Our client Andrew Valkanoff, owner and operator of Triangle Dairy Queen, recently showed up at the Clairemont House for a planning meeting with a Candy Cane Oreo Blizzard Cake. What a great way to get in the holiday spirit!
What is your favorite Blizzard flavor? Post it on our Facebook page!
Editor’s Note: Our fabulous UNC Intern, Hallie Altman, explores the impact of the LinkedIn/Lynda.com acquisition on job seekers.
In April of this year, LinkedIn purchased the online learning website, Lynda.com, for $1.5 billion. While the bold decision caused head scratches among LinkedIn users, LinkedIn knew the acquisition would benefit the company and its members in more ways than one.
Lynda.com is an online learning service that touts top-quality learning tutorials that help users learn tech, creative and business skills needed in today’s workforce. College students and job seekers–those seeking professional development–will benefit the most from this deal, and here’s why:
LinkedIn’s business is to help users build a professional network. Lynda’s business is to provide online lectures on just about any skill that could be useful in today’s workforce. The merging of these two companies means one company can provide everything you need to get that dream job. By adding this kind of content to its resume, LinkedIn is giving its users even more reason to spend time with LinkedIn services.
Although Lynda.com has been around since 1995, many LinkedIn users have never used it. Of course, this is likely to change soon. Not only are the Lynda.com videos informative, according to Bobby Owsinski of Forbes Magazine, the Lynda.com content is cinema quality, making the videos both informative and entertaining.
For job seekers, Lynda.com’s services are especially attractive. The website offers video tutorials on a range of skills from design, web and video to education and business. Lynda.com’s courses come in all levels and can be used by viewers to improve existing skills or learn entirely new skills. Other services on Lynda.com include unlimited access for subscribers, mobile capability for on-the-go learning and a feature that allows users to save and share lists of courses with friends.
Of course, as of now, there’s no official word on whether or not LinkedIn will link users’ accounts with Lynda.com. However, in an interview with Business Insider, LinkedIn’s head of content products, Ryan Roslansky, spoke about the benefits of LinkedIn’s purchase:
“We get so excited about the possibilities that could come from the integration of Lynda.com and LinkedIn. Imagine being a job seeker and being able to instantly know what skills are needed for the available jobs in a desired city, and then be prompted to take the relevant and accredited course to help you acquire this skill.”
Whether or not LinkedIn connects your account with Lynda.com, it’s great to know these services are available. Perhaps LinkedIn will add Lynda.com services to LinkedIn Premium accounts in order to provide an incentive for going Premium. Only time will tell!
Prepping for your own job search? Check out our five interview tips!
The big news hit the restaurant industry earlier this year: 2015 will be the last Christmas where “calories don’t count during the holidays.” Come next December, we’ll be painfully aware of the nutritional value of every morsel we munch—at least while dining at restaurants. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated that all chain restaurants and fast food joints publish calorie counts with additional nutritional data available upon request.
And of course, the FDA required that the regulation be enacted by December of 2016—right before the healthy New Year’s blitz. So much for the “I didn’t know it was so fattening!” excuse. (Cough, me, cough). While this change was originally scheduled for 2015, the extended deadline just means that things are getting real next holiday season.
Industry analysts have already begun weaving predictions. While some fear that posting nutritional information will hijack sales, other research suggests that calorie counts don’t affect long-term customer behavior. Starbucks witnessed an increase in sales positively correlated to posting nutritional data on its menu.
Regardless, this regulation will require a shift in operations, from menu development and portion sizes to staff consistency. But what does this change mean for marketers and PR professionals in the restaurant industry?
First and foremost, the same solid PR strategies apply. Know your target audience, backed by thorough market research. How health-conscious is your target demographic? Is long-term well-being or weight loss a high priority? How well does it understand the meaning of nutritional information and the effect on quality of life? The values, behaviors and priorities of your customers will determine the tone of the next step.
…which is storytelling. Take this opportunity to highlight the story behind the food—the ingredients, the recipes, the founder’s legacy, the passionate staff who prepare it. Widen the scope to the bigger picture beyond simple calories in, calories out. Restaurants have the chance to emphasize quality of life by exploring enriching experiences, such as savoring flavor or celebrating moments—the deep stuff of life that surpasses science.
And always remember, honesty is the number one trait that builds brand loyalty. Don’t be afraid to lift the veil and welcome your customers into your kitchen. Who knows! This new regulation might incite a counterculture revolution that prizes quality of life over the pant size.
Will calorie counts change what you order? Tweet us!
We’re running out of time! Christmas is just a little more than two weeks away, and somewhere young Harper and Zephyr’s Christmas fate might just depend on YOU helping us get a note from Santa in their sweet little hands.
In a letter dated December 5, 2015 on quite fancy stationery, Santa Claus disclosed that Harper and Zephyr are currently on the Nice List. However, he ends the letter with “I’ll be watching,” after saying to be good by sharing and listening to Mommy.
Could Harper and Zephyr possibly be teetering on the slippery slope of naughty and nice? Will they take their toys and retreat to their own selfish play and turn a deaf ear to Mommy’s polite requests to pick up their dirty socks off of the floor if we don’t take to social media to find them? At the very least, wouldn’t it be a shame for the beautiful calligraphy work of Mrs. Claus to never be admired by Harp, Zeph and Mommy? We can’t rob them of this heartfelt holiday keepsake!
Santa’s letter is a mystery. It was found on Glenwood South in Raleigh on Saturday. Did it fall from Santa’s sleigh as he was doing a pre-Christmas fly-by? Was it the victim of an overstuffed mail bag of holiday cards? Perhaps it was delivered to the children that morning. I can imagine Harper reading it to Lil Z and insisting on carrying it along for Saturday errands with Mommy. As they were released from their car seats and clasped hands to skip to The Cupcake Shoppe, it fell to the curb, caught wind and drifted up the sidewalk, just as Mommy’s gaze drifted down the street to the The Raleigh Wine Shop. Oh wait, maybe that was me…and then I found a letter from Santa!
Please help us find Harper and Zephyr by sharing this post on your social media channels. We want to be good little Santa’s helpers and deliver this letter to its intended recipients.
The Pitch
As a tactical component of Clairemont’s public relations strategy to reintroduce Il Palio, Chapel Hill’s iconic Italian restaurant, after the restaurant’s first renovation in 30 years and to gain exposure of the new chef, Chef Teddy Diggs, Clairemont leveraged the back-to-school season by highlighting Chef Teddy’s role as a parent. Recognizing that busy parents often struggle for fresh ideas for school lunches, we asked, “what does a top chef pack for his own children to eat?”
We selected targeted media and shared “Top Chef’s Top Tips for Back-to-School Lunches,” a series of kid-friendly recipes and photos designed to engage children and yield tasty, balanced lunches. We also offered college-friendly recipes upon request. These efforts resulted in articles, blogs and wide-spread posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Execution
Results
Il Palio’s reintroduction to the Triangle restaurant scene has been a success. As part of a larger, strategic campaign, Clairemont helped Il Palio engage with a targeted mom audience by finding a common connection through this Back-to-School pitch. This tactic exceeded expectations by securing five media placements and 10 social media posts, with a reach of more than 51,899 followers on Twitter alone, to generate additional buzz about Chef Teddy and his family friendly persona.
Want to see more about the restaurant PR work we do at Clairemont? Be sure to check out our Foodie Blog Posts!
