Bipo aims to streamline press offices

Bipo, a ground breaking new business-to-business online

platform connecting press and brands, has launched for the UK fashion and beauty industries. Developed specifically for fashion and beauty press offices, luxury and designer brands, and multi-branded retailers, the Bipo service delivers a collaborative communications platform that aims to change the way press and brands work together.

Launching in collaboration with Diary Directory, the service was founded by Fearnhurst PR’s Sam Fearn, out of her frustrations of the fashion industry’s use of time intensive and manual process, and the lack of ‘suitable products and services within the sector to manage the volume of activity within her press office’.

For brands the service offers a contacts directory supplied through the partnership with Diary Directory, the ability to manage lookbooks and samples, view press requests and track upcoming editorials, as well as access industry news and diary dates. For members of the press, the service acts as a one-stop-shop including contacts, high-res imagery, lookbooks, ability to request samples by searching by story theme, price, colour and in store date, as well as retrieving prices and stockist information.

The service has been tested and validated by over 120 global retailers and 500 key editorial press in the past year, and has shown that Bipo can help streamline the entire press office function and deliver a communication platform which improves efficiency, reduces cost and saves valuable time, and currently includes Ted Baker, French Connection, as well as Fearnhurst PR’s clients.

“The editorial landscape is changing with social media, online titles and bloggers rising to the forefront of every good PR campaign. Fashion and beauty PR used to be considered a luxury whereas today brands recognise that in order to survive, PR is essential,” states Fearn. “There are more fashion and beauty brands than ever before and press are inundated with product and information. Bipo takes our very busy and inefficient industry into the 21st century using established technology solutions to drive us forward, make us more cost effective and streamlined.”