In 2016, after some two years of working with Global Media Alliance (GMA), Publicist Faith Senam Ocloo decided to quit her position.
GMA is one of Africa’s biggest companies with interests in the Public Relations, Events and Media industries – one that some young people would do just about anything to be a part of but Ocloo had decided it was time to move on.
She worked as an account Manager for Unilever Ghana Limited, Diamond Cement, and also worked on a number of other projects for clients during her time with the company.
“It was a great experience because I enjoyed working in PR. On the other hand, my second passion: Fashion was signalling my attention,” she told this reporter via email from Lagos, Nigeria in October 2016 where she attended a Fashion related meeting.
“Aside being a Public Relations Professional, I also have a keen interest in the fashion, beauty and lifestyle industry in Ghana. Knowing the full potential of the fashion industry and the role PR can play in it. I realized there is the need for many businesses to include Public Relations in their overall brand development strategies in order to build successful brands, something that is lacking in the fashion industry in Ghana.”
Ocloo started managing PR on a part-time basis for TOTALLY ETHNIK, a luxury fashion label in mid-2016 whilst still working with her former employers. Having quit her role at GMA, she agreed to take on full time the task of gaining mainstream acclaim for the fashion label.
“The company had a strategy to expand into more countries and build strong brand presence for their fashion label and needed me to be more committed to handle the role effectively,” says Ocloo.
“As difficult as this decision was, I decided to take up the role of PR, Marketing and Social Media Manager for the brand. This was also because I saw it as an opportunity to rebuild my fashion career path and also build fashion brands as I intended.”
Ocloo founded E’ April Public Relations, a boutique PR firm in April 2012, with the objective of developing and executing PR and brand strategies for emerging brands as well as established ones within the fashion, beauty and lifestyle industries.
Her agency handles product brand promotions and strategies, publicity, Social Media Management, press releases and product development.
Compared to the past, Digital Media has become an integral part of advertising and Public Relations. Brands are taking advantage of the numerous opportunities provide by Social Media to maximise growth, visibility and also to reach their audience.
“Social Media and publicity work hand in hand, thus making Social Media relevant to me as a PR specialist. I can’t live without a Smartphone or the internet because I believe that a lot happens on the World Wide Web every second. Brands are reaching out to millions of their targets every now and then, and incorporating Social Media and traditional Public Relations tools to maximise brand visibility and growth. That is certainly the future trend for the fashion industry.” says Ocloo on the importance of Digital Media to her work
In spite of the successes chalked so far, she still faces some challenges: having to sell the ideal of public relations to potential clients especially in the fashion industry where people are sceptical about the relevance of PR, and also the belief that it is reserved for only large corporations with huge budgets.
Ocloo currently manages Public Relations for Accra’s Men’s Fashion, Evangel Christian Magazine, and a Weekly Fashion Columnist with the Business and Financial Times (B&FT).
She also does speaking engagement sessions for start-ups and small businesses.
“My company is ready to offer the most-dynamic and result-driven communication strategies for our fashion clients in Ghana, Africa and beyond.”
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