[On the Ground] Retailers’ PR Teams Move Beyond Press Releases to YouTube and Instagram, Building Content Capabilities

[Financial News] On the 25th of last month, at the first-floor lobby of LF’s headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, employees were seen spreading out fabric and discussing it in a space designed like a café where staff could talk freely. As befits a fashion company, some employees were also busy cutting clothing. Amid the quiet conversations in the lobby, employees dressed in the kind of “hip” outfits one might see on the streets of Seongsu-dong hurried around carrying cameras and lighting equipment. They were members of LF’s new-media team, which manages the company’s social networking service (SNS) accounts.
The subject of that day’s shoot was an introduction to wallets used by actual employees. The first person to appear was a product planner. Although the shoot focused on wallets, the boots he was wearing attracted even more attention on site. The staff shared purchase links with one another, adding energy to the shoot. A team member explained, "Viewers who watch the actual content often ask in the comments about the outfits worn by the people appearing in the video, including details that were not revealed in the video." Rather than emphasizing only its own products, LF also actively introduces products from other brands that its employees actually use, thereby staying true to the purpose of the videos.

According to industry sources on the 9th, the growing importance of new-media marketing in the retail and fashion industries is changing the role of corporate communications. Whereas the work previously centered on writing press releases and responding to the media, it is increasingly expanding to include finding content for SNS channels and analyzing performance after publication. LF’s PR office has established an internal new-media team that operates the YouTube channel “LF Rang Nolja,” the Instagram account “Nine to Six,” and the Naver blog “Nine to Six Magazine,” effectively serving as a fashion media outlet.
LF recently established a Brand Communications Office and integrated its existing PR and marketing organizations. The reorganization was designed to expand brand issues and content ideas from business divisions beyond media coverage to social media, video, blogs, and other formats. A single content source is repurposed into YouTube long-form videos and Shorts, Instagram Reels and feed posts, and blog reviews, with each version tailored to the characteristics of its channel.

These efforts are also producing measurable results. According to LF, the number of new subscribers to its YouTube channel “LF Rang Nolja” rose 64% year on year from June 1 to September 6 this year, when it began diversifying its content categories in earnest. Subscriber-conversion efficiency also increased 84%. LF analyzed that short-form videos, or Shorts, are serving as an entry point for new viewers, while long-form videos are leading to continued viewing and subscriptions.
The number of followers of the Instagram account “Nine to Six” rose from approximately 50,000 in September last year to 62,000 in September this year, an increase of approximately 24% in one year. LF’s Naver blog “Nine to Six Magazine,” launched in January this year, saw the number of neighbors increase approximately 620% from its early days, while cumulative views rose approximately 760%.
Content is also used in practice as a channel for gauging consumer responses. Lee Hye-ryeon, a manager in the ATHE accessories product-planning department who appeared in the video that day, said, "It is difficult to immediately check consumer responses after a product is launched, but when we expose products through in-house media content, we can see reactions and feedback in the comments." She added, "Because we can obtain this feedback so quickly and reflect it in actual product planning, I believe it can play a meaningful role in the growth of the brand."
Bang Ji-yeon, head of LF’s Brand Communications Office, added, "As PR and marketing become organically connected, we are building a structure that allows us to expand a single content source across various channels and formats." She continued, "An important role of new-media content is to design a platform through which it can spread at each point of contact."

[email protected] Kim Hyun-ji Reporter