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.

The segment was a publicist’s dream – five minutes, brand exclusivity, visuals galore, and all positive reviews from credible sources. (Now if only the Today Show would catch on!)

Because the segment only aired locally, we decided to share it with a larger audience by posting it on our social media outlets, one of them being YouTube.

Immediately, multiple viewers watched. An hour later, hundreds. By evening, thousands. P.S. with all of our fun, crazy antics – burlesque, pole dancing, runway lessons – THIS is the one that caught on! I mean… sumo… come on… our bloggess friend Michelle Joni Lapidos took to the mat in hot pink Jimmy Choos!

Check out her “Sumo Choos”!

As the viewership continued to grow, so did the comments – and they weren’t all positive. The Dayton Ohio ABC News decided to feature Huge Lips Skinny Hips after coming across a video review from the popular – and absolutely adorable - beauty guru, JuicyStar07 (a.k.a. Blair), who also happens to a friend of Purple Lab’s.

We saw her channel a few months ago and fell in love with her – her in that all-pink bedroom in Tennessee. She did the most amazing video. We never asked her to do it. It was totally organic; she didn’t HAVE make a vid just because we sent her a gloss. A million brands send her (and online influencers) products in the hopes that they’re cover it, no different than journalist/beauty editors/fashion editors, really.

Anyway, her seven minute video on us was just about the best thing I have ever seen!

Karen and I reached out to her to say thank you – how could we not show our appreciation? And when she mentioned she’d be in NYC soon, we offered to take her for a mani pedi (we met her mom and sister, Elle, too… they couldn’t be lovelier).

JuicyStar07 has become insanely popular over the past few months, which has caused some controversy amongst the YouTube community. Just like any celebrity, the more popular you become, the more people want to know about you. Think about it – no one cared who Kim Kardashian was until she was photographed all over the place with celebutante Paris Hilton.

Now, she has her own reality show and her career is booming. So are the tabloids over her on-again off-again relationship with Reggie Bush, her curves and the debate of whether she really dyed her hair platinum for that short stint over the summer (I totally think it was a wig).

So, as Blair’s career grew at full force, her fans wanted to know more about her. And everyone has opinions… no different than celebrities you read about in US. Fact is, she is smart and savvy and already making a career for herself. It’s sad that there are nay-sayers out there, but they’re out there all the time, so it’s part of life… and the media.

That is where crisis management comes in.

As mentioned earlier, the comments began to roll in, in large amounts and our YouTube page became an open forum for JuicyStar07 haters, which is so not the place because A) Purple Lab has a great relationship with her and we don’t want anyone bashing our friends and B) No brand wants to see negative comments on their page.

As the backlash grew, the comments grew deeper and I have to say meaner! Comments about Huge Lips Skinny Hips and our relationship with JuicyStar07 were expressed, and they weren’t pretty. People wanted to know, “Did we send her product for free,” “Why are we promoting weight loss,” “Do we bribe the media…” The list goes on…

1. We did send her a gloss

2. We did not pay or bribe her

3. We met her in person and took her for mani pedi

4. There was all sorts of comments about whether we did or did not buy her a Coach bag because she received one as a gift when we met… we did NOT purchase a Coach bag for her

About our brand:

1. We are NOT promoting weight loss or defining skinny

2. We are being fun and cheeky

3. Huge Lips Skinny Hips is meant to be a reminder – because of the Hoodia ingredient – to be healthy and mindful; appetite is often about the head, not the stomach (i.e. I’m eating now and I am full from lunch)

How did we handle the situation?

First of all, this is what I looked like:

We replied to everyone. We expressed our perspective to clear up the confusion. And we never deleted a comment – it’s not natural for everyone to only have glowing things to say and we’re so passionate about what we do here that we don’t feel like we should manipulate anything.

That said, I want to outline the Do’s and Don’t of Crisis Management PR so you can learn how we handled the situation and what you can do if you find your brand (even if your brand is YOU) in a similar one.

• Do have an open dialogue. When someone posts a comment, whether positive or negative, respond to them. If the comment is positive, thank them for their support and make sure to personalize the comment each time, you don’t want it to come off like an automated response. If the comment is negative, again thank them for visiting your site (even though you don’t want to!) and attempt to clear the air – maybe they were misinformed about your brand, the situation, etc. A simple explanation could turn them into a supporter. Also, encourage them to learn more about your brand by visiting your website, Facebook page, etc. this way they will become well versed and educated about your brand and hopefully debunk any other rumors that are out their amongst consumers. Turn these people into brand advocates.

• Don’t erase comments. This is a BIG don’t. By erasing comments, you quickly will lose credibility. As long as you follow the instructions above, it is ok for consumers to speak negatively about your product, because if you respond properly, you may change their opinion. In addition to losing credibility, consumers will become less trustworthy of your brand. They will know when comments are erased and will most likely call you out on it, which lets face it, is embarrassing!

• Don’t let consumers bully you. Although you still want to be polite and treat each and every consumer with respect, stand up for your brand and your philosophy. But don’t engage in so much back and forth if what you’re saying is not putting someone at ease – sometimes, there’s just nothing you can do. But showing consumers how much you believe in what you’re about could encourage them to learn more about you and the brand, hopefully evoking an emotional connection.

• Don’t get defensive. As I mentioned earlier, don’t let consumers bully you, but don’t bully them either! Remember these are the people who evidently control your brand’s destiny (and sales). The last thing you want to do is leave a bad taste in their mouth. Do not respond to consumers with an attitude and do not ever tell them they are wrong. To avoid coming off as defensive, be selective with your wording (i.e. don’t reply when you’re all worked up!). For example, instead of, “You are wrong,” respond with, “I am afraid you may be misinformed.”

• Don’t change your story. And if you’re telling the truth, you won’t have to change your story (unless you’re a dirty politician – they put a whole new spin on things). Lay out the entire story from the beginning. Don’t leave anything out because most likely, those tiny, unmentioned details will surface eventually and that will only provoke more questions from consumers.

• Do craft a statement. As mentioned above, once you have your response, share it with consumers! After our fiasco, Karen filmed a video response that viewers could watch to get the story straight. Keep it short and sweet. The longer you speak the guiltier you may seem!

• Do act in a timely manner. Stay on top of the negative comments and respond as quickly as possibly. It may not always be at the most convenient time (i.e. Saturday night at 10am – did I mention I was at my Grandfather’s 90^th birthday?) but it is so important. Don’t let more than an hour or so go by because the longer you let consumers rant and rave, the more gossip will appear. The last thing you want is supporters of your brand to read negative comments ignored by the brand, because they may start believing them! The sooner you address the negatives comments, the sooner you will clear up the misconceptions.

In case you are wondering, our crisis has, at the moment, been averted. But, if you have any Crisis PR situations of our own and need advice, please email me at Sharon@PurpleLabNYC.com

Mwah!

Sharon

Communications Queen

Where were we last time I gave you the business building update (still trying to catch us up to current day and we’re so close, I can taste it).

It was summer. We were on the verge of leveraging one of Todd’s properties in Brooklyn to squeeze out some cash to continue funding Purple Lab’s further product development (there were 50 products in my head that I was itching to get out), production, and overall growth.

Just as we met with a big gun who was able to do the deal with us, we got THE CALL. The call we were waiting for and hoping for and praying for since day one… the call that would potentially end all stress, all suffering, all bankrupting (financially, emotionally, physically).

It was a call from a very well connected, beauty-entreched mogul who owned many a brand, has a family who has been in the industry for more years than I have been alive, and is very close with a major direct to consumer electronic sales company (i.e. TV – three letters… you do the math).

He was interested in creating a partnership – he does all back end (our weakness); we do all front end (our strength).

Just what the therapist ordered. Still, it’s a long way from a call to a signed legal document. But it was on… almost.

The story in detail is below!

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix

So what happens when you unleash a Multi-Tasking Maven into the wild streets of New York City?

Her hair comes down and out comes an inner pole-dancing superstar!

Maven at work!

I tried, I loved, and I conquered the pole! I am now officially “Kitty Poledancer,” the pretty pink gloss shade of Huge Lips Skinny Hips that was inspired by Creatrix Karen’s favorite form of exercise (can you believe this was a job requirement?).

S Factor was exactly what I hoped for and nothing that I expected all wrapped up into one invigorating two-hour experience that left a kink in my neck (so worth it!) and some pep in my step saunter.  

Make that a new… slow… sultry… sexy walk that I try to do as often as possible, even in the Purple Lab office if need be.

The S-Factor walk, which is a vital part of the class and philosophy of the studio, may be a pedicure-killer (as you take one step forward, you drag your other foot up to meet it), but it’s worth every chip of my dark purple polish.

The saucy workout franchise is the brainchild of actress/author/dancer, Sheila Kelly who created the wonderful world of S when she had to be a stripper in a movie and fell in love with the movements of the pole. A little bit yoga, a little bit sex pot, Kitty Poledancer is so good, I honestly think it should be mandatory for anyone with two X-chromosomes (Karen swears she’ll teach her daughter – if she has one – to get on the pole the minute she can walk!).

The first hour of my intro class was spent warming up. Hair had to come down (it’s part of sensuality). The room was dark. There were no mirrors (hence, no self criticism). We were asked to close our eyes (no fear of others judging us). And We were instructed to feel every ounce of curves as we slithered from one stretch postion to the next. Even the ab session felt hot!

I can’t lie – when we got to the pole, I felt self consicously silly and almost childish, like I was forcing myself to be “sexy.” Isn’t being sexy just something you naturally have or isn’t sexiness supposed to be a quality that someone just naturally exudes? Well, I was feeling anything but  “sexy” while tripping over my own feet and rolling my hips like my life depended on it,  but as I almost hit my face against the wall, it clicked!

This is a kind of sexy that isn’t based on the perception of another. This isn’t the sexy you get from a magazine of an airbrushed cover girl meant to be ogled. This sexy belonged only to me and was all my own to control – Tiffany’s bubble of sexy where feeling good in my own skin was the only thing that mattered.

The self-conscious feelings dissipated when I soon realized the women around me were tripping up too, some were smiling and some were serious but all were enjoying themselves in their own respective bubbles, complete with “Bittersweet Symphony” oozing from the speakers. (Love that song.)

When it came time for us to learn our trics, I watched in awe as our instructor Ilov (pronounced I-Love, yes, her real name) gave us a preview of the “basic” firefly. (Click here to see Karen’s take on it – around the pole in her apt office.) 

I doubted the fact that my body could move that way, but by the end of the class I was whipping and whirling around the pole at ease. (And all of us girls cheered each other on the whole time.) 

If you’re in NYC definitely try to get a lesson with the famed Barbara Dial (Karen’s teacher) who won the Pole Superstar competition held in NYC. Watching her, even on camera, is so mesmerizing!

Actually, you can see her – and all of S-Factor here – too!

More trying soon!

Mwah!

Tiffany

Communications Princess

In the last chapter of the Purple Lab tale, I was seeing my psychic/astrologer Karen Thorne. She said our lives would clear up – a huge level of stress would be released – by mid-summer.

It was in the stars, apparently. It was decided.

And it actually happened… just when we got down to our last $58.22!

Our heads were spinning.

We were developing SWAC,  scrounging for components (we did not go back to the original manufacturer who sent us the 30,000 damaged guys). We found a vendor who has really interesting packaging and clients whose products you definitely use (I am not sure if I’d be allowed to say who but let’s just say that their biggest one rhymes with Shack).

It was a squeezy tube but not in a typical shape – more sleek and sophisticated. Our branding genius, JD of Calliope Studios, was working on a logo. I thought it would be nice to give SWAC its own identity – and to move away from purple packaging so that it stands out on a counter.

That was in progress – and coming along beautifully.

Our packaging engineer was on top of the lab, managing the go-between with the vendor making our boxes and the “love note” inserts, the people who shrink wrap the glosses and pack them in shipping boxes which eventually are delivered to retailers. It was running smoothly. Finally.

But not so much financially.

In our road to finding investors – and by investors, we mean THE RIGHT investors, the kind who have the experience we lacked and the kind who could partner with us to create something bigger than we could on our own – we were near destitute.

Todd and I talked about putting up one of our his properties to get a loan and continue to finance the brand (at the rate we were going, we couldn’t even remotely expand, support major retail distribution properly and develop the next dozen products I was dying to create).

And it was when we were down to the final hour that it all came together – exactly as our psychic predicted.

I can go on but here’s the story via vlog!

Stay tuned…

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix

Meet Tiffany!

She is a multi-tasking maven at Purple Lab and a vital part of the team. Her exact title: Communications Assistant. But she is really so much more.

I love her. And you will, too. Here she is…

Hello Purple Blabies!

Many of you may know me as @tiffpurplelab on Twitter but there’s more to this chica beyond the @ symbol. My name is Tiffany Perez and I am a proud multi-tasking maven for Purple Lab! Recently, on a brainstorming mission with my fellow mavens at the delectable Le Petit Quotidien (SO delish, must try ASAP if you have not!), we came up with idea to make our own personalized contributions to the Purple Lifestyle.

With that said, us multi-tasking mavens will share our individual desires and knowledge each week. So what will you hear from me? Along with the help of our brilliant Social Media Chanteuse, Dee, we developed the idea of “Tiffany Tries” where every week I will venture into the concrete jungle that is NYC, trying the latest, greatest and strangest things this exciting city has to offer.

So why is this fun for you? The readers get to decide what I try. Maybe it’s something you are too afraid to try and need a guinea pig or maybe you aren’t in the NYC area and are dying to try a new restaurant. Throughout my journey, I will show you – the good, the bad and the ugly, no discrimination here (so long as we remain in the general NYC area of course)! I will be sharing my try-riffic experiences with you via blogpost here at Purple Blab and video footage as well. I’ll have a camera in tow wherever and whenever I try something new to keep you in the know!

My very first “Tiffany Tries” experience will be THIS FRIDAY! My adventure will be a Purple Lab inspiration tour, showcasing a few of the amazing locations that inspired Creatrix, Karen Robinovitz to launch Purple Lab.  First stop, S Factor for a pole dancing class. Pole dancing is Karen’s favorite workout and her inspiration behind the Huge Lips Skinny Hips shade Kitty Poledancer! (See our video about it!)

Got my flipcam, yoga mat and booty shaking all ready to go! Stay tuned for the inside scoop on what’s new, chic, funky and quirky around town! Once I complete my “Tour du Creatrix” I will be reaching out to YOU! Yes, you! So get ready…

Mwah!

Tiffany

Communications Princess

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:

What is the different between PR and Advertising?

Public Relations is free publicity and media exposure. In order to generate buzz you need to break through the clutter and get the media’s attention (i.e editors, reporters, bloggers, producers, etc.) You need to be able to spin your angle so it’s timely and newsworthy. This will hopefully result in media coverage.

I send out pitches (see below for definition) almost every day to the media – it may involve stalking (but you have to be charming about it – a little more than persistent and less than restraining order). Sometimes they cover it and sometimes they don’t. If they do, once the information is sent to them, you have no control over how the media will present it (hard for me – control freak that I am). They’re totally not obligated to feature the news you send them. In fact, most of the time they probably won’t. Once you send out information to the media, you can’t send them the same info again. And if one publication does your story, another one won’t do the same angle which means you need something else. Key: You have to keep your angles fresh and new.

Consumers read magazines and newspaper because they trust the information they are reading. They see editors and reporters as influencers. So if their trusted source is recommending a product, they know it must be good. But, remember this can work both ways. If the editors or reporters hate the product, they can write that too.

An example of PR:

Advertising is space the company pays for (print, online, on air, radio, etc.). A brand knows exactly when the ad will be aired or published. If a company is going to advertise, they need to shell out some serious bank. Most magazine ads start at $60k!!! Because you’re paying for the space, you have creative control and decide what the ad says and how it looks. Also, the same ads run over and over again.

Consumers know that an ad is paid for and they are trying to be sold a product. The good part is they have controlled messaging so they always present their product in a positive light, which may not always happen in PR.

An example of advertising:

Next, let’s go into some of the PR lingo…

Public Relations Agency: Hired by a company to do the work for them! Some big ones in NYC are Marina Maher Communications, Edelman and Ogilvy!

In-house Public Relations: Like Purple Lab, the PR is handled by a team that works directly for the company.

Press kit: A packaged set of promotional materials, like photographs and background information for a product that will be given to the media. The more eye catching it looks, the more likely the media will pay attention to it – the people who decide who gets through the velvet rope (i.e. magazine pages) are sent thousands a week. If you don’t stand out, you may as well not send it. It’ll get relegated to a pile that eventually resides in the garbage. (Purple Lab’s is glam, sexy, delish… who could resist?).

Press Release: An announcement of an event, performance, or other newsworthy story that is sent to the media, sometimes in a press kit.

Fact Sheet: A page in a press kit that gives the media fast facts about products, like benefits, features, images, price points, where it’s sold etc. FYI: If you cannot point to where a product is sold – if you’re pitching a product – you will not get press. So you need a retailer before you can do any of this. See ours, below.

Pitch: A persuasive conversation, letter or email that grabs the attention of the media (i.e. Celebs everywhere are sporting plump, juicy lips. To achieve this look, wear Huge Lips Skinny Hips).

Feature: A media story that features your product and your product alone. Ideal!

Round-up: A media story that features your product along with other similar ones. (i.e. lip plumper story that features Huge Lips Skinny Hips along side a few other plumpers on the market). Golden rule in journalism: three = a trend.

Media list: I am all about organization. It is important to put all of your media contacts’ information into an excel sheet. Your media list will need to be updated constantly as editors and reporters are always moving around within the industry. Alphabetize.

Long-lead media: Your favorite magazines, Glamour, Elle, Vogue, etc. It is called long-lead because there is a 3-5 month lead time of when they need the information to print in the mag.

Long-lead event: You guessed it, an event for the long-loads, a.k.a. magazine editors.

Desk side: Editors are so busy, so sometimes we bring the news to them. We will go into their office. The Hearst and Conde Nast building are to die for – and the home of many a magazine! We bring them product, press materials and present the information. Best to do this with the face of the brand. In this case, Karen. We usually will bring something sweet, (like Crumbs cupcakes) as a gift to thank them for their time.

Short-lead media: Newspapers, internet, TV. News can run immediate through these media outlets. For the celeb “books,” which is what magazines are called in the industry, you need to tie the pitch to a star. The more A-List the better. How to get to the stars? Read Karen’s post!

Short-lead event: These events are usually consumer focused (i.e. Purple Lab’s speed dating event next year – more to come on that).

B-Roll: Pre-recorded television footage. Usually taken at short-lead events and then pitched to broadcast media that couldn’t attend. Used for TV segments, when you see the action after it happens or watch a scene with a voice over.

So there you have the basics to PR. Still confused? Have any other questions you want me to answer?

Email me sharon@purplelabnyc.com

MWAH!!!

Sharon

Communications Queen

 Are you watching that show Shark Tank?

Watching it is like a mirror image of my life – presenting a company to big wigs who can help make or break it. This is my own little version of it – without Barbara Corcoran!

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix

Oh, just a mish mash of stuff as I tell the brand’s story – my own little guideline to the insider look of launching a business and what it took us to get where we are… and where we’ll be going.

I cover a little bit of everything – from getting our product to Mr. Fierce Christian Siriano (and securing a placement in In Touch!) to raising money (still!), finding the right investors (not easy) and more purple love.

Here you go!

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix

I am obsessed with social media. I Tweet like a 12 year-old, Facebook like a fool, MySpace like a maniac, YouTube like a… what’s an addict-like word that starts with a “Y” so I can keep the illiteration? You get the point.

Every month, Purple Lab has a “Tweet-Up,” a fun little gathering with the girls we follow on Twitter, Facebook friends, and bloggesses we heart. They’re themed, out of the box, often times kind of crazy.

Our shade Love Your Thighs (visual aid below!), is about – well – loving your thighs. Us women, myself DEFINITELY included, are so hard on ourselves. And all of the time we spend worrying about our thighs – how they look in jeans (guilty here), how they look in a bathing suit (double guilty here), how they look in general (again, guilty guilty guilty!) – could be spent doing something positive.

So this shade is my mantra to feeling good in your skin.

This color – see – it should make you happy…

In honor of the spirit of embracing your thighs, I rented sumo suits and took the girls – Felicia Sullivan, Kristin Booker, Nancy Ti, Michelle Joni Lapidus, Dee Nuncio (our very own “social media chanteuse”), Migdalia Rivera, and Felicia Walker Benson,  and Amy Palmer got down and dirty (and feasted on Crumbs cupcakes – mmm… Oreo flavor!).

At Church Street Boxing, a sweat-infested testosterone den (single girls – go!), we rumbled in the ring. My hubby, Todd, was the ref (striped T-shirt and all). How cute is he?

Although the suits were kind of stinky, it was fighting at its finest… and we even had a “round boy” who you will die over.

Check it out!

There is a short, greatest hits, version on our YouTube channel too!

So your mission, should you choose to accept it is to LOVE YOUR THIGHS!

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix

Wanna know how products get in the hands of celebrities (if you’re not personal friends with them)? No writing – let’s get straight to it!

Watch and learn!

See you soon, J.Lo! I’m comin’ for you!

P.S. One thing to note – if a celebrity has a deal with a competing brand in the category you are in, you can NEVER use their names… not unless you want a lawyer on you!

Mwah!

Karen

Purple Lab Creatrix