Over the next few months I will be interviewing practitioners from the world of public relations and digital marketing from across the globe, people I respect and look up to. I decided to call this series 20:20 Vision. The concept of this is that I ask each practitioner 20 questions about themselves and they give us a glimpse into their working lives and what makes them tick. Most of the people I speak with will have an interest in digital, online or modern public relations strategy.
My first interview was with Arik C. Hanson from Minnesota but this week it is with Crosby Noricks is the founder of PR Couture, co-presenter of the entry-level fashion PR workshop Fashion PR Confidential and author of Ready to Launch: The PR Couture Guide to Breaking into Fashion PR. 
PR Couture is described as a beloved resource among fashion and PR students publicists and fashion brands. Each month, a community of more than 100k followers rely on Crosby and PR Couture to provide fresh insight into public relations, marketing and social media as well as expert interviews, strategy and job leads. She was included in the iMedia 25 Class of 2012 as a key influencer in interactive marketing, and is an experienced fashion & consumer marketing strategist. For nearly five years Crosby was instrumental in establishing and growing the award-winning social media department at Red Door Interactive, a leading digital marketing agency.
1. What is your area of specialism/industry?
Fashion
2. What are you passionate about?
Bringing fashion communicators together to inspire, educate and celebrate one another. Helping creative business owners better communicate their greatness to the right people. Lately, perfecting the almond-to-water ratio to make the perfect homemade coffee creamer.
3. Walk us through your daily routine?
Intentionally quite un-routine-like. Today I had a business coaching session with the owner of a new jewellery company, we discussed her brand values, feedback on the name directions I sent over for her company and what content (visual and written) might work underneath her two favourite options. Then I promoted a few of PR Couture articles across social media. I dropped by boyfriend off at work and popped into my favorite resale boutique where I picked up an amazing vintage black angora sweater will bunnies on it, as well as a Helmut Land dress (also black) for a cool $42. Back at home, I sent over an agreement for a new social media client, reviewed a guest article that will kick off next week’s blog content, answered a ton of emails and assigned my team a bunch of tasks, and now I’m answering these questions!
4. Tell me one interesting fact about you that you have never revealed on your blog?
I tried out for freshman cheerleading in high school. I did not make it.
5. Which is your social media platform of choice and why?
Twitter 100% – it’s the best mix of being able to just have conversations with people, get help to questions and send traffic back to PR Couture and our shop.
6. What’s the best campaign you have been involved in and why?
N/A
7. What do you think the biggest issue effecting your clients or business is this year?
I work not only with fashion brands, but the publicists they hire as well, and I think the challenge stems from the same place. Editorial opportunities are shrinking. Product placement in print fashion magazines no longer drives the same immediate return, style bloggers are charging for Instagram posts and it’s a constant challenge to find creative ways to get brand awareness, recognition and increase demand without a paid media budget.
8. What is your favourite blog/website/podcast (in relation to the topic) and why?
I’m really enjoying the new direction Racked has taken – they consistently publish interesting, unexpected fashion stories. I think they are doing such a great job.
9. What advice would you give to those starting out in the industry (Top tip for newbies)?
Start building your personal brand right now by building a web presence and taking advantage of all the great websites, Twitter chats and platforms available.
10. Do you believe Marketing, PR, and SEO will merge into one?
I do think that boundaries are blurring and that expertise in all will become increasingly important. However, we do risk that whole adage about becoming a jack of all trades, master of none. It’s going to be incredibly rare for one person, for example, to have technical SEO and email marketing knowledge, celebrity relationships, event production capabilities, media relationships and affiliate marketing expertise. We will still be choosing, as individuals, a subject matter expertise. That said, I do think that agencies can either build a reputation on doing one, incredibly powerful thing impeccably well, or evolve and begin to being these different areas under a single roof.
11. Is content really still king and if so which type?
As a communicator, I’m not sure what else there is. Product without context is rarely enough. Content causes discovery. In fashion right now, images are everything.
12. Do you think Google will eventually rid the world of SEO?
Traditional SEO is already changing, I do think that there will always be a need to strategize how to get your information in front of those who are electing to search, as opposed to be simply served up content/results.
13. Do you think brands will have less marketing power over customers as digital grows?
No – I think the right idea, delivered to the right people at the right time will always have tremendous power.
14. Could you point out a campaign that really impressed you this year and why?
No reply
15. How do you think an ever increasing growth in technology will change the marketing sector?
Everything is always changing, technology offers new platforms and functionality with which to engage with key audiences.
16. What do you do in your spare time?
Read books, go on walks, travel, connect with friends.
17. Email or call discuss?
18. It’s the end of the world what would you spend your last £10 on?
Reese’s peanut butter cups.
19. Who would you have your last meal with?
My best friends, my sister and my boyfriend. It’s a dinner party, right?
20. Name one tool you have started using recently which you think is useful?
We started using ASANA a few months back and it’s revolutionized the way I communicate with my team and clients.
Finally, if you have one thought to leave us with what would it be?
If you’re not sure why you’re doing what you’re doing, it’s pretty impossible to get anyone to buy into what you’re doing.
Chris Norton is the founder of Prohibition and an award winning communications consultant with more than twenty years’ experience. He was a lecturer at Leeds Beckett University and has had a varied PR career having worked both in-house and in a number of large consultancies. He is an Integrated PR and social media blogger and writes on a wide variety of blogs across a huge amount of topics from digital marketing, social media marketing right through to technology and crisis management.
