HARRIET COOPER professional portfolio
contents:
PERSONAL STATEMENT
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THE GRAIN – Publication
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TREND INTERPRETATION
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DR MARTENS FILM AND PR STRATEGY
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BRANDNATION - PR Internship
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DISSERTATION
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INTERVAL – Publication
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PERSONAL STATEMENT harrietcooper1@hotmail.com - 07526583441 harrietcooper.squarespace.com I am a driven and determined individual focused on supporting others in re-educating the values of self worth and acceptance. As a health and fitness enthusiast with working knowledge of the sector, I endeavor to bring each aspect to life in my work. I am passionate about developing campaigns for strength and empowerment through a multitude of formats including film, publication and events. As an individual with an eye for detail, I enjoy developing my editorial work and solving issues to achieve the best outcome. Through my work in public relations and publications I have developed creative ways to show strong messages in different lights. An internship at London PR agency Brandnation has showed me the importance of networking and developing professional relationships and tailoring your brand voice in order to achieve the best outcome possible. Passion orientated, I strive for perfection. The Grain is my final major project, looking at inspirational women in health and fitness to create an answer to the missing link in fitsporation; relatability. The publication will contain stories from inspirational women, strong photography and a potent message about the need for knowing your sself worth and enjoying life. Happiness is key to life, and The Grain will show this.
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THE GRAIN My final major project is dedicated to exploring the women of health and fitness. Looking at people who have chosen a different path in life instead of following the norm in order to create a life they’re happy with. The publication and website will explore the best side of health and fitness, happiness. The project will also contain a strategy to ensure the commercial viability of the publication including market research, social media and budgeting. A public relations strategy, including an event, will also be developed ensuring a creative and innovative concept is in place.
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Why The Grain? A health movement has never been more necessary. According to the British Psychological Society, only 4 per cent of young women meet the government’s current recommendations for physical activity. The Grain aims to change this, pushing the idea of health and happiness to the forefront and challenging the idea of health as a chore. We will create an answer to the missing link in fitsporation; relatability. Of the major women’s health and fitness magazines, their main topic of headlines are diet or exercise for weight loss. According to Rader Programs, “80% of women are made insecure by images they see of women on television and more than 66 percent of women are influenced by underweight models in magazines.”
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Body positivity is needed, as are aspirational role models who deserve our attention. THE GRAIN will give a focus to this, showcasing real women, who they are, how hard they work, and mostly the fun they have loving the sports they do. The health benefits of exercise are enormous, as is the mental strength you develop. Therefore highlighting this can only be beneficial to this generation, particularly when obesity and inactivity is on a rapid rise. So many women have stories to tell. So many women need the encouragement. THE GRAIN is here to encourage inner strength, and build a generation of powerful women.
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JANE CUTTS Personal Trainers + This Girl Can Ambassador
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INDIA SILVANI-JONES Vegan Blogger + Supper Club Host
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THE POLARITY PARADOX Trend Interpretation
A live breif in collaboration with The Future Laboratory, exploring the LSN:Global micro trend The Polarity Paradox, this piece of work considers the boundaries of food. Delving in to the dining experience, this publication tests the limits of food and drink. Food develops into intrusive and disconcerting connotations. Detached from previous assumptions and expectations of comfort, the industry evolves into different parallels. Food becomes ambiguous, a focus on the senses and interpretation where nothing can be taken literally or from first impressions. We focus on the unknown and the uncertain. The complexity and foreign nature of the experience is intensified by the atmosphere and style of presentation. Austerity overtakes complexity leading to a minimal and stark dining experience. The sole focus of the encounter is the food. Revolving around being encompassed by the experience and transported to a different world.
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THE FLAT AGE SOCIETY
Trend Interpretation
A live breif in collaboration with The Future Laboratory, exploring the LSN:Global The Flat Age Society trend, this piece of work considers the boundaries of food. Delving in to food wastage this publication tests the limits considering the correlation between the Flat Age Society and the food industry. Challenging societies perceptions of shelf life, reinvention and rejuvenation take centre stage. Instead of tried and tested, life becomes all about fun, colour, art and celebration. Odds and ends convert into works of art and objects are celebrated and invested in, not discounted and disregarded. There is beauty in everything; often we just can’t see it. Things we would throw away without a seconds thought transition to embrace the joy and humour that can be found in our days. Celebrating the ignored and overlooked, we inject colour and light into an unavoidable and increasing ageless part of life. Average day-to-day waste is replaced by indulgence and humour, brining colour, artistry and resurgence to the forefronts of our mind.
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PROMOTIONAL FILM Working with British heritage brand Dr Martens and O PR, Newcastle’s leading PR agency, on a live brief, we were tasked with creating a short promotional film showcasing the North East and the spirit of Dr Martens, with a focus on subcultures. I decided to use stop motion animation and a strong focus on narrative in order to portray the campaign hashtag #STANDFORSOMETHINGNCL. My promotional film was selected as one of the best and presented to O PR for use in the Newcastle Dr Martens store. The full film can be found on my website.
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PR STRATEGY Alongside the film I created a promotional PR strategy for Dr Martens. The brief was to develop an inspirational concept and strategy to launch the Dr Martens 90-second fashion film online. The promotional campaign must utilise the handle ‘#STANDFORSOMETHINGNCL’, emphasise the brand’s interest in the ‘Art of Industrial Manufacture’ and its connection to musical subcultures. The objectives are to capture the attention of young cultural tastemakers in the North-East of England while ensuring the E-PR strategy is on message and in line with core brand values. Researching the current use of social media, competition and market, I was able to develop and pitch well targeted and creative PR strategy utilising social media and the growing use of video content culminating in a live event, perfect for the reputation of Dr Martens. pg. 15
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BRANDNATION INTERNSHIP 3 month sports and fitness Presss Assistant placement at Brandnation, a Public Relations agency.
In 2015, I completed a sports and fitness public relations internship at Brandaation, a competitive agency in London. I secured coverage with a number of media such as Run ABC, Active Magazine and Escapism. I wrote press releases for national press, created agency Social Media posts and cultivated and maintained relationships with members of the press. Working on the BN team with brands such as Merrell, Saucony, Odlo, Animal, Wiggle and Theraperal.
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Is The Popularity Of The New Health And Food Bloggers An Example Of Our Vulnerability To Online Authority?
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DISSERTATION
Final year dissertation looking at the impact of health food blogging industry.
INTRODUCTION: In recent years, there has been an incredible increase in the number of food and health bloggers around the world. It has lead to best selling books, a change in branding and a cultural shift towards healthier lifestyles. But has this evolution led to unhealthy habits and a risk of ill heath? This project will look into how widespread the blogging trend has become and the subsequent damage it may cause. Through the development of the new diet and lifestyle trends such as Clean Eating, Sugar Free and Gluten Free, bloggers have flourished, creating huge followings, brand endorsements and book deals, but has this left the original intention of the blog behind? As more claims from about restrictive diets surface, the validation behind these statements continues to be disproved, but is the public put at risk in the mean time? With blogs now the 5th most trusted source of online information, the public may be duped into thinking their new lifestyle choices are benefiting them, instead of the opposite. These lifestyle choices have also made way for the increase in a new eating disorder Orthorexia nervosa, which focuses on the purity of food, instead of it’s calorie counting counterpart Anorexia nervosa. This eating disorder, described as a “disease disguised as a virtue” (Bratman, 1997), is both a risk to the blogger and the reader. Bloggers also continue to give nutritional advice, yet many of them have no dietary qualifications. Some have the title of nutritionist, yet as this is an unprotected title ans so their ‘advice’ could lead to the damage of people’s heath. The trustworthiness of bloggers also need to be called into question when examining their impact on society. As the following of bloggers develop, as does their income. Brands have come to realise that blogger endorsement and brand deals are a good way to connect with the consumers, therefore offering large amounts of money. This could however lead to the over-management of blogs and change in direction of content, potentially misleading the readers in the process.
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INTERVAL
Editorial Newspaper
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The Concept A magazine dedicated to celebrating the strength of women. Printed on newspaper, forcing the reader to take care and consider the issues raised. We are constantly bombarded by ‘Aspirational’ women. Vanity drives most industries and we’re stuck in a cycle of self-loathing, deprivation and failure. In 2008, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Michigan analysed 77 previous studies. They found that exposure to the traditional ‘women’s health’ type of media significantly increases women’s dissatisfaction with their bodies and their likelihood of developing unhealthy behaviours, like eating disorders. I want to create a magazine dedicated to celebrating the strength of women. Not just in the literal sense of how much she can lift, but how she gets through life. What being a powerful means. And how every women is, no matter what stage of life she is in. With hectic lives, we need to look after ourselves, and we need to look after each other. Strength is a state of mind. It can only be found if you nurture it. Printed as a newspaper with creative writing, exploring what strength is and with an accompanying website designed to showcase women. The website can be viewed here along with the creative writing, and interviews: https://intervalmagazine.wordpress.com/
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HARRIET COOPER harrietcooper1@hotmail.com harrietcooper.squarespace.com 07526583441
Profile I am a very hard working and self motivated individual. I’m currently in my final year studying Fashion Communication at Northumbria University. I have leant a range of skills in PR, publication, events management, fashion film, pitching and journalism. I am organised and well spoken, using a range of mediums to communicate my ideas such as pitching, publication and multi-media techniques. always work to the best of my ability, pushing myself you learn new skills at every opportunity.
Education Northumbria University, Newcastle 2013- Present (2016) Fashion Communication BA (Hons)
Prince Henrys Grammar School, Leeds 2006- 2013 A Levels: Business Studies B, Textiles B and History B. GCSE’s: 10 A* to B including English, Science and Maths.
Skills Working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. Comfrotable working in a team environment or on individual projects. Happy working in a fast paced and high pressure environment.
Experience BrandNation, London PR Agency. June - August 2015 Developing relationships with sports and lifestyle journalists through constant liaison. Achieving consumer, regional and online coverage for all clients. Helping to compiling monthly reports for clients. Writing press releases and generating mailers. Assisting the sports team for all clients and handling product stock and send outs. Assisting with social media content for the agency. Assisting the sports team with creative brand campaign ideas. Clients Including: Odlo, Merrell, Wiggle , Animal and Saucony. The Local Pantry, Leeds. Cafe and Farm Food Shop. January 2012 - January 2015. As a waitress duties included welcoming customers, serving customers to a high standard and making coffees. Learning the names of regular customers and their usual orders strengthened my memory and helped me to build professional relationships. I learned to work closely as a team, building each other’s strengths and motivating in busy times. I also worked as an individual on quieter days, running the café.
References Alina Wallace - 020 7940 7170 alina@brandnation.co.uk Chris Lidgitt - 07896307675 chris@thelocalpantry.co.uk
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