Designers Checklist to Maximize Media Coverage

Securing a feature in the media is an important goal to attain. While this is could be an achievement, many designers forget that gaining press attention, precisely positive stories can support your brand growth when strategically prepared for.

There are points to note in order to properly prepare in the event that your PR efforts play out well and your product gets featured and triggers all the good things such as increased in enquiries of your product, more clicks on your website, increase in sales amongst others.

Make sure you have available pieces

I have had an instance where a designer I once worked with to secure a placement have had to lose out on several sales opportunities because she did not have the specific dress which had been featured. So it is advisable to have a good inventory of pieces readily available before the feature even it means having them in different colors as a way of options that way you can cash in on these opportunities when they bring themselves.

Encourage your Employees to share

Employees are ambassadors of any company. When well informed about a company and its operations, they can well serve as good ambassadors. With a major hit in the media for your brand, share the news internally with your team and employees so they can also share with their network. If your employees support in amplifying it on social media, you will be able to maximize the coverage.

Keep your social media accounts active

Social Media continues to play a very significant role for many fashion brands. It could serve as an amplifying platform to reach a wider audience. Make sure that once you secure that media feature, you share them across your social media platforms. Share the links or image of the feature and leverage on that to get more reach.

Keep track of your new clients

Once you begin to hit that point where people are asking for the product that has been featured, you should be able to capture their contact. The reality is that, not all of them will buy immediately. Some may buy immediately and some may do that later. It is advisable to still take the contact details of those who enquire but are unable to purchase immediately as you can follow up with them at a later date. Also for those who may want specifics but you are unable to offer them.

Tap into your client list

Once your article goes live, you could share the good news with your clientele. These are people who have been with your brand and have been following your journey all this while. If they're proud enough to be associated with your brand after a big feature, some may take it upon themselves to share the good news as well among their personal networks.

The bottom line is that, when a positive piece of press gets published, the kind of activities you undertake could make all the difference in simply getting a media hit and turning them into a remarkable funnel to generate sales. Promote and circulate them to as many people as you can.

                                      

Faith Senam Ocloo 
Fashion Public Relations 
Fashion I Beauty I Lifestyle I Arts

New Year PR Goals for your Fashion Brand

Officially the New Year has kick started and we are all back to work. Many of us have already written down our personal goals for the year as well as our professional goals with the hope that we will begin to do things different and eventually achieve our goals by the end of the year. 

That said, it is important to renew or set new goals and work towards achieving them. Just like last year, new companies in fashion, beauty and lifestyle will emerge and competition will become tougher as we all compete for the same space and clients, It is important to be ready to position your brand advantageously for opportunities that will not just create visibility for your brand but drive sales as well. 

Here are few PR goals to guide you through the year as we set out to grow our business.

Invest in knowing your market

Whether it’s a startup or an established one, you need to keep investing in knowing your market in and out. This way you know how to package your product to meet the demands of your target market. What makes your product or service unique and then craft messages that will convey exactly what you intend communicating. Your messages should be clear and straight forward such that you are able to grab the attention of your target. Improve your customer experience by taking feedback and working on it to maintain your client base as well as get new ones.

Use social media wisely

The use of Social Media is not going away any time yet so make sure to jump on it this time round if you are not already making use of it. It is the best channels to promote your brand to your target market without a third party. You can begin managing it yourself and seek for assistance as your brand grows. It is evident that there are enormous advantages that abound on the internet as a result of technology which plays a major role in helping brands stay relevant all time. There will continue to be an increased usage of these platforms by several other competing brands. Bear in mind that not all the platforms are useful for your brand. Carefully select which best resonates with your product and can better reach your target. Maximize your selected platforms to engage your potential and existing clients to gain some traction for your brand.

Build Mutual Relationships

Relationships are important in business. If you didn’t do that last year, take another look at it this year. Build and maintain relationship with your clients, employees, vendors, stakeholders, influencers etc as they can become very useful to your business at one point in time. Going into 2018, engage them in a series of events that will make them feel important and thereby be willing to support and assist you when there is the need to.

Your brand image is everything

This year, spend time to work on both your personal image and that of your fashion, beauty and lifestyle business. What people say or perceive about your brand is crucial for your brand and as such you need to invest in nurturing a good and positive image both online and offline. Be mindful of the content you put online and how you manage your relationships especially with regards to your product. Manage every issue that arises diligently to avoid it escalating into a crisis.

Be media friendly

Getting media features in which ever form could serve a great deal for your brand in 2018. Pitch your new products, events, initiatives to the right fashion editors and bloggers in order to gain publicity and press coverage for your event. Several mentions in the media can serve as a leverage point to gain and access several new and potential clients. Earn your spot by engaging in activities or initiatives that are newsworthy.

There is no doubt businesses are going to get competitive this year. It will be in your own interest and that of your business to position your brand in a way that will optimize opportunities for growth. With the above in place, I am confident your brand will experience growth both in value and sales. Let’s have a fashionably prosperous New Year.

Photo Credit: Vine Imagery for GAFW2017

Faith Senam Ocloo 
Fashion Public Relations 
Fashion I Beauty I Lifestyle I Arts

2017 in Fashion: Recap of the Year

This year has been another great one for fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands

Just like each year, there have been new entrants onto the fashion scene and we have also seen an all most ‘no show’ from some of established brands. It was really exciting to see many others thrive to stay top of mind throughout the year.

One game changer for this year has been social media as it continuously play a crucial role for many fashion brands who have been able to build their brand presence online. They have created campaigns and contents that gave them a voice and made them match up to even established brands. 

Touching on major happenings in 2017, the challenges and the opportunities as we look forward to a greater and more fulfilling 2018.

Fashion Designers

There were quite some designers who have worked real hard this year to keep their brand visible and grow more reach. The likes of Sima Brew with her stunning Red Carpet Gowns, Ophelia Crossland, West African Ambassador for Swarovski, Christie Brown showcasing at Lagos Fashion and Design Week, Nadrey Laurent rebrand from Totally Ethnik, Afromod Trends showcasing in South Africa, Charlotte Prive, Atto Tetteh, Abrantie the Gentleman winning 

Designer of the Year Awards and a host of many others have had a great year as they worked at keeping their brand visibly all year through both online and offline.

This year also saw the return of DuabaSerwa with its Nsubura collection and subsequently showcasing at Glitz Africa Fashion Week 2017.

Without a doubt, the young fashion designers emerging have a lot to offer and I can’t wait to see what they add on in 2018. Designers such as Lakopue, LJ Couture, Qwame Owusu have equally had a great year as they have left quite an impressive impression on our minds.

Fashion Shows and Events

Fashion shows are known to be the biggest events on most fashion calendar anywhere. This year started off with Accra Men’s Fashion Week (AMFW) in May, Mercedes Benz Africa Fashion Festival (MBAFF) in July, Glitz Africa Fashion Week (GAFW) and Accra Fashion Week (AFWk) in October. These events have had their fair share of setbacks in terms of publicity, organization, venue and timing. Nonetheless, they managed to pull through their events successfully as we look forward a more revamped ones in 2018.

The graduate shows couldn’t be left out. Radford University, BlueCrest University, Joyce Ababio Creative College and Design, Riohs Originate and Dreams College of Creative Arts all organized their graduate shows in a grand style this year.

Other events that took place in the course of the year are Fashion Forum Quarterly Series, African Fashion Voices by African Fashion Guide, Jump on Glitz and crowning it with the Vlisco & Co launch at the Untamed Empire.

Fashion Media and Bloggers

The fashion industry couldn’t have survived without fashion media and bloggers as they brought us all we needed to know in the fashion world. From designer Lookbooks, Features, Events, Style tips etc these platforms have continued to curate and bring us daily contents. The likes of Debonair Afrik, TrendsandBlends, AuntieOboshie, Fashion Ghana, YaaSomuah, Ghana fashion marketing amongst others have been constantly on the radar throughout the year.

Hopefully 2018 will bring good fortunes in regards to more collaborations and unique contents, live coverage. Looking forward to a new year full of energy and great contents from these media platforms.

Fashion Awards

Awards are crucial for any organization in business to gain recognition for its products and services and the fashion industry couldn’t be left out of this. Winning awards allows you to distinguish your company/brand from competitors. This year, we witnessed only two (2) awards. The Glitz Style Awards and Afroma Awards.

Hopefully in the coming year, we will see Ghana Fashion Awards bounce back bigger and better or other industry awards that will recognize and reward great talent.

Challenges and next steps

The fashion industry in Ghana still struggles with many issues. First is lack of a body to regulate and support designer’s work and their creativity. No organization has been able to succeed in pulling the various stakeholders under one umbrella. With a fashion council or board, fashion designers and other creatives can begin to work effectively with support from government and other institutions and gain direction to be able to build global brands.

Also, with a fashion calendar which clearly shows which event is on which date, organizers will begin to take note when choosing dates for their event. That way, the incidence of having both GAFW and AFWk on the same weekend won’t occur again.

As we get ready to celebrate the Season and New Year, I wish all B&FT readers a wonderful season. I look forward to a greater 2018 as I bring you more exciting features, personal thoughts and news on “Fashion & More with Faith Senam”

Have a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

(Post originally published in my column in the Business & Financial Times Newspaper on 22nd December 2017)

Faith Senam Ocloo 
Fashion Public Relations 
Fashion I Beauty I Lifestyle I Arts

Why Building Relationships are Important for your fashion brand

In business, relationships are equally important and having a mutual beneficial relationship could go a long way to help your brand especially in times when you need it most. From your direct customers or clients to vendors, employees to anyone who is either directly or indirectly connected to your business, building a good relationship with them serves as a bedrock upon which your product can flourish.

For many startups and young businesses, it is important to start building your relationship early in order to gain trust and credibility which could serve as an extra advantage for you in this competitive and saturated market. Be it through good customer service, personal engagement, proactive communication, good relationship should be established at all levels.

Be it internal or external stakeholders, their role to the growth of your business varies and as such they all play a unique role that needs to be solidly built for the benefit of your business. Same way, any dent on these relationships could adversely affect all efforts put into it.

Building relationship also means establishing good communication lines between your company and these various stakeholders or publics.

Here are 4 ways why building relationships are important to fashion brands.

Helps you achieve your goals

Every company no matter how young the business is has company goals and objectives. By building good relationship with your publics for instance your employees, you are more likely to achieve your desired goal as they are able to work hard and bring on board their best ways which becomes beneficial to your business. You must work in harmony with everyone including the community within which you operate, that way they there is goodwill which is transferred onto the work and its growth.

Helps you reach the right target

As a fashion designer, your target markets are usually those who are interested in your buying and wearing your clothes. In order to reach such people, you need to communicate effectively using the right channels to reach them. With the good relationship with editors, bloggers, journalists, marketers etc you are able to create strategic visibility for your brand using the right channels thereby reaching your targeted market.

Puts you in a strong position when customers are making buying decision

In an age where social media is king, word of mouth is key. The kind of relationship you have with your customers influence what they say about you. Good relationships, loyalty and referrals are the order of the day. Many people buy products because of what they have heard about it. With that achieved, work at building a strong relationship with them such that they become loyal to the brand and then end up referring their friends to purchase as well.  

Easier access to funding

For startups looking to attract investors and some funding for their young fashion businesses, having a good relationship with the various stakeholders opens up opportunities for growth. With clarity on the company’s vision statement and mission, investors become confident of your business and possibly will want to invest in them.

The important thing to remember is that the earlier you build good relationships with the right publics for your brand, the better your chances at positioning your brand for opportunities that will further leap the fortunes of your company.

Through a mix of effective communications, good customer service and appreciation, feedback mechanisms and proactive engagements, you’ll be well on your way to being able to accomplish more as a strong fashion brand.

Faith Senam Ocloo

Fashion Public Relations 

Fashion I Beauty I Lifestyle I Arts

Embracing your skin with Nokware Skincare

 

A beautiful skin is a woman’s pride. It radiates beauty and makes one look and feel confident. Keeping a good skin doesn’t come easy as one needs to engage in daily habits to guard the skin and maintain its natural state.

With issues such as discolorations, uneven skin tones, eczema among others staring in the face, one will go every mile in search for a skin care product that will clear all those issues. For many women, it’s such a relief to find that ideal skincare product that works on your skin.

Also in our part of the world, getting people to appreciate and embrace their own skin tones amidst all the challenges of dealing with skin issues is an ongoing discussion as people still think having a lighter skin is preferable and prettier.

On this premise, Nokware Skincare was recently launched for people looking to find a product that is not only natural and organic but one that encourages people especially Africans to embrace their own skin and natural beauty.

Tutuwa Ahwoi, a Ghanaian and Thato Tau, Motswana both founded Nokware Skin care range of products. Nokware translated in Twi as “Truth” is not just your regular skincare range of products. It is 100% organic made from the finest ingredients sourced from sustainable local farms in West Africa.

Sharing their journey on starting Nokware Skincare products, Tutuwa explained that while studying in Paris sometime in 2014 they had problems with their skin but couldn’t find any product that worked. Upon using our very own Sheabutter and Alata Samina their skin began to take shape and fell back to its natural state. This birthed the idea earlier this year to start a Skincare product to cater to the many people who needed a natural and organic product especially for those living abroad.

Few years down the line, Nokware was launched in September and has since then made an impressive entry onto the Ghanaian market and has been received well by many consumers. The more exciting and hearty bit about the brand is its organic product and sustainable beauty packaging which is increasingly appealing to consumers in recent times.

It has Calabash which is the cut and dried fruit of the gourd plant and is recyclable. The Calabash covers are made from natural jute fibres from the jute plant. The raffia is derived from a palm tree native to tropical Africa and the brown paper is made from the unbleached wood pulp and is recyclable. This certainly makes Nokware products as eco-friendly as possible.

Currently being sold via online and in shops such as Elle Lokko and Juben House of Beauty and Healthy Shops in Labadi as well as some major outlets in Botswana, plans are also underway to begin selling in Nigeria and other African countries.

Tutuwa stated that “Nokware is made for anyone with skin, babies, children, men, women as there is a product for each skin category be it oily skin, dry skin but not for anyone looking to have a lighter skin tone”

Nokware beauty soup product offering comes in four (4) variants namely the Original African Black Soap, Neem Oil Black Soap, Activated Charcoal Black Soap and Shea & Baobab Oil Black Soap all of which are handmade and sourced locally. Other additions introduced include the organic Loofah Body Exfoliator and Sponges which makes bath equally an eco-friendly experience.

As a young brand, challenges are inevitable as Tutuwa mentioned trading among other African countries as one of the hurdles they have had to cross so far. She said “our biggest challenge is getting the product out of Ghana to other countries in Africa where unlike the EU countries, it’s easier to trade among each other; it is very difficult to do same here in Africa”.

She added that Social media has played a significant role since their launch as many orders and purchases were made via their Instagram account.

In the next coming years, Tutuwa discloses that there will be new more additions such as the Sheabutter to the range of products while working to make Nokware a global brand. At the core of this is for Nokware Skincare to be available for anyone looking for a natural and organic product that appreciates and embraces ones’ own skin color.

Founders (Tutuwa & Thato)

Nokware Skincare

This post originally appeared on my column in the Business and Financial Times Newspaper on November 17, 2017

Faith Senam Ocloo 

Fashion Public Relations 

Fashion I Beauty I Lifestyle I Arts

Menswear: Seen the 'Son of Gold' Collection by Atto Tetteh?

Accra based menswear brand ATTO TETTEH has launched its latest collection “Son of Gold Coast’ as a tribute to Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Otumfuo Opoku Ware II both very important figures in Ghanaian history.

The collection ‘Son of Gold Coast’ eulogizes these great men poetically in “We went back to our roots. Gold Coast; the land of Gold and Hopes. From there we sought to be inspired; And Eureka we found; An heir to the throne; An illustrious son, so prominent and astute; He had a unique style that gave him an identity; This style we brewed in our African pot; To create a collection so rich with culture yet very modern; We told the Gold Coast story with Color, warmth and sartorial elegance.”

This collection which was first showcased at the 2017 Glitz Africa Fashion Week few weeks ago received a great applause from the audience for its cultural and historical cohesion for each look all pulled together to tell a story of the Gold Coast man with a modern touch.

The use of colorful floral print, stripes, fugu (handwoven), leather and embroidery on jersey fabric which focused more on color, texture and technique were specially made for the modern African man with knowledge about his own culture and history.  Colors such as emerald green, pink, mustard, black, oatmeal and gold were used to convey a unifying message.

The ATTO TETTEH brand launched in October 2014 was named after the Designer and Creative Director Atto Tetteh. The brand has since then become one of Ghana’s consistent menswear brand. ATTO TETTEH serves as the luxuriating brand which provides men all over the world with quality and trendy clothes with a touch of African culture.

The brand has so far released five (5) collections since its launch with earlier collections such as Atto Tetteh Army, The Artisan, Tohazie (The Red Hunter), Aqua Safari, and Aloo (Woven) all of which garnered the buzz and attention of many fashion lovers.

 “With very carefully selected fabrics and immense attention to detail, we construct clothes that fit and makes THE ATTO TETTEH man exquisite”, Atto Tetteh said.

He added that “Africa has a story yet to be told and that the African man is bold, strong and courageous and has always been known fashionable and color, warmth, energy, sophistication and sartorial elegance is our description of this fashion sense.”

With a strong design aesthetic which is largely inspired by his African culture and environment, Atto Tetteh passionately tells the African story through the making of elegant and sophisticated clothing, carefully and meticulously constructed for the ATTO TETTEH client.

At the core of ATTO TETTEH is the creation of Timeless and Original pieces with the utmost Quality that pleases many of its clients. These carefully selected ethos guides their activities, products and services, and most especially in their relationship with customers. It’s upon these pillars that the ATTO TETTEH brand is built.

With a strong foundation on good customer relations and a vivid understanding of men’s fashion for the modern African, ATTO TETTEH is certainly becoming one of the favorite menswear brand in Ghana.

 These pieces are available on their website and social media page for purchase. You know you got to own one. Contact +233 546638335 or email info@attotetteh.com

Website: www.attotetteh.com Facebook: Atto Tetteh Twitter: @attotetteh Instagram: @attotetteh

Faith Senam Ocloo 
Fashion Public Relations 
Fashion I Beauty I Lifestyle I Arts

5 Emerging Ghanaian Fashion Brands you should know about

Emerging designers always have a way of breathing some freshness onto the fashion scene. They bring on board lots of energy and new creative direction that gets us yearning to see what is next for these designers.

Without a doubt there is still a lot of work to be done after you debuted your brand and made quite a great impression on many, the expectations become high and designers can only work harder to keep the momentum alive.  With each year serving us some new entrants of young talented designers, we certainly are looking forward to what their next collections will be and how they will keep being top of mind.

In no particular order, here are my 5 emerging Ghanaian fashion brands who have made great entry onto the scene and ones you should by now know about them too.

Larry Jay Couture

Anyone at Accra Men’s Fashion Week held earlier this year, will affirm that Larry Jay’s collection was one of the best for the entire show. Timeless legacy which happens to be his debut collection introduces clothing and accessories for both men and women. The brand brought some new feeling to urban wear through oversized wax print shirts and fitting pants/joggers, oversized silky tunics, shorts, open front cardigans, shawls, infinity scarves, etc  He also showcased at the 2017 Edition of Style Lounge and the Flower and Garden Fashion Show. This brand is certainly one to look out for in the coming year.

Quophi Akotuah

This designer is becoming a strong one on the Ghanaian fashion scene and obviously have had a great year already having won the Emerging Designer Award at this year’s Glitz Style Awards and nominated for the Creative Designer of the Year at Men’s Fashion Week Nigeria. He has also collaborated with GTP in producing his collections which have been spotted on some top celebrities in Ghana. Quophi Akotuah opened this year’s Glitz Africa Fashion Week held at the Kempinski Hotel. He brings a lot of energy and vibrancy onto the fashion scene, one which has caught our eyes and interest and looking forward to seeing more.

Akua Asante

I fell in love with this brand the first time I saw it. It was full of life and had bold colors and playful look that attracted my interest. Her pieces draws inspiration from her Ghanaian heritage interspersed with influences from cultures across the globe. The bold signature and unique craftsmanship of her pieces coupled with vibrant colors makes her designs stand out. Akua Asante made her debut appearance during her graduate show at the Marangoni Graduate Fashion Show in 2016 and has since then made a great impression with each piece she makes.

Qwame Owusu

Quame Owusu came into prominence in 2015, when he won the much coveted Vlisco Students Awards at Joyce Ababio College of Creative and Design (JACCD). He has since then been working and producing great designs for Vlisco and GTP fashion campaigns. Few months back he was adjudged with the Best African Collection after debuting his Perfect Ashlar collection in GTP Fabrics at the #DFF2017 ramp at the Durban Fashion Fair in South Africa. This designer is certainly one to watch in the coming years.

Lakopue

This young designer has had a good year so far after introducing his debut collection “The Atelier by Lakopue”. A collection which emphasizes on craft and the idea of every profession being an art. Prior to debuting his collection, he has worked with Woodin for some of their fashion campaigns and shows. Lakopue showcased at the recently held Glitz Africa Fashion Week 2017 where he had a presentation alongside other talented designers. As they say, the future is bright for Lakopue and we can only wish him the best.

I wrote this article originally for Debonair Afrik Creative Issue

Faith Senam Ocloo 
Fashion Public Relations 
Fashion I Beauty I Lifestyle I Arts