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November 1999 Image The Luster of Publicity Pearls' biggest U.S. proponent shares some PR secrets Ah, the life of a New York City fashion editor. She gets invited to the best parties, chats with famous people and dictates to millions of women what they should wear every day. Everyone wants to be her friend, but very few have figured out exactly how to get her to notice them. Devin Macnow may have discovered the secret. The executive
director of the New York City-based Cultured Pearl Information
Center may not have single-handedly gotten cultured pearl jewelry
back on the pages of the fashion magazines, but his public relations
efforts haven't gone unnoticed. CPIC's tony luncheons and fashion
shows, constant contact with celebrity stylists and fashion -
forward photography have made the consumer fashion press look
at pearl jewelry – again and again. "We devote about 80% of our promotional efforts to the consumer press," Macnow says. "The vast majority of American women's purchasing decisions are based on what they read and see in the nation's fashion magazines and newspapers." To laud a product known in the U.S. primarily as a conservative, traditional gift for special occasions – weddings and graduations, mostly – Telepress took a different approach, pushing cultured pearl jewelry primarily as a cutting-edge fashion while still emphasizing its value. Staying on Top of the Pile Macnow also represents the South Sea Pearl Consortium in the U.S.; recent promotions have been funded partially by Perles de Tahiti GIE and the Cultured Pearl Association of America. But he still executes promotions with a small staff and relatively limited budget. For maximum effect, he tries to get inside consumer editors' minds to grab their attention and make their lives easier. "Fashion editors get 200 pieces of mail from PR folks everyday," Macnow says. "They don't have time to read every piece – they'll look at the ones that stand out, that are unique yet relevant." Each month he reads the major fashion magazines, including European magazines that use edgy photography and fashions. He matches current clothing styles with cultured pearl designs in his own photo shoots to give editors a quick, practical look at the possibilities. He also designs unusual, sometimes outrageous images that are sure to get a second glance. But never expect those photos, which he binds into an annual trend portfolio, to end up in the magazines, he warns. "Consumer magazines like to do their own photography." His biggest success with fashion editors has been his designer
luncheons, where the press gets to meet the hottest cultured
pearl jewelry designers of the season while on lunch breaks.
"We somehow had to give them a quick snapshot of the trends
at a time that's convenient for them," Macnow says. "The competition is very fierce among the jewelry categories, retailers and designers," he says. "There are usually four or five decision-makers – everyone from the hairdresser to the public relations person to the celebrity's mother." – by Stacey King
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