Thoughts on Pinterest Assignment

Pinterest assignment: 

Who do you follow on Pinterest?

I do follow fashion brands and Social Media companies on Pinterest to stay updates with all latest trends and all creative visuals. 

Examples of NGO/Non profit organisation that exemplifies good use of Pinterest? 

UNICEF: Founded in 1946, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) advocates for children's rights around the world. Its Pinterest page includes photos of UNICEF children and mothers in addition to images of stamps and posters.

Noteworthy board: UNICEF Television — videos ranging from ways you can support the organization to reports on the conditions of children's rights.

Thoughts on Pinterest

I love Pinterest but it has only been through taking this citation that I’ve learned that Pinterest could be used for more than just collecting cake recipes! 

I mostly follow boards pertaining to kids’ crafts, cooking and fashion but I’m interested in finding examples of  organizations and non-profits that are using Pinterest. I’m currently working with a local sporting group and I suggested that we start sharing regional resources through Pinterest. We have a shared Google drive but no one ever uses it – I think Pinterest would a great way to share resources and inspire each other!

I just discovered the Edmonton Public Library pinterest board. Yay for book nerds!

https://www.pinterest.com/EPLdotCA/

Assignment C- Optimised Press Release

Optimised press release assignment:

Source:http://s7d9.scene7.com/is/content/HoltRenfrew1/Holt_Renfrew_MEN_News_Release_September_29_ENpdf


HOLT RENFREW MEN – A NEW TRADITION AT 100 BLOOR STREET WEST
TORONTO, Ontario, September 29, 2014 – Holt Renfrew, Canada’s luxury specialty retailer, introduces Holt Renfrew Men, launching October 1 at 100 Bloor Street West in Toronto. The store marks another milestone in Holt Renfrew’s growth plan, through which the company will invest $300 million and expand its store network by 40%.


“Holt Renfrew is proud to enhance its unique position as Canada’s specialty luxury retailer,” said Holt Renfrew President Mark Derbyshire. “As part of our substantive growth and customer experience strategy, we are pleased to present Holt Renfrew Men: a personalized retail experience tailored to the modern man.”
Designed by Janson Goldstein, Holt Renfrew Men is a warm and inviting space, with a residential sensibility. It features a mix of modern and vintage furniture and unique touches, such as fitting room walls upholstered in suiting fabric, and rotating installations of art and cultural objects. At launch, the store will showcase a bronze sculpture by Canadian artist Dennis Lin, and a feature wall with an assortment of objects curated by interior designer Tommy Smythe, drawn from a private family collection founded by his late great-grandfather, legendary Canadian Conn Smythe.
Since 1908, Walter Beauchamp Tailors has offered bespoke suits and formal wear, carefully tailored from patterns created uniquely to fit each individual customer. Three generations of the Beauchamp family have provided fine bespoke garments for business, military and cultural leaders, as well as formal wear for royal wedding parties. Terry Beauchamp, grandson of founder Walter Beauchamp, who has led the business for more than 35 years, and his team will be part of the Holt Renfrew Men experience.
In addition to exclusive Walter Beauchamp by Holt Renfrew bespoke tailoring, Holt Renfrew Men will feature a rich array of custom made-to-measure and designer suiting along with furnishings, accessories and apparel assortments curated from the finest collections of Berluti, Bottega Veneta, Brunello Cucinelli, Canali, Charvet, Ermenegildo Zegna, Etro, G. 

Walter Beauchamp by Holt Renfrew 
“We are exceptionally pleased to announce today that Walter Beauchamp Tailors will exclusively become part of the Holt Renfrew Men experience at 100 Bloor Street West,” noted Mr. Derbyshire. “This partnership will distinguish Holt Renfrew Men with the unique, time-honoured tradition of bespoke tailoring.” 

“Our clients will be thrilled that we have joined forces with Holt Renfrew Men,” said Terry Beauchamp. “We are proud to share rich histories as Canadian style icons. Our team will continue to provide the bespoke service we have for generations, and by joining forces with Holt Renfrew, our clients will have all the added benefits of this leading men’s store experience. I am thankful for the incredible vision of Holt Renfrew in bringing the Walter Beauchamp experience to new life. I can hear my father and grandfather say, in unison: “Terry, this is fantastic!”

Lorenzi, Gucci, Loro Piana, Moncler, Neil Barrett, Paul Smith, Stefano Ricci, Valextra and more. 
Holt Renfrew Men is celebrated with distinct branding and marketing programming. The Holt Renfrew Men logo, while directly inspired by Holt Renfrew’s iconic medallion, is adapted with a masculine sensibility, and new packaging was created in Holt Renfrew’s traditional and complementary shade of grey. The store will have a dedicated website, HoltRenfrewMen.com, live October 1, and social media handles @holtrenfrewmen, offering engaging and unique editorial content, curated from a distinctly male point-of-view. In-store experiences will also include a series of exclusive private events with international business leaders and personalities. 
“Holt Renfrew is pleased to mark this exciting step in our strategic growth plan, and to continually enhance our position as Canada’s destination for luxury and style,” said Mr. Derbyshire. 

Celebrating a 177-year heritage, Holt Renfrew is recognized worldwide for an inspired shopping experience. Once a purveyor of fashion to Her Majesty Queen Victoria, Holt Renfrew began in 1837 as a modest hat shop in Quebec. Over the years the brand developed and expanded across Canada. In the 1930's Holt Renfrew began exclusive accounts with leading European designers and in 1947 hosted Monsieur Christian Dior when he launched his New Look. After many years of foreign ownership Holt Renfrew was bought in 1986 by W. Galen and the Hon. Hilary M. Weston. Under their ownership Holt Renfrew has become Canada's destination for specialty luxury retail. 

About Holt Renfrew 
The 16,500 square-foot store is distinctly masculine, offering a rich array of sartorial options for the modern gentleman, including fine made-to-measure suiting and a bespoke tailoring space showcasing quality and craftsmanship. Luxurious shopping suites offer a fully personalized experience, and enhanced levels of service include complimentary alterations, valet service, shoe shine, a cobbler for shoe repairs, on-site monograming and a doorman.

Moira Wright
Divisional Vice President, Public Relations HOLT RENFREW
416.960.2918 Moira.Wright@HoltRenfrew.com 

Optimised press release :

Holtrenfrew Canada to launch Holtrenfrewman in October 2015 to provide fashion forward men with an ultimate shopping experience

TORONTO, Ontario, September 29, 2014 – Holt Renfrew Canada’s luxury department store, introduces Holt Renfrew Men, launching October 1 at 100 Bloor Street West in Toronto. The luxury department store marks another milestone in Holt Renfrew’s growth plan, through which the company will invest $300 million and expand its store network by 40%. 

“Holt Renfrew Canada is proud to enhance its unique position as Canada’s specialty fashion retailer,” said Holt Renfrew President Mark Derbyshire. “As part of our substantive growth and customer shopping experience strategy, we are pleased to present Holt Renfrew Men: a personalized shopping retail experience tailored to the modern man.” 

A new tradition begins at Holt Renfrew Men, expressed by a store experience that offers a thoughtfully curated collection of the finest brands, an array of men’s services that goes above and beyond, and a store environment that speaks to a man’s sensibility about what a luxury shopping experience should be. 

For more information visit: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2489978/Big-squeeze-family-budgets-continue-2030-household-bills-account-THIRD-spending.html

About Holtrefrew: 

Holt Renfrew, HOLT RENFREW MEN and Ogilvy, part of the Holt Renfrew & Co. collection, in Montreal, are part of Selfridges Group Limited. With extensive know-how and experience in operating luxury fashion retail stores, the Selfridges Group owns and operates leading heritage banners in key markets around the world, including Brown Thomas in Ireland; de Bijenkorf in The Netherlands; Holt Renfrew in Canada, and Selfridges in the United Kingdom. Selfridges Group Limited is a family owned business, W. Galen Weston is Chairman. 

For more information- Please visit Holtrenfrew Canada website:  www.holtrenfrew.com

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Intended Audience: The optimised press release is targeting :

1-Fashion forward Men who loves luxury fashion and follow all latest fashion trends and who enjoy luxury fashion shopping.

2- Media: The press release is targeting journalists, bloggers and media to increase media coverage and achieve the targeted online exposure

Tools used to reach the audience: 

1- Social Media engagement:  including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook buttouns to encourage target audience to share the content on their social media channels

2-Included infographic which contains industry data and a hyperlink  to the latest research on luxury spending which will encourage journalists and bloggers (Target audience) to cover the story from a different angles and share it on their outlets social media channels.
3-  Included a link to Holtrenfrew website to encourage target audience to read more
4- Reduced the length of the article to enhance readability and make the press release less text heavy 

Short description of what I did and why: With the optimised version of the press releases I did the following:


1- Identified and bolded set of keywords associated with Holtrenfrew's brand through Keyword finder (Holtrenfrew Canada,Department store, fashion and shopping)  to ensure that search engines can index it easily which leads to reach out to my target audience
2- Improved content by revising the headline and included a keyword (Holtrenfrew canada) in the headline and answered the 5 "WS" and "h"
3- Included Images to make the content more compelling and increase readers engagement and visibility 
4-  Embedded a video to increase pageviews and audience attention

5- Included two hyperlinks to Holtrenfew website and dailymail latest research to attract journalists to write a story from a different angles  and  to drive traffic to the website  to be able to use the press release as inroads to more information that can be found on the website 
6- I have included the social media buttons to encourage readers to share the content on their own social media channels and broaden the distribution 
7- Included an infographic for a recent industry data which will create more interest among the target audience (Bloggers, Broadcasters, Media ) 

Class blog Assignment

Communication Role in Retail Industry

My Name is Alia Kezbary, I am a Public Relations and Communication professional. Working as a retail manager of one of the international fashion brands in Edmonton. Communication plays a very important role in reaching out to a wider audience through Social media channels, including targeting fashion bloggers across Western Canada to build a brand awareness, brand loyalty and promote latest collections which will result in driving a great sales results.

As part of my day to day tasks is to stay on top of the latest trends in fashion through following different social media channels including key influntial bloggers and work with them to promote my brand to their followers.

Recent social media research shows http://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2015/03/how-social-media-impacts-retail-brands/ that 60% of Retail sales is coming through  social media which prove the great impact social media communications plays on Retail Industry.