British "it" girl Alexa Chung joins J Crew

Do you remember back in September when Michelle Obama was on the front page of the Globe and Mail? If you don't, read the full story here. Michelle was spotted wearing J Crew in several public appearances, which was an unexpected but amazing endorsement for the retail chain.

Awesome PR, in my opinion.

Now four months later, J Crew is collaborating with Alexa Chung to design a fall collection for the Madewell line. The concept behind the line reflects her wardrobe which is a mix of modern and vintage. (read more) Now that Alexa's show on MTV is cancelled, she can focus on designing. And who knows, she may surprise us.

I think J Crew has made a good PR move for a few reasons:

• Collaborating with a trendsetter like Alexa will drive sales. She is not renowned designer, but she is definitely in the fashion spotlight.
• Take H&M and Target as an example, they have collaborated with many designers/celebrities such as Stella McCartney, Madonna and Jimmy Choo. These collections were hot sellers and were only available in select stores.
  
• This collaboration will allow J Crew to target a new and younger audience.
  

It all began unexpectedly with the First Lady and now they are turning to a fashionista. J Crew is definitely raising their profile in the retail industry. Good move J Crew, I may even shop at your store in the fall.

Claire Robinson is kitchen chic

For those of you who know me very well, you know that I watch the Food Network religiously. A few of my favourite shows are Giada at Home, Jamie at Home, Barefoot Contessa, Chuck's Day Off, French Food at Home, Top Chef, The F Word and the list goes on. Recently, I have discovered a new love, 5 Ingredient Fix with Claire Robinson. Her show features recipes that can be prepared easily with five ingredients or less. I was hooked on the show immediately. I mean she is unpretentious, down-to-earth and stylish. What's not to like?

Now from a PR standpoint, I would like to suggest a few things to Claire, who I believe has the potential to become a huge celebrity chef/TV personality. First of all, maintain an updated blog! Your fans want to know more about you and what you are up to. Next, write a cookbook and go on a book tour. The exposure may give you more air time on the Food Network. Also, this is not related to PR, but I believe you are starting up a store called Robinson-Craig and I have a personal request. Please have your rocker stud embellished aprons (see picture) available for purchase because I would like to own one.

Heart healthy eating is the new black

In November 2009, my team (Pulse communications) and I held a charity event at Loblaw Cooking School. The event was called "Bringing Healthy Back", a play on Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" song. Our event featured a live cooking demo with Chef Martin Raymond. He presented our guests with a heart healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner that is easy, affordable and delicious. Through ticket sales, raffle tickets and online donations our team was able to exceed our objective and raise over $1000 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

The heart healthy menu included:

Breakfast: Steel cut oats with apples and cranberries
Lunch: Bulgar wheat salad with cranberries
Dinner: Herb crusted red snapper with a yogurt, lemon and dill sauce

Although it was a successful event, we did encounter a few bumps along the way. Here are some tips and lessons learned:

• Sponsorships: Start early and be prepared for rejections. It really helps if you know the sponsor personally. It's ok to call in a favour.
  
• Working staff: Be clear about your objectives and communicate your expectations with everyone prior to the event. This will ensure organization and professionalism.
  
• Venue: Always check out the venue with your team and never assume that the space will be clutter-free for set up. One hour prior to our event, we realized that we had no place to store our personal belongings. We had to be creative.
  
• Follow up: The constant emailing and phone calls with Martin, the coordinator and chef of Loblaws ensured that we met our deadlines. If they don't respond or answer their phone, continue to follow up until you get an answer.
  
• Every little detail counts: It shows that you have given your event a lot of thought and planning, and it definitely pays off. We included little note pads for our guests to write cook's notes during the demo. It wasn't a necessary item, but it definitely added a nice touch.
  
• Reactive PR: We were approached by the East York Observer and the Courier for a preview and a news story. We were definitely surprised because we did not have to pitch a story to anyone. Not to say that we did not plan on pitching to the media, but I guess our event was unique and never done before in the CCPR program.

Now onto the good stuff, our successes. The results are based on a survey which was completed near the end of our event.

• Attendance: 100%
• Satisfaction: 100% of our guests enjoyed the event
• Learning experience: 100% said they learned something from the cooking demo and nutrition presentation.
• Healthy eating and cooking: Almost all of our guests said they would try out the recipes and attempt a lifestyle change.

Did I mention that this my first event? What a great experience. Go Pulse Communications!

Here is a recipe for you to try out!

Breakfast: Steel cut oats with apples and cranberries



Ingredients:
1 cup steel cut oats
1 apple - gala (sliced)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup currants
2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Bring 41/2 cups of water to a boil
Stir in oats and reduce the heat, let oats cook for 20 min at a light simmer
Stir in the fruit at the 20 min mark and remover from the heat
Cover and set aside for 15 min

*Tip from Chef Raymond: Make the steel cut oats in bulk and have it for breakfast throughout the week!