• by Tanya Gazdik , August 13, 2009

The blog, at www.perrynow.blogspot.com, goes beyond fashion, featuring content and videos on a variety of topics including new products, technology, music, travel and movies.

The site also includes behind-the-scenes videos and commentary from Senior Vice President of Design and Merchandising John Crocco as well as everyday fashion tips for the Perry Ellis man such as "How To Suit Yourself" and "Essentials for a Long Weekend."

Recognizing the need to connect with the consumer in a more personal way, Perry Ellis began its social networking initiative to encourage a two-way dialogue with its consumer and fashion audience, says Colleen Adams, the site's editor, who is also charged with the brand's other social media initiatives.

The brand's Facebook page, which launched in March, currently has 749 fans. The brand has 154 followers on Twitter.

"We are very serious about engaging our consumers, and will be identifying some of our key guest bloggers as brand ambassadors who will test our product and give us feedback," Adams tells Marketing Daily. "The important goal for us is to communicate directly with our customers so that we can find out how to better meet their needs."

Several contests are currently being conducted in conjunction with the social media, including "Perry Ellis: Make Me Over," "Perry Ellis: Rescue Me!" and "Become a Perry Ellis Blogger." Pictures and information about the contests are posted on the PerryNow blog, Facebook and Twitter sites.

For "Perry Ellis: Make Me Over," consumers are asked to submit photos and an essay on why they need a new fall look. Winners will be selected by a panel of Perry Ellis executives. Essays from the 10 winners will be posted at the discretion of the Perry Ellis panel of judges.

"Perry Ellis: Rescue Me!" gives viewers the chance to win a copy of best-selling author James Patterson's new mystery thriller, Swimsuit, which features a Perry Ellis swimsuit on the cover. Users can win a copy of the book by submitting their most embarrassing beach moment.

"Become a Perry Ellis Blogger" will give Perry Ellis fans the opportunity to blog on PerryNow for the day. Contestants are asked to submit an article based on one of the following topics; gadgets, personal style, travel, the arts and sports.

To make consumers aware of the contests and other social media offerings, the company has sent e-blasts out to its email lists and has also posted to a variety of menswear, womenswear and lifestyle blogs, Adams says. "We also have links to our site on all of our other pages, and make every effort to cross-pollinate so that we create one large network that all lead back to the Perry Ellis Web site," she adds.

Adams says it has been "enormous fun" to discover new ways of directly interacting with consumers. "It is so immediate and intimate, and we are enjoying this process as much as our consumers seem to be," she says. "We are loving the opportunity to learn and explore and develop new pathways to interact with our consumers, and are delighted with the process and the response."