Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York

Our Favorite Fashion Pubs Double as Reality TV Stars

According to the weather related definitions of the seasons, spring is the season for newness. I would argue that fall is the real season of newness with everyone looking to make a fresh start.  School starts, fall fashion reigns, Broadway shows debut and perhaps most exciting of all—television begins its season.  

I must admit, I am the most excited about Vinny Chase coming back into my life at last with the return of Entourage this season BUT there are some newbies that have caught my attention as well.  According to our Haute List - 90210 and Kath and Kim will be the new shows to watch out for.

As PR professionals we should be looking out for a new editorially affiliated reality show.  Stylista, referred to as Devil Wears Prada in a reality show, will be hitting the airwaves for the first time this October. The show features “Andy” wannabees competing under the scrutiny of Elle’s fashion director Anne Slowey to become a junior editor at the magazine.

The presence of a fashion editorial in a reality show is hardly a new publicity tactic.  We saw Teen Vogue’s presence in the plot of The Hills a few seasons in a row (People’s Revolution PR has picked up where they left off this season).   Seventeen’s Editor in Chief always appears in a few challenges in America’s Next Top Model in addition to the portion of the ANTM prize being the cover and a 5-page spread in the magazine (as Tyra robotically reminds us each and every panel). And of course Elle has had a long time presence in Project Runway and now fronts Stylista.

Besides the obvious publicity received from the integration of the magazine into the show’s content, series contract’s often include other publicity measures for the magazine.  Essentially the magazine becomes a part of the brand package the series conveys to the public whether it be through advertisements, release parties, special events etc.  Sometimes magazines even hold the exclusive rights to ad space for the show.  Sounds like a win-win situation, right?

Well, there are a few challenges that can arise with this type of exposure. Personalities cast to represent the magazine might be doing well on the show, but could lose their place on the magazine’s staff while the show is actually airing.  Two words: Project Runway.

Runway’s long time editorial affiliation with Elle has been exhibited through Nina Garcia, former fashion director of the magazine.  The likable Garcia effectively put Elle back on the map in the fashion cult series.  Recent staff reconstruction at Elle left Garcia without a job.  Runway felt Garcia was an integral part of the show’s success so they kept her on the show even prior to the news that she would be the fashion director at Marie Claire (starting today actually).  Runway immediately picked up the mag as a future sponsor upon hearing this news.  Because these shows aren’t broadcasted live, Garcia will still be representing Elle as an “editor-at-large” in the upcoming season.  Does this very publicized debacle negatively affect the image of Elle?  Add a positive one to Marie Claire? How does this influence the success of Stylista, fronted by Slowey?
 
Apparently, the repercussions of reality television participation are mostly positive.  There are talks of a Runway spin-off that would feature Nina Garcia and the staff of Marie Claire somehow. How do you feel? Does it bode well for magazines to expose themselves through the medium of “reality” TV? Is TV presence going to determine the overall readership of a magazine?