Year: 2017

Newland Scores Developer of the Year

Cherith AndesBlog, Clairemont Client News, Real Estate PR, , , ,

We shined our shoes, donned our glam-est gowns and walked the red carpet with Newland Communities (client)! Hosted by the Home Builders Association of the Triangle, the 2017 MAME Awards honored the Triangle’s most successful and stunning leaders in real estate — from creative marketing campaigns to innovative builders and developers. After an evening of toasts, we celebrated some big wins for Briar Chapel and Wendell Falls — Newland’s two Triangle communities.

Briar Chapel by Newland Communities
Best Overall Advertising Campaign for a Community

Wendell Falls by Newland Communities
Best Social Media Ad by a Community

Newland Communities (Briar Chapel and Wendell Falls)
Developer of the Year

Congratulations to the wonderfully talented staff at Newland! We’re privileged to be a part of your team!

Check out some of our fun projects in the real estate industry!

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Millennials and Targeted Advertising

Clairemont InternBlog, Marketing, Raleigh PR Agency, , , ,

As brands and businesses embrace social media advertising, advertisements are evolving into sophisticated, systematic machines. Targeted ads are becoming increasingly popular across social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and Pinterest. However, how effective are they with millennials?

After conducting qualitative research – observations, interviews and a focus group – in a recent Ad/PR Research class at UNC-Chapel Hill, my team and I uncovered some surprising discoveries about millennials’ reactions to targeted advertising.

  1. Perceptions and Reactions
    Research revealed that participants had a negative or neutral perception of targeted advertising. Those who viewed targeted ads in a more negative light were mainly concerned about the privacy implications and companies combing their search history or tracking online behavior. In turn, these concerns lowered the consumers’ perception of a brand or company. On the other hand, many participants remained relatively neutral and simply scrolled past targeted ads on social media. Consumers’ opinions about brands and companies were not changed. They were not bothered by the presence of targeted advertisements but also did not pay them much attention.
  2. Privacy Concerns
    Although companies are not breaking any laws by how they target consumers, all participants were aware of the privacy concerns related to targeted advertising. Many felt as though everything on the internet is already public anyway, so they did not mind that companies were using their data to create ads. Overall, the millennials in our research felt as though the benefits and convenience of targeted advertising outweighed the privacy implications.
  3. Targeted Advertisements and the Likelihood of a Sale
    We expected to see a more direct relationship between targeted advertising and the likelihood of a sale, but our findings did not confirm our hunch. Instead, research suggested that targeted advertising is very effective in reminding millennials of a product they had previously viewed. In other words, targeted ads keep a product constantly in the viewer’s mind whether they decide to purchase it or not. The effectiveness of targeted ads greatly depends on consumers’ shopping habits. For those that regularly shop online, targeted ads effectively remind consumers of the product they had previously viewed, which could potentially expedite the buying cycle. However, for those that rarely online shop, targeted ads proved much less effective in getting their attention.

Alienate or Communicate?
Although millennials may have mixed reactions to targeted advertising, a few key findings can inform future ad campaign strategies. Our research suggested that there may be room to expedite the buying cycle for those that regularly shop online by providing reminders of previously viewed products. Additionally, since many consumers have privacy concerns with targeted advertising, companies should aim to be more transparent about how they are using a consumer’s information to target them.

Looking for more? Learn how to use coopetition to boost your marketing!

Written by Emily Deason, junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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Marketing in a Post-Truth Era

Cherith AndesBlog, Marketing, Public Relations, , , ,

It’s no secret that America’s climate is undergoing a political, economic and social redirect. In fact, researchers claim that we’re entering into a new cultural era, one of the first shifts of this kind since the mid-1960s.

For example, recent findings by the Kantar Futures Group reveal a resurgence of the populist mindset. For the first time in decades, Americans place a premium on a sense of community and social ties rather than a sense of individualism. While self-expression still exists, it is couched within a context of smaller worlds, shared allegiances and common interests. People are willing to give up a small portion of our “lone ranger” mentality to stay connected to the group.

In addition, recent developments have launched us into a “post-trust era” (or the “post-truth era“) where we no longer trust experts or leaders. It’s not that we don’t see them as credible; we just believe they’re pursuing their own agendas. Interestingly enough, this mindset spans political parties and socioeconomic strata.

As with any cultural ebb, America’s shift affects branding, marketing and public relations. A cursory overview shows how these concepts have already manifested on social media.

– Mastodon: A Twitter clone that appeals to the “old Twitter crowd,” as it were. It sidesteps features that users perceive interrupt their experience — such as a stream of ads or ranked content. Users felt incensed that some “untrustworthy” governing authority regulated their timelines. Mastodon offers organic, real-time experience unfettered by the influence of “the man” along with several privacy options.

– HaterDater: While many apps connect users based on common interests (Match.com, MapleMatch, you name it), app developers have gone so far as to launch forums that connect people based on their dislikes. From those who loath certain politicians to people who hate slow walkers, users can find a like-minded friend on HaterDater. Our desire for connection has prompted us to connect with small communities in some very unexpected ways.

How should marketers respond? Demonstrate that you have your audience’s best interests at heart. Support and enable small communities. Back off of rampant fact sharing, and provide ways for people to strengthen their relationships with others. Heck, sponsor a local tee-ball team! (Okay, not necessarily, but you get the point.) Invest in personal, local and connected as the new currency to strengthening a brand.

What other strategies should you explore to strengthen your brand? Check out our post on Communicating Your Brand.

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PR People: Eva Hornak, APR

Sarah HattmanBlog, PR People, Public Relations, , , , , , , ,

Eva Hornak, APR

Job title and function: I’m the communications manager for S.T. Wooten. In a nutshell, we build highways, do commercial site work, and produce asphalt and ready mix concrete. We have approximately 950 employees. We’re also a private, family owned, third-generation led company.

I’m a department of one, so I handle anything related to PR, communications and sometimes marketing. I focus mostly on employee communications and corporate communications. This includes writing the 24-page company magazine three times a year, as well as two monthly newsletters and a benefits newsletter three times a year. I also work on various special projects as needed, such as recruiting materials, PowerPoint presentations, the website, corporate communications, etc. I also oversee the PR firm we hired in 2016 that works on such projects as our social media, blog and trade media relations.

Most rewarding thing about working in PR today: Our employees range from managers with advanced degrees to field employees without a high-school degree. We have employees who can’t read or read very poorly (making it a struggle to take a survey or fill out paperwork). Now – imagine trying to teach that person about health insurance. That stuff is confusing for most people with college degrees! I try to keep most communications written on a sixth-grade level. In the past few years, we’ve really worked on educating our employees about how our benefits help them, and I love it.

Craziest/most challenging thing you’ve done in PR: Produced an event almost single-handedly on a very short timeline. Don’t do that. Get a team. Just stop, take a breath and get a team.

I also survived some very bad bosses. (See the next section for more on that.)

Advice for new PR pros:

1) Explore what’s out there. There are a lot of facets to PR, and you don’t know what job/setting/speciality you might like until you try it.

2) Make connections (within PR and the larger business community) and get a mentor(s). All of my jobs came from connections. All of my trusted peers came from previous jobs, the Raleigh PR Society and NCPRSA. Peers can help you get your next job, and they are your cheerleaders during the good times and your shoulders to cry on during difficult times. They will help shape and defend your reputation. And your good name is everything.

3) Have ethics. See #2 above regarding reputation and good name.

4) Always look for the right match in a job (or a boss). Yes, you’ll have to pay your dues. Yes, you’ll have jobs (or parts of jobs) that you learn are not for you. You’ll even have a job you love that has some tasks you hate. But don’t settle for a place that is a horrible match. Don’t stay somewhere (or with someone) that truly abuses you or actively blocks you from learning anything. Need a gut check? Ask your peers. See #2 above. And never, ever compromise your ethics because a job or a boss tells you to do so. See #3. You can always find another job. Seriously. Do I need to mention #2 again!?

Are you interested in being featured in “PR People?” Send us a message on Facebook to share your story!

Sarah Hattman, APR is president-elect for the North Carolina chapter of Public Relations Society of America and has been working in PR since she left television news. She grew up in North Carolina and was excited to move back to her home state in 2012 and then join Clairemont Communications, a Raleigh PR agency. 
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How Do You Eat Your Easter Bunny?

Cherith AndesBlog, Photo of the Week, The Clairemont Team, , , ,

With Easter just a few days away, we’re whipping out sweet treat trivia in the Clairemont office. According to a study by the National Confectioners Association (NCA), 89 percent of survey respondents eat their chocolate bunnies ears first. Five percent eat the tail first, and 6 percent go for the feet.

We’re all about some solid research — especially when it comes to chocolate. (We even have a chocolate factory as a client!) So we gave these stats a test run with the Clairemont team.

Research shows that we fit the bill! Four out of the five Clairemont team members polled went for ears first (except for Cherith, who wanted to buck the trend).

The NCA study also states that 81 percent of parents steal candy from their kids’ baskets. Perhaps we have our next research project cut out for us…

Happy Easter, friends!

 

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