Year: 2014

PRSA Leadership Rally 2014

Sarah HattmanBlog, Professional Development, Public Relations, , ,

When I was approached by the president of the North Carolina Public Relations Society (NCPRSA) about attending the Leadership Rally in New York with our chapter’s president elect Tony Arnold and website chair Lauren Parker, I was flattered and excited. The Leadership Rally is an annual event designed to help prepare leaders for the next year and beyond with important orientation, networking and of course leadership sessions. It was an amazing experience! Not only did I have the pleasure of meeting industry leaders and getting a lot of great ideas, I also got to spend three days in the Big Apple (but that’s for another post).

I gleaned important information on topics ranging from increasing engagement among members to financial literacy, and the highlight for me was keynote speaker Fred Cook. He is the CEO of GolinHarris, one of the world’s largest and most successful PR firms. Cook has worked with big companies including Nintendo, McDonald’s and Walmart, and big names ranging from Sheldon Adelson to Steve Jobs.

Cook’s presentation discussed highlights from his new book “Improvise: Unconventional Career Advice from an Unlikely CEO.” He told us about his unusual path to success that began with odd jobs ranging from tour guide to chauffeur. Eventually he found his passion for PR and realized there are many paths to success. Cook gave us his best advice from his long, winding and (what many would consider) unconventional path.

Here are a few of my favorite tips from Cook that can be applied to evoke the leader in us all, no matter where you are in your career.

1. Expose Yourself – No, it’s not what you are thinking. It is about getting outside of your comfort zone and experiencing new things. Pick up a magazine that is not necessarily of interest to you. For example, I often find myself reading Southern Living, Better Homes and Gardens and People, but in order to expose myself Cook says I should be reaching for the latest issue of  Guns & Ammo. The idea is to get you to experience new things. You will benefit from exploring ideas outside of your comfort zone and learn a lot about the world around you.

2. Ask the Captain – By literally asking the captain, Cook was able to talk his way into a job as a cabin boy on a tanker ship heading to Asia. In the business world the “captain” is usually a senior executive who can be intimidating to anyone just starting their careers or new to a profession. But Cook’s advice is to not be shy because the captains are the one who can guide your career.  He says if you aspire to be a captain, you should talk to them and ask questions every chance you get. After all, you never know where it might take you.

3.Enlist an Entourage – You’ve probably heard the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Well this saying can also be tailored and applied to successful people too. Behind every successful person, whether it is a billionaire, a politician or an entertainer, there is a team of people responsible for making them look good. According to Cook, there is always someone one step ahead of you, and you are always going to be competing with people who have more experience and better connections. So in order to get to the top, you need to start compiling your entourage now.

 

 

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Direct Mail…Effective Marketing or Waste of Paper?

Tracy LathanBlog, Marketing, Public Relations, , , , 2 Comments on Direct Mail…Effective Marketing or Waste of Paper?

I don’t know about you, but I am pretty quick to throw out direct mail these days. I barely have time to sort through the important stuff. I used to enjoy flipping through the catalogues, but with the exception of a select few, I have started tossing those as well.

In fact, it was a catalogue that sparked the idea for this blog post. Or should we say, the massive mailer from Restoration Hardware that landed on my front steps a few weeks ago. This thing was unreal…not sure how my mailman even carried it from the truck. My first reaction was…what a waste of paper! And being a PR person, my second thought was how much RH had to allocate from their marketing budget just for the printing and shipping costs for this beast.

Apparently, I was not alone. After doing a little digging it turns out quite a few people were turned off by this tactic. Articles like The Internet Tells RH What It Can Do With Its 17-Pound Catalog showcase some of the creative ways people have used their mailer. The response on social media channels has been extremely negative. Someone even created a Tumblr account, Deforestation Hardware, that is seeking to organize a mass return of the catalogs back to a Restoration Hardware location in L.A.

Surely some research must have been done for them to make the call to mass produce and ship these to households across America. Certainly they considered there would be a negative response by some, especially those who are environmentally conscious. And with so much shopping done online these days, are catalogues even necessary anymore?

So it got me thinking…is direct mail still an effective marketing tool? For all the marketing professionals out there, do you use still direct mail or catalogues as a part of your marketing mix? And for the consumers, effective tactic or waste of paper? We would love to hear your thoughts!

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Radiant Orchid: Fashionable Food?

Cherith AndesBlog, Fashion, Restaurant PR + Hospitality PR, , , , , ,

When Pantone announced its 2014 Color of the Year, mags, blogs and morning shows exploded with the Radiant Orchid color wheel. Trendy DIY segments ran the gamut from refurbishing the sitting room (Cosmic Berry-hued walls) to reviving your couture (pair with shades of buttercup and mint).

Designers revamped our rides with plum Dodge Challengers and a magenta Bentley. And not to be outdone, Sephora spotlighted a collection of fuchsia lip stains and lilac nail varnishes for a splash of Hollywood glam.

Don’t tell, but there is a secret segment of laymen stylists that pursue trends beyond wardrobe design. We strike an unlikely balance of fashionista-meets-foody. (Don’t judge: your mouth waters too when the “hot light” is on at Krispy Kreme). We’d love to blend our passions of couture and cuisine, fashion and flavor, style and savor. A true debutant dining experience.

Lucky for us, we’ve uncovered a host of delicious ways to incorporate Radiant Orchid into one of our favorite household hobbies: making the menu. Don’t think of it as purple food; consider it a fashionable foray into a stylish culinary adventure.

Here are a few fun favorites to tempt your taste buds:

Blackberry Angel Food Cupcakes from FakeGinger.com
Blackberry Angel Food Cupcakes from FakeGinger.com
Lavender French Macaroons
Lavender French Macaroons from PlantFoodFabulous.com

 

 

 

 

 

Purple Yam Pie from DameDayne
Purple Yam Pie from Dame Dayne
Lavender Collins by Little Things Favors
Lavender Collins by Little Things Favors
Blueberry Frozen Yogurt from Simply Recipes
Blueberry Frozen Yogurt from Simply Recipes

Enjoy your sweet treats! What would you add to the list?

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Self-iquette: Selfie Etiquette

Cherith AndesBlog, Public Relations, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , ,

Kaitlyn Goforth, Clairemont’s wonderful intern, takes an honest look at the do’s and don’ts of the selfie world.

#ToSelfie or #NotToSelfie?

Last fall, Paul McCartney claimed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon that he took the first selfie. Former secretary of state Colin Powell made similar claims in March, posting a mirror picture he took in the 50s to Facebook. It’s caption, “Eat your heart out Ellen!,” referenced Ellen DeGeneres’s recent trend-setting “Oscar selfie” with three million retweets. Regardless of who was the first to snap a photo of this sort, we can all agree on one thing: selfies have officially taken over social media.

We see them everywhere. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat–the list continues. Recently, there has been talk about selfie etiquette, particularly after President Obama was seen snapping one at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service. Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Miley Cyrus stay in the news constantly with their skin-bearing photos, and David Ortiz faced controversy with his Samsung-sponsored selfie. As communication experts, public relations practitioners and simply social media users, this leads us to the main question. When is it appropriate to take a selfie, and ultimately, what’s the point?

#ITweetThereforeIAm

People take selfies on vacation, in restaurants and even while sitting in their cubicle to update friends or followers about the hum-drum goings-ons in their lives. Suddenly, there is a social media frenzy of sharing every moment online, leading people to ask: “If you don’t post it, did you really do it?” Most smart phones are even equipped with front-facing cameras, enabling users to get the perfect angle on their self-portraits. This has lead to selfies following plane crashes, selfies while rushing the field and selfies while driving (#dangerous). The reason people are on social media is to keep up with others, but we’ve got to ask if the selfie game has simply gone too far.

#SelfieEtiquette

Next time you have the yearning to snap a selfie, remember these do’s and don’ts. It may save you from social media scrutiny.

  • DON’T take a selfie at a funeral. President Obama didn’t set a great example, but in general, a funeral should be a selfie-free zone. People are there to grieve the loss of their loved one, not to watch you try to gain Instagram followers.
  • DON’T take a selfie in a public restroom. Not only is this not the greatest setting for a photo, but there is also the issue of privacy.
  • DON’T take a selfie in the car. Not only is it obvious (we all see your seat belt), but you also should probably be more focused on, well, driving! Wait until you’re safely out of the car to pose for a photo.
  • DO check what’s behind you. You don’t want your dirty clothes or your Justin Beiber poster in the background for everyone to see.
  • DO choose quality photos. No one wants to see a grainy or dark picture on his or her newsfeed. If you’re going to post a selfie, make it a good one.
  • DO take selfies with friends! These photos are fun and maybe even Instagramable. There’s no better way to capture memories than through awesome pictures.

#HereToStay

The “selfie” urge is understandable: you’re having a great hair day, you’re traveling the world or you’re sitting on the beach and you want the world to know about it. Gone are the days of experiencing something remarkable and leaving with only a memory. Regardless, “selfie” was officially added to the Oxford dictionary in 2013.  It is here to stay, so we all better get used to it.

 

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A Fashionable Future for Technology

Cherith AndesBlog, Fashion, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , ,

Guest post by our fabulous intern, Stephanie Zirker!

The millennials, often dubbed the “connected generation,” may be advanced, but they aren’t the end of the line. What will society coin our next generation, the ambassadors of new products being introduced daily? Being a millennial myself, I can say that we largely owe our “connectivity” to the companies that continue to design “the next new thing,” and without these newest gadgets, we would feel as if we were missing out on cutting edge trends in communication.

Consider Apple and its exclusive iPhone-to-iPhone capabilities that encourage buyers to turn to Apple technology in order to be part of the hippest tech culture. It’s hard to imagine that technology could somehow claim a bigger role in our daily lives. But a peek into the future reveals yet a closer level of integration between humans and devices – technologies with a fashionable flare.

What to Expect

Machinery can’t get much closer to our physical person than with the growing industry of “wearable technologies.” Before long, you won’t even have to move a muscle to see your updated Facebook feed or read urgent emails. For example, Google Glass combines vision technology with the Smartphone features many consumers expect, such as the ability to surf the internet or snap a photo.

But don’t stop with function. In our connected age, the term “wearable” signifies the undeniable relation between utility and appearance, media and communications that are inescapably part of our being. Temporary tattoos that can monitor pregnancy, a cocktail ring that tells you when the phone buried in your purse is ringing, even a hoodie sweater that can send text messages—these are the products that will become innate parts of the ever-evolving definition of “being connected.” Even Clairemont has gotten in on the action — or at least close to it — by working last year with 10 for Humanity to introduce the Tiger Eye Security Sensor, jewelry that is designed to help prevent violent crimes. Thus, wearable technology will continue to blur the line between technology as a tool and tech as a fashion.

The Ripple Effect for Business

The prosperity of the market for wearable technology will, however, depend on companies’ ability to appeal to customers’ fashion interests. On the flip side, style trends will become more digital, more industrial. As developers work to find a happy union between style and practicality, the question then becomes which features take precedence during design: look or utility.

For businesses, the wearable technology trend introduces the possibility to create a visual company profile through customizable products. Imagine a Smart hoodie designed for a specific organization and supplied to customers or employees. The new employee uniform could concurrently serve as the staff member’s means of communication.

The 21st Century Legwarmer

This wave of wearable technology opens the gates for tech products to shape users’ individual images. With many producers jumping on the growing trend of fitness bands, the slickest and most chic models are among the most popular. The new market for smart jewelry that provides call alerts allows women stay connected (and cutely accessorized) throughout the day without a second thought.

Take a quick memory trip back to the ’80s, the decade with legwarmer fashion and a boombox music culture. While music boxes and the loud, brightly colored style trend are often lumped together because of a similar time frame, the two are not interrelated. That won’t be the case in 80 years. A look back from year 2101 at the fashions of the mid-21st century will no doubt feature products that marry fashion with function: technology as the 21st century legwarmer.

 

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