PURPLE BLAB

I know I’ve been MIA but between speed dating and our HSN launch, I’ve done nothing but eat, sleep, and breathe Purple Lab. Luckily, I love my job. It has been exciting to watch Karen and Todd grow the business. What an honor to be a part of it! (Next stop: real office!)

Anyway, here’s what I was doing while Karen was in Florida for HSN. For those of you who attended the Purple Lab HSN launch party at Meet in NYC last Thursday, whether in person or on Skype or Twitter, you know it was a blast.

We are INSANE here in the office as we prep for our speed dating event, hosted by master matchmaker Steve Ward at W Hoboken. INSANE! The email box is overflowing with date-ready girls (thank you, our XX-Chromosomal friends!) and the wait list is growing by the second! And some of my personal friends can’t get in now because we’re at capacity. 

This is literally what Sharon looks like in her overwhelmed moments!

I think that a ton will drop off on the day of – they always do. So we have a big wait list going.

You may think Crisis Management PR is only relevant to publicists who represent celebrities like Lindsay Lohan, politicians like Elliot Spitzer and models like Kate Moss (our favorite who always comes out on top). Well, think again! Beauty publicists need to be schooled in Crisis Management PR too, right alongside Paris Hilton’s peeps.

Not sure who was hanging out on YouTube last Saturday night at 10pm, but I can tell you who was…me!

Purple Lab ran into a bit of a PR crisis two week ago after posting what we thought to be a successful Dayton, Ohio news segment featuring Huge Lips Skinny Hips.

Today we are going to jump into PR – and what the F it is. If you read my last post, you learned about one component of public relations, event planning. As the Communications Director, that is just one of the many hats I wear. So if you are thinking about getting into PR or just want do know what PR is (trust me, don’t be embarrassed I have been in the field for years and my parents still don’t really get it), today is your lucky day. Here’s the scoop:

First, let’s address the biggest question out there:

This post is brought to you by Sharon, our Director of Communications. She’ll be “blabbing” about Purple Lab culture, PR, and what goes on behind the scenes for her office (a.k.a. mother-in-law’s card table in the middle of Karen’s living room).

Here it is!

As Purple Lab’s Communications Director, my responsibility is to make sure our products and brand are introduced to the media in an interactive and memorable way. One way to do this is by hosting an event.

Just want to pause for a minute to tell you about Sharon Hirsch.

She is Purple Lab’s Communications Director and she kicks ass!

She didn’t technically come into the picture on staff until late June, but I have known her – and been wanting to hire her – for over two years.

As we were YouTubing for some new vlogs, I took a call and Sharon jumped in (BTW, she currently works in the living room at my mother-in-law’s bridge table, sandwiched between the back of the sofa and the pole! Oh, the joy of a start-up!).

At a later date, I must come back to Space.NK – it’s a loooong story, sort of like dating the guy you always, always had a crush on only to find out he’s a terrible kisser!

But now we’re back on the press kit. I was finally able to nip, tuck, finish.

PR 101: Editors, writers, journalists, media types, bloggers… they get hundreds of press kits and product samples every week. When you’re in their position, everyone wants you to cover them so they drench you in product.