been able to take away from this collaboration and how we might act on these going forward. My 3 points were:

1. Team work skills. At the beginning of the project I was slightly reluctant as I have often preferred individual work over group work. Being deputy lead and a common contributor, I have personally gained confidence that I can work efficiently with a group. I have been able to communicate strongly my ideas with the group and be a confident team member, whilst at the same time being able to listen to others, sit back and appreciate that others will have equally important things to say.

2. Time management skills. This is obviously the only part of this entire project that required team work; everything else has been individual. Everyone a lot of the time was working quietly and individually behind the scenes on their own work. For this reason, we had to ensure we made time for our collaboration discussions and planning so we didn’t slack in this aspect of the module. Time management skills was something each team member had to develop and acknowledge for our collaborative platform to be successful.

3. The effectiveness of collaboration via a social media platform. Instagram was a great platform to utilise to showcase the development of our brands for many reasons. We all had access to the login which was helpful, and we all had our own story highlight which highlighted that we were individuals, but the overall platform was the collaborative element.

The live teams collaborative platform review that followed on from the individual reflection forms was really successful. I didn’t quite know what to expect for this session. However it was really nice getting to speak honestly about our experiences, hear other groups’ perspectives and relay back to Adele and Katie how we worked as a team. It was highlighted that Nataria and I worked well and did a good job at leading and organising the team, which was really nice to hear from our fellow team members. I discussed that although we predominantly worked well as a team, there were times that Nataria and I were the only ones discussing, contributing and coming up with ideas. When I said this I immediately felt bad as I didn’t want to highlight anyone’s lack of efforts, and I hope I didn’t offend anyone when I said this. But I am proud that I spoke up and was honest about this. This was a little bit of a realisation for me. I think one reason why I don’t like team work is that I know that each team member won’t have the same work ethic/drive as me. When it comes to group projects I often find myself putting in more work than other team members, but at the end of it it all comes down to one grade. I don’t like the fact that an overall grade or result doesn’t reflect the hard work that I put in, and that it gets diminished amongst everyone else’s. I appreciated that this session today and in the individual feedback forms I was able to be honest, despite worrying I might have hurt people’s feelings!

Overall I think this collaborative project was a really great one and I am glad I got to take part. Admittedly, half way through I did lose site of the purpose a little bit as I was progressing with the other assessments such as the A3 Brand Boards and Brand Launch Pack. However, the purpose of this collaboration definitely makes sense, and it has allowed me to develop skills that I can take forward in my personal and professional life.