Porter Novelli to open popup fashion agency

by Alexandra Bruell, PR Week USA 27-Jun-08, 11:25

NEW YORK: Nine of Porter Novelli's twenty something staffers collaborated to create Jack and Bill, a popup fashion agency in its Tribeca office this summer.

In an effort to expand its fashion group and clientele, the popup spin-off will provide emerging design talent with free branding, buzz-building, media relations, and viral marketing services.

"Currently we have a group of people who've worked with fashion brands... but we want to build that within Porter Novelli and make it more robust," said Erin Crumpacker, spokesperson for the popup, which will stand mid-July to early September.

The PN staffers - average age 26 - will hold a casting call to find four clients: one New York-based model, a women's apparel designer, a jewelry designer, and a stylist. Those winners will receive some free PR services from the popup for its limited time (i.e., July-September).

Although reaching out to trade press this week, the team will focus its efforts in the next week on fashion blogs, consumer lifestyle publications, and new media via a Facebook group, microsite, and Twitter, among others, in order to drum up interest for its castings, scheduled for July 15 and 16. It is also contacting local design schools.

Crumpacker said the agency might continue Jack and Bill in the future for other categories.

"We hope to take on, and not necessarily from a pro-bono perspective, a smaller [clientele] within [Porter Novelli], from restaurants to art galleries."

Porter Novelli is investing $150,000 in the launch of Jack and Bill.