Year: 2020

Effective Socially Distanced Events

Cherith AndesBlog, Marketing, Public Relations, , ,

When the pandemic first hit, trade shows, conferences and networking soirees were slashed and canceled. And then, like any marketers worth their salt, teams quickly reimagined experiences to proffer a plethora of socially distanced and virtual events.

Now in late 2020, we’ve moved past the stage of tech requirements and logistics into a world of cinematic engagement and meaningful connection. Since user experience (UX) takes precedence more than ever, use these strategies to ensure your virtual/socially distanced events are leaving an impact and inspiring action.

Shake up the format.

If hosting a virtual meeting, it’s easy to go with good ‘ol Zoom. Webinars provide a strong medium for information dissemination abetted by Powerpoint and graphics. However, while effective, webinars can be downright boring, so ensure you’re orchestrating multiple live touch points throughout the experience.

Create an interactive two-way environment (or four-way, nine-way, 453-way, whatever is needed). The Institute of Internal Auditors, for example, peppered its virtual symposium with points of interaction that simulated an in-person conference. In addition to an agenda of presentations and Q&As, attendees could purchase items from a virtual bookstore or watch video ads during scheduled coffee breaks. Similarly, SAP hosted a virtual learning studio that provided learning exercises in a gamified, Jeopardy-style format.

Create connection conduits.

Key in on cornerstone engagement tactics that work in both virtual and socially distanced experiences.

PREWORK: Kickstart engagement before kickstarting the event. Send a survey to participants with questions, ensuring that they already have buy-in prior to that opening session. What keeps you up at night? What one learning are you looking to take with you? What does success look like in your role? Share the results and tailor the content to address the feedback.

ICEBREAKERS: People still connect with people. So create space, such as breakout rooms, for community builders. For smaller, more familiar groups, choose an easy, organic approach by posting a trivia fact and prompting attendees to identify the corresponding person.

Image from Icebreaker, an online event platform to connect groups through activities.

For larger events, networking tools can add the needed pizazz, such as Icebreaker, an online event platform that connects groups through activities and games, or Brella, which can pair attendees one-on-one for mentorship and networking.

BREAKS: Don’t let your planned pre-session or break time become dead space. Offer live entertainment (magicians? favorite bands? comedians?) as an opener or midway through a session when attendees experience visual fatigue. Offer a fitness challenge during the breaks or host a virtual scavenger hunt. (Winner gets good swag!)

SWAG: Speaking of goodies … leverage opportunities to host giveaways, rewarding those that participate in challenges, complete surveys or simply register for sessions. (Check out a candy bag of fun ideas here.)

INTERACTIVE SURVEYS: Utilize live polls to get real-time feedback, direct where presenters spend more time or get a pulse on the knowledge level and needs of your audience.

PLAYLISTS: Tailored tunes speak to the heart. Create a playlist of themed songs around your event, and share prior (via email, text or social media event) or as part of the event kick off. Clairemont crafted a playlist to celebrate the 2020 Women in Business Week. (Hey, any jams you would add?)

PARTY IN A BOX: This one is my favorite. Set the atmosphere by sending your participants a box o’ goodies prior to the event, from branded swag to costumes and snacks.

Clairemont clients are cranking out coolness.

Check out these Clairemont clients putting these best practices to best use!

ZOOM THROUGH THE PAGES: Carrie Knowles, author of 40+ years and 2014 Piedmont Laureate, hosts virtual book clubs and writing workshops. With her sweet spot of 12-15 attendees, Carrie fashions an interactive format with storytelling, open dialogue and real-time exercises. For her book clubs, she helps create the ambience of the book by encouraging attendees to order food and beverages that fit the theme of the novel.

Photo courtesy of Will Cooper and the Chatham Rabbits.

TUNES ON TIRES: Wendell Falls, one of the largest master-planned communities in the Triangle, keeps its residents connected through a bevy of socially distanced themes and events. Last month, Wendell Falls replaced its hallmark outdoor concerts with a traveling band. The Chatham Rabbits set up its band on a trailer and road tripped through neighborhoods, regaling porch-side guests with its storytelling and songs.

VINO AND VERBIAGE: Vita Vite, Raleigh’s acclaimed wine bar and art gallery, created a legacy of book clubs where friends gathered over a glass of wine to discuss their monthly read. VV owner Lindsay Rice concocted a special set up by welcoming her guests to BYOB (Bring Your Own Blankets) and join her on the spacious lawn outside her North Hills location. Groups could order a favorite wine/beer and cheese plate from the bar and “pod up” into self-made mini discussion groups on the lawn. Blanket + beverage + book = beloved good time.

Events are our specialty.

And we have an invitation for you.

  1. Borrow a few of our good ideas!
  2. Out of ideas? Email us to tap into our expertise!
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WGU North Carolina Turns Three!

Kelli FletcherBlog, Case Studies, Clairemont Client News, , , ,

This month Clairemont client WGU North Carolina, an affiliate of Western Governors University, is celebrating its third anniversary. WGU, an accredited, competency-based, nonprofit online university, offers more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degrees. Since launching in 2017, WGU North Carolina’s enrollment has more than tripled to 3,900 active students spread throughout nearly all of North Carolina’s 100 counties.

To celebrate, Chancellor Catherine Truitt has announced the launch of the WGU North Carolina Three for Three Scholarships in which 10 residents will receive $3,000 each in tuition credit.

We’re proud of the work we do with WGU North Carolina as they aim to expand access to higher education across our state.

Below is the official announcement from WGU North Carolina.

Image courtesy of WGU

WGU North Carolina Announces $3,000 “Three for Three” Scholarships in Recognition of Third Anniversary

— Ten winners will each receive tuition credit of $3,000 —

On October 5, 2017, Western Governors University President Scott Pulsipher visited the North Carolina Legislative Building in Raleigh to officially launch WGU North Carolina as a state affiliate. The establishment of WGU North Carolina was previously authorized by the North Carolina General Assembly and Governor Pat McCrory in October 2015. In recognition of its third anniversary, Chancellor Catherine Truitt has announced the launch of the WGU North Carolina Three for Three Scholarships. Ten residents will receive $3,000 each in tuition credit (at $750 per six-month term, renewable for up to four terms).

Designed for working adults, WGU is an accredited, nonprofit online university offering more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degrees in IT, business, K-12 teacher education, and healthcare, including nursing. WGU offers an asynchronous, competency-based model that allows students to log in and access coursework at a time convenient for them, and to accelerate at their own pace. Tuition is around $3,250 per six-month term for most undergraduate degree programs.

Over the past three years, WGU North Carolina’s enrollment has more than tripled to 3,900 active students. School officials also shared the following statistics (as of September 2020):

  • 4,217 WGU graduates live in 97 of North Carolina’s 100 counties
  • Over the past three years, nearly $1.3 million in scholarships has been awarded to 606 recipients
  • 74% of students work full-time, and 10% work part-time
  • Students range in age from 17 to 75
  • 22% of students are from low-income families
  • One in five WGU North Carolina students is affiliated with the military community

“WGU North Carolina was established to expand access to higher education in our state, and at this time, an affordable degree in a high-demand field can provide individuals with the means to help their families weather tough economic times and eventually thrive when things return to normal,” said Chancellor Truitt. “Our Three for Three Scholarships will provide meaningful assistance to 10 individuals who are committed to furthering their education and their careers.”

To apply for the WGU North Carolina Three for Three Scholarships, you must be a resident of North Carolina. Scholarships will be awarded based on a candidate’s academic record, financial need, readiness for online study at WGU, and current competency, plus other considerations. The application deadline is December 31. To learn more about the WGU North Carolina Three for Three Scholarships or to apply, visit nc.wgu.edu/3for3.

For more information about WGU North Carolina, visit nc.wgu.edu.

About WGU North Carolina

WGU North Carolina is an online competency-based university established to expand access to higher education for North Carolina residents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the fields of business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing. Degrees are granted under the accreditation of Western Governors University, which is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Driving innovation as the nation’s leading competency-based university, WGU has been recognized by the White House, state leaders, employers, and students as a model that works in postsecondary education. WGU has been named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, and has been featured on NPR, NBC Nightly News, CNN, and in The New York Times. Learn more at nc.wgu.edu.

Interested in how we’ve helped other clients celebrate anniversary milestones? Read more here.

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The Enneagram in Marketing

Clairemont InternBlog, PR People, Professional Development, , ,

What is the Enneagram?

Internal motivation is a tricky thing to comprehend. It inevitably seeps into how each person thinks, feels and acts. The Enneagram test has taken the world by storm over the past few years, using nine numbers to provide insight into our internal motivations. 

Each Enneagram number comes with its own complexities, stress points, growth spots and communication preferences. Every person has a way of understanding and adapting to the world; the Enneagram is just another tool to perceive our intricate personalities. 

Here is a quick, and by no means comprehensive, overview of each Enneagram number: 

Type Ones are purposeful perfectionists.

Type Twos are giving people-pleasers.

Type Threes are ambitious, competitive and driven.

Type Fours are emotional and expressive.

Type Fives are perceptive and creative.

Type Sixes are loyal and engaged.

Type Sevens are spontaneous, adventurous and scattered.

Type Eights are confident and confrontational.

Type Nines are receptive peacemakers. 

Business Sense With a Dash of Personality

Human connection is at the core of marketing and internal work atmospheres. Connecting with an audience drives campaigns, boosts sales and increases a company’s lasting impact. The Enneagram provides a new interpretation to “understanding the crowd,” helping leverage marketing tactics towards a specific audience.

How, you ask?

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  1. Enhancing Human Interaction

Not only does the Enneagram help us understand ourselves, it helps us better understand how we interact with others. While the Enneagram isn’t an all-encompassing descriptor of our personalities, it certainly helps us empathize and recognize others’ thought processes and motivators that might be different from our own. 

  1. New Marketing Tactics 

Every brand and organization has to identify and understand its target market: its language, behaviors, lifestyle, opinions and preferences. Creating a buyer persona is a creative way for marketers to keep consumers at the forefront of their marketing efforts. In short, a buyer persona is a detailed description of a hypothetical member of your target market. 

A recent study from Cintell on audience personas made the discovery that “companies that exceed lead and revenue goals were 2.2X more likely to have and document personas than companies that miss these targets.”

For example, if you’re selling a home security system, consider appealing to the safety-oriented aspect of the Enneagram six’s personality when creating your buyer persona rather than the carefree nature of the Enneagram seven. If your product or service is achievement-oriented, consider the competitive and ambitious aspects of the Enneagram three in your buyer persona. 

  1. Personal Personality Growth

Everyone loves learning more about themselves. As an Enneagram seven, I enjoy reading about how sevens are spontaneous, adventurous and fun. However, the Enneagram also provides a look into blind spots and stress points. When a seven is stressed, he or she becomes critical, avoidant of negative emotions and restless. 

Using the Enneagram to take an objective look at yourself, the good and the not-so-good, contributes to an increased sense of self-awareness. A stronger sense of self-awareness helps to maximize strengths and pinpoint areas that need improvement, fostering better teammates, leaders and marketers in the long run. 

Looking for more on marketing? We’ve got great tips for you — from Disney case studies to utilizing TikTok.

By Clairemont intern Anna Beth Adcock, a senior at NC State.

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Primary Insights into Color Marketing

Clairemont InternBlog, Inspirational, Marketing, ,

Colors and marketing are complementary. They work together, bringing vivid visualizations to campaigns, persuading buying decisions and shaping consumer perceptions. The strategic use of hues and shades not only makes a business logo stylish, but it also communicates a clear message to your audience. 

When it comes to your brand’s image, what kind of picture are you painting?

The Psychology of Color in Marketing

People tend to associate certain colors with specific emotions, making color a valuable communications and marketing tool. For example, red conveys power, strength, hunger or love, while blue channels a calm, cool and collected vibe. Therefore, knowledge and application of the emotions that color can evoke are vital to any brand campaign or advertising endeavor. 

Recognizing that colors can communicate feelings, emotions and perceptions in relation to a brand is powerful knowledge.  

Painting Your Brand in a Positive Light

In the study titled Impact of Color on Marketing, analysts found that up to 90 percent of a brand’s first impressions are made on the basis of color. Potential consumers make snap judgments on colors and brands based on perceived appropriateness of the use of the color with a specific brand. In other words, consumers want to know: do these colors align with what this brand is selling?

What would Coca-Cola be without its uplifting and energetic red logo? Would anyone easily recognize a Tiffany’s package without its signature teal box and white ribbon? If McDonald’s made its golden arches green, how would it influence its brand image?

At Clairemont, we love the happy hues of pink, teal and light green. 

  • Pink showcases our imaginative campaign ideas and boundless creativity.  
  • Green highlights our desire for personal and professional growth along with our team’s positive energy, of course! 
  • Teal emphasizes Clairemont’s professionalism and reliability, and channels our signature “keeping calm under pressure” promise. 

As Coco Chanel says, “The best color in the whole world is the one that looks good on you.” As your organization crafts campaigns, brainstorms social media posts and launches advertisements, consider which colors “look good” on your business. How do they further your message and align with your brand’s mission?  

Brightening Audience Impact

When we use colors effectively, we not only catch our audience’s attention, but we also increase its memory, engagement and knowledge of our brand. 

Flashing back to 2000, Heinz took its classic red ketchup and made it green. This innovative “EZ Squirt Blastin’ Green Ketchup” sold more than 10 million bottles in its first seven months on the market. Changing a condiment color from red to green led to Heinz raking in about $23 million in sales that year, its highest revenue increase to date. Kids’ excitement over colorful ketchup led to orange, purple, teal, blue and pink joining the product lineup. While the hype for this wonderfully weird product ultimately died down, it was enough to garner attention to the Heinz Company and significantly boost sales while the product was popular.

Heinz hasn’t been the only company to recognize the power of color. When Apple introduced a stock of colorful iPhones, Macbooks and iPods, the simple shift of color in its product offering revitalized its brand and sales. Even Skittles’ long-running advertising slogan “Taste the Rainbow” is clear evidence of color’s influence in marketing campaigns. 

Curious for a deeper look into color and its impact on an audience? Give this guide a read!

Colorful Personalities

Your brand isn’t the only thing that can be explained and better understood using color theory. The True Colors Personality Test uses four colors — green, blue, orange and gold — to classify and describe an individual’s core traits and motivations. 

Using the method of color to understand values, self-perception and preferred methods of communication is an interesting tool that can be leveraged to improve self-awareness and communication with teammates and peers. 

Curious about your true color? Take the test here!

From personalities to branding, color possesses the power to make a positive impact. So don’t be afraid to get creative and scribble a little outside the lines.

Orange you glad you gave this a read? Give a few more of our bright ideas a skim in the Creative Challenge section of our blog!

By Clairemont intern Anna Beth Adcock, a senior at NC State.

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Harness the Magic of Memes

Cherith AndesBlog, Marketing, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , 1 Comment on Harness the Magic of Memes

A picture is worth a thousand words … but what about a meme?

To Bud Light, a meme is worth hiring a C-level employee. Recently Bud Light released a rather humorous call for applications on its website for a Chief Meme Officer (CMO).

“We at Bud Light have created the perfect hard seltzer. It’s five-times filtered, 100 calories, and comes in four delicious flavors. But we know a hard seltzer is only as good as its memes and, unfortunately, our memes are trash. We need someone who can change that for us; someone who can pull us out of the pits of cringe, someone who knows how to use the lasso thingy in Photoshop, someone like you. Please help us. Please.”

The remainder of the page sports downloadable brand assets, a brief job description and templates (in lieu of Photoshop). Even though it appears to be a part-time job at $5,000 per month, Bud Light is paving a smooth path for eligible applicants.

Memes: Social Media’s Darlings

While a meme traditionally consisted of an image paired with humorous or sarcastic text, it now includes a breadth of media types, from poems to remixed songs. Memes have a highly viral — albeit often short — lifespan, spreading like wildfire and yielding high engagement rates.

Why? Part of their efficacy might be due to social media’s algorithms. Many platforms, like Instagram and Facebook, give preference to visual media types and hence increase the visibility of memes.

However, the stronger pull stems from the content itself.

  • Memes feel approachable. Rather than the highly produced feel of ads, memes exude an air of authenticity with their home-made aesthetic. This quality especially appeals to Gen Z-ers, who resist the photoshopped and filtered products of the millennials.
  • Memes make the viewer feel “in the know.” Most memes riff off a cultural reference, ranging from a moment at the Oscars to an actor’s expression from a sitcom. Even though these are often widely known references, viewers feel privileged when they recognize the joke.
  • Memes prompt interaction. Memes are relatable. “We’ve all been there.” “I totally feel that.” “Ugh! Yes!” People often see themselves in a well-done meme, prompting them to like and tag friends who will also find the content humorous. And we know what happens to social media’s algorithm when interaction increases. (Visibility skyrockets — begetting a cycle of interaction and visibility … you get the picture.)
Meme combines famous actor with relatable experience of being on a Zoom call. Meme from NCSU_Memes.
  • Memes serve as a coping mechanism. Research also reveals that memes can also have a psychological benefit, helping viewers process crisis, trauma or challenges through humor.
Meme utilizes reference to the popular musical, Hamilton, while tapping into a common reaction to current events. Meme from AllIDoIsDisney.

How to Create and Use the Magic

  • Listen … socially. Memes are a product of social conversation, and in order to tap into a trend, you have to discover it first. Set up a system or leverage social listening tools (like Sprout, Meltwater, etc.) to spot a rising meme.
  • Crowdsource the research. If two heads are better than one … fill up the room with researchers! Set up a team by channel or topic to watch trends, brainstorm ideas and pitch ideas for incorporating memes into your content.
  • Stay on brand. This harkens back to the golden rule of marketing — knowing your audience’s demographic, psychographic and engagement patterns. Ensure that memes will resonate with your audience. (For example, a “Cheers” meme may not hit home with Gen Z generation.)
  • Act fast and use wisely. Memes are a flash in the pan. Don’t wait weeks — or even days — to vet and tinker. Conversely, use memes sparingly, like spice in cooking, and allow room for your brand’s original posts and engagement drivers.

We love a good meme. And as much as we love sharing them, we love creating them even more.

How can we help you boost your social media strategy?

Drop us a line!

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