Year: 2010

Green Thought Thursday: Reduce Your Carbon Pawprint

Josephine ButlerBlog, Sustainability
Say hello to Clairemont’s newest Pee-R account executive, Charley!

Today’s Green Thought Thursday is inspired by the newest addition to the Clairemont team – Charley. Last month, Dana and I ventured over to the SPCA of Wake County, where we fell in love. Charley joins us as Clairemont’s first Pee-R account executive (thanks, Mike Allen!), where he happily plays under the supervision of Billy, CMO (Chief Moral Officer) and fellow SPCA adoptee. So in ode to Billy and Charley (and the SPCA), I would like to share with you a few basic tips on how to go green when it comes to your pets!

When it comes to the icky stuff –

– Doggie lovers, use biodegradable bags to clean up after your dogs.

– Cat owners, never buy clay litter! There are a couple of reasons, says blogger Ecofriend. For starters, clay is strip-mined. Secondly, the sediment it leaves behind is a carcinogen. This is bad for your kitty’s lungs and can be even worse if ingested!

– Wanna get serious? Consider composting your pet’s waste!

– Use vinegar! A little dribble here and there? The ASPCA recommends using vinegar as a bleach alternative when cleaning up little accidents.

– When it’s time to give ‘ol Grover a bath, make sure you use environmentally friendly shampoos and other grooming products.

When it comes to food –

– Go natural and go organic. Just like it’s better for us to skip out on foods processed with chemicals and pesticides, the same goes for our pets, too!

– It may seem like a no-brainer, but buy in bulk! It not only saves tons of waste from going into the landfill, but it also saves you money!

– Put on your apron and bake your own dog biscuits (or other pet treats)!

When it comes to toys –

– Avoid toys with harmful chemicals in them, like PVC!

– Buy pet toys (and products) that are made from recycled materials.

When it comes to searching for that special someone –

– Don’t just go green….Save some green and adopt!

For more ways to go green with your pets, check out the Dancing Dog Blog. It shares lots of important facts about pet medications and other harmful chemicals in your home. Now go green, and reduce that carbon pawprint!

Read More

Myrtle Monday: All About the Details

Dana PhelpsBlog, Free Advice, Inspirational, , , , 1 Comment on Myrtle Monday: All About the Details

This week’s Myrtle Monday is all about the details! Upon arrival in Vienna and touring the Hofburg Palace and Schonbrunn Castle, Lela writes about silver and gold china, original furnishings and beautiful artwork. I can only imagine that when Lela returned home, she became the charming tour guide for Myrtle, recreating each and every detail of the trip.

With the holidays upon us, it seemed appropriate to blog about details — talk about going from blah to voila! A plain package is transformed with some pretty ribbon. A table goes from everyday to holiday with the addition of a festive runner. For me, a mood is created by the burning of a scented candle.

As a communicator, details are important to telling our clients’ stories. What details help paint the picture? Which are the best details to share? Where’s the balance between interesting and overkill? My friend, Karen, LOVES a detailed story. “Details, girl. Give me all the details,” she’ll say. But not all audiences have the time or the desire to hear ALL of the details.

 Of course you also have to consider the medium and method of sharing the details. Back to my original Myrtle Monday point of postcards being the original Twitter, sometimes you are limited by space. I love that that never stopped Lela from making Myrtle feel like she was right there with her, seeing the world from her armchair in Small Town, USA.

Read More

Green Thought Thursday: The Holiday Decorating Dilemma – Real or Fake?

Josephine ButlerBlog, Sustainability3 Comments on Green Thought Thursday: The Holiday Decorating Dilemma – Real or Fake?

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and that can only mean one thing – it’s time to decorate. For those of you who have been patient enough to wait until after Thanksgiving to put up your holiday tree, we ask you to lend an ear for a little green cheer.

There’s a lot of debate these days about which holiday tree is “greener” – the real ones or the fake ones. Fake trees, many folks argue, are the way to go. They can be used year after year, and purchasing one of them means that a tree wasn’t cut down only to be tossed on the side of the street one month later. But for a lot of you, the thought of missing out on the wonderful smell of those evergreen needles is just too much to bear. Well, there’s good news for you!

According to the National Christmas Tree Association, fake trees are made with non-recyclable plastic, metals and other harmful materials like petroleum, PVC and in some cases, lead. They also use up lots of gas – FORTUNE reported 92 percent of them came all the way from China last year. And what happens when you finally do decide to ditch your old one for a new one? It goes to a landfill where it could take hundreds and hundreds of years to decompose.

In chestnut shell (roasting on an open fire), real trees are the way to go! They’re renewable (tree growers usually plant one to three seedlings for every tree cut down) and biodegradable. They travel less miles from the farm to your living room. And, by purchasing a real one, you’re oftentimes supporting local farmers.

Need any more reason to go green this holiday season? Check out this recent blog by Tiny Green Bubble. They’ve got us convinced!

Happy tree hunting, y’all!

Read More

Social Media Audit for UNC’s Kenan-Flagler

Dana PhelpsBlog, Clairemont Client News, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , ,

Today we excitedly announced a social media audit and analysis project that we completed earlier this year for The University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. Joining forces with our friends at Addressable Media, we assessed the school’s existing social media efforts and made next-step recommendations. What a great assignment! Here’s the release we issued this morning that has more details:

UNC Kenan-Flagler Social Media Audit Conducted by Clairemont Communications

–Clairemont, Addressable Media Joined Forces to Make Phase Two Recommendations–

Raleigh, N.C. – December 1, 2010 – Clairemont Communications has completed a social media audit for The University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Clairemont, a public relations agency with a focus on blending traditional communications and social media, partnered with Addressable Media, a leading digital communications firm. The project team conducted an analysis of the social media effectiveness of UNC Kenan-Flagler and its direct U.S. competitors. Considerations included traffic and content, viral scoring, social media mention, share of voice, sentiment, email effectiveness and traffic generated from third-party sources.

“UNC Kenan-Flagler had established a strong social networking presence, as part of phase one of our social media strategy,” said Heather Havenstein, director of public relations and new media, UNC Kenan-Flagler. “The recommendations made by Clairemont Communications and Addressable Media are allowing us to further engage key audiences including students, perspective students, alumni and donors as part of our phase two outreach.” Continue reading “Social Media Audit for UNC’s Kenan-Flagler”

Read More

Myrtle Monday in Mexico!

Dana PhelpsBlog, Inspirational, Travel1 Comment on Myrtle Monday in Mexico!
Monumento a los Ninos Heroes en Guadalajara.

As the weather turns chilly here in North Carolina (okay, below 60 IS chilly to me), I want to travel with Lela and Ruth to Mexico! While I am not quite old enough to join them on the AARP trip, I am old enough to find humor in Lela’s comment about Bing Crosby. She writes, “The weather is delightful. No wonder Bing Crosby spent much time here.” More from Lela in the next Myrtle Monday.

Read More