Year: 2018

What Does a PR Agency Do? DQ’s Miracle Treat Day

Clairemont InternAwards, Blog, Case Studies, , , , ,

Triangle Dairy Queen has grown to be the largest DQ franchise in Wake County since Andy Valkanoff founded it in 2005. In 2016, Triangle Dairy Queen celebrated its 11th annual Miracle Treat Day as part of a nationwide fundraiser that supports more than 170 Children’s Miracle Network hospitals across North America. On Miracle Treat Day, proceeds from Blizzard purchases at Triangle Dairy Queen locations are donated to Duke Children’s Hospital for research, care and family support programs.

Strategy

Looking to drive traffic to Triangle DQ locations to raise funds on Miracle Treat Day, Andy turned to Clairemont Communications to create a media relations campaign. Our objectives were to build awareness of Miracle Treat Day and help drive traffic to Dairy Queen locations by securing media placements, community calendars posts and media and blogger coverage on social media. 

Fans visit Triangle Dairy Queen on Miracle Treat Day!

Execution

To drive traffic to Dairy Queen locations on Miracle Treat Day and raise money for Duke Children’s Hospital, Clairemont chose to craft a news release to share with

local media contacts. We recognized that a release would provide the most concise and efficient vehicle to communicate the full story of the event and maximize coverage opportunities to media and influencers – especially when partnered with targeted and personalized pitches. A release would also allow us to easily share the event on community calendars and news release sites to increase visibility and attract potential customers to the restaurants. 

Results

Clairemont surpassed its original objectives, securing leading media placements, including in our state’s most read paper, The News & Observer, and an exclusive feature story with our ABC TV affiliate. We also secured prominent posts on community calendars and across social media. Miracle Treat Day was a strong success for Triangle Dairy Queen and continues to be part of its ongoing legacy.

The work Clairemont Communications conducted in partnership with Triangle Dairy Queen won an Award of Excellence from the North Carolina Public Relations Society of America. It also won a Silver Award in PR Writing from the Raleigh Public Relations Society. We are proud that this campaign represents two of the 175 awards we’ve received since starting Clairemont in 2010.

To read more about the work we do with clients, please visit the case study section of our blog.

*Cover image courtesy of Dairy Queen.

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Meet Jessica, Clairemont Intern

Clairemont InternBlog, Public Relations, The Clairemont Team, ,

I am an extrovert. That word tends to get misused quite a bit, but the bottom line is this: I love to help people thrive.

Meet Jessica

My name is Jessica Winesette, and I’m excited to be one of Clairemont’s newest interns! I’m a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go Heels!) majoring in public relations at the School of Media and Journalism. I am also minoring in philosophy, politics and economics.

So what does a typical day look like for me in the “Southern Part of Heaven” (aka Chapel Hill)?

Quick answer: there’s no such thing as a typical day!

What I love about my time at UNC is that every day holds different opportunities to seize and different people to meet. I am a student leader with Cru Campus Ministry and have been lucky enough to lead a Bible study with some sophomores that have become like family. I live with seven of my best friends, and, needless to say, there is never a dull moment. I have also danced with Blank Canvas Dance Company since my second semester at UNC. Finally, I’ve participated in multiple special campaigns at UNC, such as Carolina Justice Week, International Friends and Electionland. In summary, I stay pretty busy!

Making Magic

As incredible as my time in Chapel Hill has been, there is one time in my college career that stands out above the rest. Last spring, I took a semester off of school to participate in the Disney College Program at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida! It was such a great character-building experience, and as you can imagine, also a blast. I did work in Disney World, after all!

My job as a Vacation Planner allowed me to have constant guest interaction and definitely helped with my conflict resolution skills. They might call it the Happiest Place on Earth, but I assure you, not everyone there is happy. Nevertheless, this gave me a perfect opportunity to address guest complaints and handle a variety of difficult situations with tact.

Why PR?

Public relations is something that I don’t think I fully understood until I was an upperclassman. I actually declared PR as my major during my freshman year but only started to truly appreciate and become excited about it during my junior year. As I learned more about the diverse functions of PR from my incredible professors, I became enthralled with the dynamic and ever-changing field.

I am excited to spend my career building mutually beneficial relationships with clients and their publics. Ultimately, my passion for working with people and building them up naturally pointed to a life in public relations.

Why Clairemont?

The incredible creative energy that flows throughout the Clairemont House is undeniable. I am inspired by all of the women that I work with and their dedication to taking care of their clients. I also appreciate the smaller size of Clairemont, as it makes me feel like an integral part of the team and allows me to have my hands in a little bit of everything. Just like my time at UNC, no two days at Clairemont are the same, and I’m eager to see what each new day is going to bring!

Written by Clairemont intern Jessica Winesette, a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill.

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What Does a PR Agency Do? Our Coffee Cares Video

Clairemont InternAwards, Blog, Case Studies, , , , ,

Newland Communities, the country’s most prominent privately held residential developer, unveiled its newest master-planned community – Wendell Falls – in the spring of 2015. Wendell Falls is situated in a relatively undeveloped section of Wake County, and when it experienced a lull in traffic, Newland turned to Clairemont Communications to re-engage prospective homebuyers and increase interest during slower winter months.

Strategy and Execution

As part of a larger strategic approach, Clairemont crafted a campaign that leveraged a foodie trend by highlighting Grounds Café, the on-site cafe, and its sustainable approach to sourcing. Clairemont created a video targeting food influencers as well as homebuyers in the Triangle with the objective of ultimately helping increase interest and traffic at Wendell Falls in the month of December by 50 percent, as compared to 2015.

This story would create an additional cultural appeal beyond just housing products. But instead of relying on editorial articles or paid advertising, Clairemont chose to also tell the story via a video featuring personal interviews. Visual mediums like this are easily sharable and have proven to generate higher interest from viewers as well as produce higher engagement on social media.

Results

The Grounds Café video secured the highest number of views for any Facebook video at that time posted by Wendell Falls. In addition, Wendell Falls experienced a distinct uptick in traffic, experiencing an 81.6 percent increase in December 2016, as compared to December 2015. Since then, we’ve converted followers into fans; Raleigh influencers and foodies regularly visit Grounds, posting pictures and touting Wendell Falls to their 50,000+ followers on social media.

The work Clairemont Communications conducted in partnership with Wendell Falls earned an Award of Excellence and a Best in Category from the North Carolina Public Relations Society of America for our video “Our Coffee Cares.” It also received a Gold Award in Video/Podcast/Videocast from the Raleigh Public Relations Society. We are proud that this campaign represents one of the 175 awards we’ve received since starting Clairemont in 2010.

To read more about the work we do with clients, please visit the case study section of our blog.

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Meet Kennedy, Clairemont Intern

Clairemont InternBlog, Fashion, The Clairemont Team, , , ,

Sprite and Hewlett Packard have a couple of things in common. One, they are global companies, and two, they asked me to partner with them on campaigns this past summer.

Meet Kennedy          

My name is Kennedy Norton, and I’m a junior at NC State University studying communications with a concentration in public relations, as well as minoring in design studies.

You will probably find that I am not your typical college student. In addition to being a full-time student, I am the marketing/PR coordinator for a planner company based in Charlotte, Kahootie Co. I’m also a blogger! I have a fashion and beauty based blog named Enticingly Haute. I have crafted campaigns with Sephora and Neutrogena, taken over T.J. Maxx’s Instagram story for the day and will complete a campaign with Ulta Beauty at the end of this month. Last but not least, I’m Clairemont Communication’s newest PR intern.

 

Social Media Savvy

My favorite class assignment to date was giving a speech on why I believe that Instagram is the best social media platform. I adore social media and the communication it affords me. I started a blog to share outfit ideas and beauty tips with my friends and family. Enticingly Haute took off in ways I could have only imagined. Kahootie Co. loved my Instagram presence of 20,000+ followers at the time and reached out wanting me to work on its social media and communicate with its buyers. I love people and building relationships with them. It’s what made me choose my major and easily share so much of myself through my blog; it’s also why I think I’ve had success in creating meaningful and impactful social media content.

Why Clairemont

As the PR director for the NC State PRSSA chapter, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Clairemont’s own Tracy Lathan. Tracy is passionate about what she does, and after hearing her speak multiple times at PRSSA events in Raleigh, I needed to find out more about Clairemont.

This agency could not be more perfect. The women here are driven and excited about what they do. The less than 10-person team is a homey and hands-on experience. I truly feel a part of the team here at Clairemont; you can’t walk around this house without feeling inspired to think up a new idea or to create something. This agency makes me that much more excited about my major and will give me an outlet to continually grow my love for social media and people while offering opportunities to develop knowledge for a lifetime.

Written by Clairemont intern, Kennedy Norton, a junior at North Carolina State University.

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Facebook’s Change: Now What?

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

Adam Mosseri, Facebook’s head of news feed, described Facebook’s newest change as “bigger than the average tweak … It’s not a tweak.”

Michael Stelzner, founder of Social Media Examiner, dubbed it “Facebook Zero,” and Contently described it as the “Facebook apocalypse.”

It might just be all three.

In mid-January, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled an overhaul to Facebook’s algorithm, one that possibly spells disaster for business pages. Rather than pontificate on death’s door, here are the CliffsNotes:

The Main Shift

Previously, Facebook aimed to connect users with relevant content. Now, the algorithm will prioritize meaningful interactions between people, not between pages and people. Think … posts by people who ask for recommendations or who share personal stories that spark heartfelt responses.

Who Matters? People. Real, actual people, not businesses or news sources. This overhaul places a premium on people who are in your network as well.

What Matters? Previously, the Facebook algorithm evaluated successful posts by the amount of time spent and the number of likes. The new system values post engagement in the form of comments. Lengthy, meaningful comments that require time and effort score far higher than short, monosyllabic quips.

(Facebook spells it out in its short video.)

The Effects

Straight from Marky Mark (Zuckerberg) himself — content from pages will increasingly disappear from news feeds. Reach, views and referral traffic will decrease to pages, including the Facebook content darling itself: video. Facebook will view this as a passive media type. (Note: video is not disappearing or becoming obsolete; we’ll need to adjust how we utilize it!) Overall time on Facebook will decrease while, Facebook predicts, quality of interaction will increase. And while the shift will start in the news feed, it will eventually infiltrate the entire platform.

Why the Change?

Facebook adopts a psychological stance on this one. Passive scrolling and empty interaction on Facebook, it says, decreases quality life. Meaningful, engaged interaction that requires effort and time investment add value and boost positive feelings. Hence, it seems that Facebook is striving to bolster our quality of life.

But back to business … now what?

First and foremost, don’t panic. Here’s what we see as promising grounds so far.

1. Ad Campaigns. There’s little chance that Facebook will hamstring its revenue source: ads. Begin to beef up your ad strategy, solidifying campaigns and goals to increase website traffic and nurture conversions. While many predict that costs for campaigns will rise as supply and demand adjusts, ads are currently still a firm method to connect with your consumers. (P.S. Check out a few tips here.)

2. Live Videos (and others). Live videos seem to be a slight exception to Facebook’s new rules. It encourages viewers to actively engage with both the content creator and with other viewers. Video, in general, is not dying, especially with recently launched features like Facebook Watch. So don’t ditch your cameras yet! Just stay tuned for ways to create “thumb stopping” content that will illicit comments and shares.

3. Encourage “See First.” For now, train your followers to mark your page as “See First,” affording your business content some priority in their news feeds.

4. Explore Using Messenger Bots. These “behind-the-scenes” bots can deliver ad content, answer questions and help streamline the sales process beyond standard news feed content or ads. Jon Loomer shares tips on leveraging Facebook Messenger ads.

5. Avoid Engagement Baiting. Facebook has made it clear that they will demote pages and posts that use engagement baiting to artificially increase post engagement. Asking fans to like, share, comment or tag friends are examples of engagement baiting. It’s a no-no.

6. Diversify. Psssst. Don’t forget; Facebook isn’t the only platform to nurture your fan base and gain customers. Now is the time to revisit your content marketing and broad social media strategy.

As marketers, we now need to consider how to create conversations between people, not between our followers and the page. Also evaluate how investing time in this Facebook shift supports — if at all — your core business goals.

In essence, Facebook has transformed from a broadcast platform into a coffee house table for thoughtful conversation. Pour a cup of joe and chat.

Need some help revamping your Facebook strategy? We’re here to help.

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