It's great that J.Crew is embracing all types of social media. Although they seem to always be a bit behind the times. (Much like having a Facebook page... They had one way after all their competitors did.) But it's better late than never!J. Crew Launching Blog
By Jennifer Paull
February 9, 2011
Get ready to bookmark— J.Crew is launching its own blog later this month. Jenna Lyons, J.Crew’s president and executive creative director, broke the news to FashionEtc at Lucky magazine’s first Fashion and Beauty Blog Conference on February 8. Lyons revealed that the blog will start with a chorus of J.Crew voices. She recruited people from throughout the company to contribute their observations, ideas and inspirations.
“We’ve done a pre-selection of people within the company who would have something interesting to bring to the table, but we’re also looking at people outside the company, to bring things to the forefront of content,” she said. Lyons actively sought J.Crew contributors outside of the fashion departments, looking for people with captivating tastes and points of view. “We asked this cool guy in IT; we asked someone who’s a stylist; we asked someone who does all the sets for the shoots,” she said. “We looked for the most interesting people in the company … and we want a range. I want to hear what the IT guys are listening to because they always have awesome music.”
This diverse group will share experiences and findings that inspire them, ranging from movies to travel to museum exhibits. “A lot of people asked that question tonight: What inspires you?” said Lyons. “It’s film, it’s home stuff, it’s movies, it’s everything … To show that all in one place is really exciting.”
Inevitably some of these influences will find their way into J. Crew’s offerings, perhaps through the prism of clothing, a catalog prop, or a partnership with an artisan.
Lyons confirmed that some blog postings will go behind the scenes at J.Crew. CEO Millard “Mickey” Drexler might even make an appearance.
When asked about Drexler’s famed intercom musings at the company headquarters, Lyons laughed. “We’re talking about posting them on the site, for sure.”
Looking out at the conference room filled with fashion and beauty bloggers, Lyons said, “One of the things that I think is most encouraging is to be here, in this room, with all these people … They’re so excited about sharing with us and I think it will be great to share with them.”
As J.Crew expands its international reach through increased global distribution and more, we can only imagine how prolific this sharing circuit might become.
From some of the comments made by fellow JCAs (in this post) about this news, there is a hope that J.Crew will not just use the blog as a propaganda machine but a tool to listen to their customers and a forum to provide feedback.
Incidentally, if J.Crew is considering people "outside their company", then I strongly suggest they look at the JCA community. The JCA Blog Roll lists so many great bloggers who would be an asset to guest blog for them. Just a thought. :)
What are your thoughts on this latest move from J.Crew? Do you think a J.Crew blog will help J.Crew understand its customers better? Will you check it out?
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