Helene Chammas #5

Cohn & Wolfe:

I would not qualify Cohn and Wolfe exclusively as a PR agency firm. It combines marketing & communications and PR activities. In my opinion, its job goes beyond a regular PR agency’s job (from what my PR experiences taught me). The company works on digital strategies, brand positioning, and social media simultaneously, which shows the variety of its activities (The Choice Hotel presentation also shows the Cohn & Wolfe diversity of skills). The two PR firms I worked in prior to my master’s degree enrollment were less involved in strategy making and marketing & communications (e.g. we were organizing events, writing press releases and reports).

I already knew it was a big agency, as we heard about from Amy, who came to talk to us during one of our lunch meeting. I did not know it was a subsidiary of WPP, which I discovered while searching for the company before visiting it. Moreover, I had no idea their healthcare department was that important.

It is always a big challenge to serve diverse roster of clients. The agency has to have specialists for each kind of brands, specialists who are passionate about what they do (looks like it was the case regarding health care!). What is challenging, is that theses specialists must be able to move from one type of client to another, and try to be as multi skilled as possible.

I am decided to do my internship in a PR or advertising firm. As Cohn and Wolfe serves a wide range of clients and is a large-sized agency, I could see myself working there. However, I am not seduced by the majority of the clients it works for (except from Hennessy, Universal and Nike). I am convinced that, in order to be effective in the work you choose, you need to be interested in the projects you have to invest in. Therefore, I am a bit dubitative about this particular agency.

TTIY:

American Apparel’s Halloween contest:

Everyone knows how important is Halloween in the United States. American Apparel also knows it. For that reason, as another marketing strategy, the brand organizes every year the “Halloween Photo Contest”.

In order to participate to the contest, customers must provide a Halloween dressed up picture of themselves, wearing at least one American Apparel product: “To enter the costume contest, take a Halloween-themed photo, incorporating at least one American Apparel item.” […] The first place winner will receive a $300 American Apparel Gift Certificate. The second place winner will receive a $100 American Apparel Gift Certificate. The third place winner will receive a $50 American Apparel Gift Certificate ».

What a nice idea! This contest costs nearly nothing to the brand (just the gift certificate’s price). On the opposite, it forces people who wish to participate to buy an American Apparel item. They may have it already, but in order to have a chance to win the contest, the clothes are supposed to look like costumes (as shown in the catalogue.). These types of clothes may not be the ones that everyone has in his closet. It thus encourages people to buy new ones.

                      

This contest runs at least since 2009 (I was not able to find the exact date).

Another marketing and communications’ success for American Apparel, which probably leads to an increase in their sales! (to be confirmed…)