CdM Fashion Careers: Cassandra Volpe and the Future of Social Media Marketing for Fashion

Cassandra Volpe – Account Director at Adaptly

What is your job title and what does a typical day in the life look like?

Account Director (Social Media) at Adaptly

A typical day includes meetings with my internal team and clients to discuss campaign performance and future strategy, putting together media plans and recommendations, working to optimize campaigns in real time, and being sure to take time to keep up with the latest in the industry.

Do you have any advice for someone hoping to get into this field?

Look to get in the door with an agency or API partner who works across multiple social platforms and verticals. Ultimately, this will set you up for several different paths as you discover more about what it is that draws you to this kind of work.
Once you’ve landed a position be a self-starter and a go-getter. If you don’t know the answer to something, research it. Participate in webinars, read articles and blogs written by those in the field, keep up with industry news etc. This will put you a step ahead in this fast changing industry.

What is the biggest difference you’ve noticed between traditional fashion and retail marketing and social media marketing for this industry?

In traditional media, there is often a lot of emphasis put on using elevated and artistic creative. Using print as an example, these often have an editorial vibe and blend in well with the pages of Vogue or Elle magazines.
When we think about how users interact with social media, the behavior is very different. Users are consuming media quickly, on mobile devices, anywhere they are. Creative in these environments need to stand out and very clearly communicate what they are showing in order to have a lasting impact on the user.
Where in print, black and white imagery may have given a sophisticated vibe, users will likely scroll right by that on a news feed filled with color. In television, you may have the users undivided attention for 45 seconds or more but on Social you have 5 seconds to grab someones attention and can only expect to keep it for 15 seconds – so it is important to grab their attention with movement and color and to say what needs to be said quickly and playfully.

How does an awareness campaign differ from a campaign directed at purchasing a specific item online?

Awareness campaigns aim to generate brand buzz and drive your brands narrative. These campaigns aim to show what you have to offer and help introduce your brand or aid in staying top of mind with your audience. Brand marketing may influence sales, but it does not necessarily increase them.
An ad with an objective of selling a specific item would be considered Direct Response. With Direct response your one goal is to drive sales.

Do you ever create campaigns to drive in store traffic?

Driving in-store traffic is a huge focus for many retailers as more and more shopping moves online. Fortunately, there is still a tremendous benefit to the in-store experience of communicating with a real
person who knows the brand as well as seeing and feeling a product in person. In order to effectively drive foot traffic, this in-store experience should be a focus of your advertisements.

Does your messaging differ by social platform? 

The message does and should differ by social platform. Again, think of how the social platform is used and how you can provide value in that context. On Pinterest, users love to see “how-to’s” so showing how to wear an item multiple ways works well. On Instagram, you may use visually beautiful content in relatable outdoor settings.

What do you see for the future of social media marketing in the fashion industry and specifically branded content?

I see things getting a lot more complex with the Virtual Reality on the near horizon. One day, users will be able to virtually hold or try on an item before they order online.

What is the one piece of advice you give to all your clients?

Always be testing! In an ever changing market, what works today might fail tomorrow. In order to succeed you must be dynamic and willing to divert from the original strategy.

CdM Fashion Careers: Larkin Brown Lead Stylist and Researcher at Pinterest

I had the chance to speak with Larkin Brown about her job working in the Pin Factory headquarters at San Francisco recently. Read the interview below to find out about her advice for bloggers and brands who love Pinterest as well as the exciting new things the company has planned for the future! 

What is your job title and what does a typical day in the life look like?

Researcher and Stylist.

A Pinterest perfect moment. Here Larkin styles a shoot to be featured on the platforms style section. Photo courtesy Larkin Brown/Pinterest.

Some days are filled with brainstorming with designers. Other days I might be working with a quantitative researcher digging through the data but my favorite days are when we’re out doing field research with pinners (people who pin) because it’s so inspiring to see people bringing pins to life.

As a stylist sometimes and, this doesn’t happen very often but, when we do our own brand photo shoots I’ll style those and a lot of what I do is that a lot of the insights and data that I find as a researcher and especially on trends I will take that and share it with the media.

Do you have any advice for someone hoping to work in this field?

What has helped me the most is understanding people. If you think about the way people use Pinterest, there are so many ideas and possibilities, we want you to find the one that’s right for you. So much of that is about style, but it’s also about people. My advice is to take classes that are about understanding people so that could be classes in communication, psychology, or sociology. I’ve found that for me that kind of anchoring in my schooling has helped so much in how I’m translating that information about people into style or into the products we’re developing for them.

Fashion is one of the most popular topics on Pinterest, do you have any advice for fashion brands who want to get on the platform?

The good news is that brands are really welcome on Pinterest. Actually 75% of our content on Pinterest is from businesses. There are all these natural pivots that happen so that kind of business or branded content is not only welcome is part of what makes Pinterest so good. Think about Pinterest as you’re allowing someone to peek into your mind, so getting to see the inspiration of the brand or person you admire is really fun for people and pretty unique for Pinterest. It’s allowing people to see the inspiration or thought that went into a collection that makes people feel more connected to that line. Also think about your customer or the audience that you want to reach…what else are they interested in…Home, beauty, food, travel? Which one of those areas do you want to hold equity in as a brand? Then build out boards around that and you don’t have to worry about having to create all this content from scratch. Curating is a big part of Pinterest and it’s really welcome.

How has the “tried it” button affected the Pinterest experience for users and brands so far?

We find that it’s really helpful for them when they’re trying to evaluate if an idea is right for them because they’re getting a sense of how it turned out and also getting tips from other people who’ve tried it before. We also find that people like feeling like they’re helping the community and Pinterest really isn’t a social network. People aren’t using “tries” to get likes; people really use Pinterest for themselves to discover and do the things that they love. It’s that “me” time.

What do you see for the future of fashion focused content on Pinterest and specifically branded content?

So, this is me personally of what I would really want to see I just want to see more body diversity in our content. I think the fashion industry is getting on board with this and I do see it changing and I’d really like to see that change and see it be visible on Pinterest as well. I’d be really excited to see Pinterest play a bigger role in this movement.

How does Pinterest work with content creators and specifically fashion focused creators on the platform?

When we say 75% of content on Pinterest comes from brands we mean businesses or brands that would also include media and independent content creators. A lot of the content that we get on Pinterest, we really rely on the pinners saving it from around the web, so we don’t proactively go out and scrape content from the web. It’s real people, real humans curating it which is part of what’s unique about Pinterest. However, we do have a team that works with the bigger partners and brands and also bloggers, influencers, and independent content creators. We invite them to trainings and meet with them one on one. Also we want their input on features because they’re such a part of the Pinterest ecosystem, we want to get their input too.

I think in the future we see an opportunity to have Pinterest hosted events where we could invite a lot of these content creators more into what we call the pin factory here at headquarters and spend even more time with them. We are excited to do more events.

What do you see for video pins as it relates to the fashion and beauty industries?

I’m most excited about integrating more beauty tutorials into Pinterest and I really I think we have so much good content at Pinterest but what is one of the things that’s special about it is… its all humanely curated.

Something I’d really like to see more of is that if you’re looking you know, at like a beautiful face shot that we could have a beauty tutorial mixed in underneath that was like, hey how to do the perfect cat eye right, if there’s a cat eye in that face and the idea of having that amongst the related items is really exciting because, then its not just about buying the products its not just about finding other inspiration there can be a how to element which is so core to Pinterest and what people use it for.

As a search tool what does Pinterest see for advertising and e-commerce on the platform?

 What do you see for the future of fashion on shoppable Pinterest?

I think our biggest opportunity there is around building bridges to connect those moments of discovery to shopping or buying for something.

 If you already know what you want, if you already know like the shoe and the brand and what
you’re looking for, going to google or going to a department store e-commerce site is going to be 
faster and better for you and we really don’t need to replace that.

I think our big opportunity is when you don’t quite know what you want, where you might not have like the terminology to search for it in google coming to Pinterest and discovering oh, you know what, actually I want a block heel booty… where it’s like a little higher over your ankles like, maybe you don’t know that’s called but you realize, oh my gosh that’s what I want that’s what’s going to feel modern for fall for me and then being able to connect that to either buying it like clicking through to the retailer or buying it right on Pinterest or finding something similar. It’s about when you don’t quite know what you want trying to connect that to a shopping experience.

How do you think visual search can work for fashion and retail companies? How do you think it will affect the e-commerce experience? The in-store experience?

One of the big pain points that we see is just it’s difficult to gauge if somethings going to fit you or 

not and part of it is fit but there also is an element of just like is this going to look good on me

sometimes it’s about color… and in the beauty world, like a color cosmetic, you know is that lip 

color or blush going to work on me.

I’m really excited about using visual search as a way to gauge if is something is going to work for you  and I’ll say you know I think the technology isn’t quite there yet but, I’m excited about that direction. Whether it’s like color matching with foundation or imagine you’re like in a store and you’re really excited about a piece but they don’t have your size in stock and, your debating oh well do I order it and like see if the size you know up or down fits me. That’s still a pain point and I think there is something in this visual discovery technology and the visual search technology that could really help…that really hasn’t been resolved yet with online shopping. I mean the closest thing we have right now is like free shipping, you can try it at home! And it seems like there’s something more we could do there.

CdM Fashion Careers: Gladys Tamez Milliner to the Stars

@gladys_tamez_millinery talking about her latest collection inspired by #oldhollywoodglamour and her experience designing the infamous pink hat for @ladygaga #hats #milliner #losangeles #hollywood #millinertothestars #ladygaga #pinkhat #ladygagatour #ladygagastyle #ronrobinson #melroseave #melrose #shopping #fblogger #california #fashionblogger #celebritystyle #fashion #summer #fashiondesigner #cool #cerisesdumatin #classic #laurenbacall #goldenera #classicstyle #hollywoodland

A post shared by SierraClair (@cerisesdumatin) on Mar 23, 2017 at 5:47pm PDT

Today I interviewed Gladys Tamez at the Ron Robinson store on Melrose Avenue where she was launching her new SS17 collection “Hollywoodland” Gladys Tamez owns her own millinery studio in downtown Los Angeles where she creates hats of every style by hand. She is inspired by the European tradition and craftsmanship but, the designer ultimately has a unique LA spin on her designs adding wild prints and bright colors to her elegant designs. While her designs are unique Gladys herself is exactly what you would expect from a milliner, never still she passionately described her collection to me in her exotic accent all while styling customers and merchandising the hats on display. Gladys is most well known for designing Lady Gaga’s famous pink hat that is now the icon of the singers “Joanne” world tour. Lady Gaga’s favorite color is pink after all and according to Gladys of the 60 some hats she has in her collection the pink one still remains one of her top favorites. The designer told me that she loved designing for Lady Gaga and it was an amazing experience. She has since gained several more high profile clients in both the entertainment and fashion industries. She offers private consulting and custom styling in her downtown studio where she also designs for her collection.

 As the accessories market grows and customers are favoring high quality unique pieces, hats have made a revival in retail stores and become a staple item for fashionistas everywhere. The designer has moved into more commercial designs since her rise to fame and has started to create more retail collections for high end boutiques. The Hollywoodland collection is sold exclusively at Ron Robinson stores as it fits perfectly with the stores’ Los Angeles heritage and was an immediate hit among the store’s customers. Gladys found inspiration for the collection in old Hollywood celebrities such as Grace Kelly and Marlin Brando and each hat in the line bears the name of its inspiration. 

The Grace Kelly hat pictured in the center of the display

The collection is truly an homage to the silver screen and the lookbook even features the son of Salvatore Ferragamo as a model posing in black and white glamour shots. The designer is constantly on the move working on her next big project and growing her successful business, proof that there is always room for new talent, even in an unlikely and traditionally male dominated career such as a milliner.

CdM Fashion Careers: Amy Roiland Fashion Blogger

Amy Roiland, Successful LA fashion blogger
www.FashionTap.com

@FashionTapApp
@Afashionnerd

www.afashionnerd.com

(Amy and I at the Melange tradeshow last week!)

Where did you go to school and what did you study? Did you always know you wanted to be a fashion blogger?   
- I went to CSUN and studied fashion merchandising and marketing. I started several blogs back in 2008  and finally started my current blog A Fashion Nerd over 2 years ago. I didn’t always know I wanted to be a fashion blogger I just kind of fell into it.

Why did you start blogging?
 I started blogging to help express myself and show others how to style different outfits. My style is very quirky so it can be hard for some to relate to me but fun to watch.

What blogger platform do you use?  Blogger.com

When you first started blogging, how did you grow your followers and contacts? Did you use any paid services for managing/marketing your blog? 
I started my blog A Fashion Nerd over 2 years ago and I now have over 37k followers on Instagram and over 7 million vine views. I grew all of my followers organically. I worked with some bigger brands who started posting me on their social media outlets, this is how I grew fast. I also have some youtube celebrity friends and when they took a photo with me and posted it to their large audience I would gain a lot of attention and followers. I also did some big collaborations with some really big brands and when they would repost me I would blow up. I worked VERY hard to get my followers. Don’t ever pay for them because people will find out!

How often did you post starting out? And now? 
 I posted blog posts every single day sometimes 2 times a day. I have over 730 blog posts to this day. I worked so hard and even posted blogs when I didn’t feel so well. I always shot my own photos, I use a tri pod and a clicker to take my own shots. I would travel around alone taking my own photos and getting them up the same day. I would post them on every social media outlet as well. I was consistent and nothing could get in my way. I now post once a day on Instagram and 3 times a day on FashionTap. I post a blog maybe twice a week. I am so busy lately with my app FashionTap I don’t have much time.

How many people do you have on your team now?  Just me.

What was the biggest challenge you faced starting out as a blogger and how did you overcome it?  Growing my audience was difficult. I just kept going and going and going and I wasn’t going to stop until I was big. It’s even harder now to grow your audience on an over saturated platform like Instagram. When you #fashionblogger you see food, dogs, spam… FashionTap will allow bloggers to be found by designers and other people in our database. Not only that FashionTap will allow you bloggers to be paid way easier than anywhere else. You can easily monetize your outfits on your photos on FashionTap.

Was there a turning point when you reached success and how did you know what the catalyst was? I didn’t know the exact catalyst for my blogging success. I really feel happy lately because I am working with brands like Jeffrey Campbell, Manoush, and Free People. This is huge for me. I never thought I would get to work with such big brands. I  think staying consistent and being persistent is key.

What are you doing now? Tell us about FashionTap app? 
Right now I am focusing my main attention on my app FashionTap. FashionTap is a fashion social network where users can directly tag their beauty products and clothes onto their images and when people click on what they’ve tagged they make money up to 50% of the sale. FashionTap is also a fashion database where everyone in fashion can finally be found by location and by category. If you search Austin TX you will see bloggers, brands, designers, stylists, boutiques, pr firms, models, hair, makeup, photographers, retailers, and fashion enthusiasts.

What do you see yourself doing in the future? 
Designing my own clothing line and shoe line and working as the CEO of FashionTap as well. I also want to be a motivational speaker one day and really help everyone realize their potential! You can do whatever you want always, you just have to focus on what you want.