PLUS SIZE CLOTHING FOR WOMEN - HOW ABOUT A STORY?
January 22, 2010
(Subject line in an email that showed up in my in-box)
HOW ABOUT YOU STOP YELLING AT ME? And, please stop sending me cold PR emails about "women's issues!" (I've repeatedly asked 5W PR to take me off their email blasts lists, to no avail, so I'm using them as an example of how NOT to do PR for the "women's market.")
5W PR obviously does no qualification before blasting out emails. (They've also sent me hot news about everything from sexual aids to attracting a mate. All with cheesy, blaring come-ons.)
So, moving onto the actual message. Even I were interested in writing about plus-size clothing, the message needs work. Here's how they tried to engage me:
Uh - has the person who wrote this shopped lately? Speaking as a size 8 (sometimes a 6) - I can find lots of 10s, 12s, 14s...but have to almost be there right when they unpack the boxes if I want an 8. (And, who are we kidding? Today's 6s and 8s are cut very generously; I can't fit my left leg into a size 12 from the 1950s).
Then there are the photos they sent (example to the left). This is a plus size??! This is what I'd aspire to after I lose 15 pounds.
5W PR - if you're going to play in "marketing to women" - here are 5 fundamental rules (which are applicable to any target):
1. Qualify your targets.
2. Don't send out junk in cold email blasts.
3. Don't insult your audience's intelligence.
4. Make sure your message is relevant.
5. If you use images, make sure they fit the message.
So - 5W PR - that's your story.
It's so much a matter of looking fat - as it is looking bad. Some fashions don't work at larger sizes...and some fashions don't work at all.
Posted by: Mary Schmidt | February 12, 2010 at 11:15 AM
Speaking as an 18W, I want thin models. Let's face it, if it makes a skinny witch look fat, what's it going to do to me?
Posted by: Laurie Creasy | January 22, 2010 at 03:28 PM