Author: Cherith Andes

Writing Copy: Sing the Right Tune

Cherith AndesBlog, Copy Cat, Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , ,

We always say that we love good copy, and we’re highly invested in ensuring that our messages carry the right tune. With the refinement of mobile apps and online notifications, brevity with clarity becomes vital to effective communication.

I love me some Pandora. (Pardon the grammar of that phrase—artistic license for effect.) This industry mogul has arguably dominated the internet radio landscape by connecting ground-level consumers with a hitherto restricted product: tunes. Gone is the barrier of cost with Pandora’s streaming music; every genre and ilk of music is instantaneously available (minus a few commercials here and there). Pandora even curates customized playlists for a range of style preferences–from spa music to cumbia–that can function as the DJ at an event. Talk about a budget-saver!

Undoubtedly, Pandora wields clout to “bend the ear” of the public. But trust is as easily lost as gained with this generation of tech-savvy consumers. And hence, it becomes all the more important that mobile app notifications provide accurate information—and copy—every time.

Pandora Mobile Alert

Take a peek at this recent mobile alert I received from my beloved Pandora. Although they haven’t lost my vote yet, Pandora should revisit one key to writing strong copy: there’s power in proofreading. Use this as a reminder to review your emails or documents one final time before pushing “send.”

 

Read More

Moving in with Mom: Multi-Gens Change Real Estate PR

Cherith AndesBlog, Public Relations, Real Estate PR, Trends, , , , , , , ,

Matthew McConaughey’s flick, “Failure to Launch,” spins the yarn of a young professional who can’t seem to fly the coop. At age 35, he relishes the perks of rent-free living with his parents along with his mother’s home-cooked meals and in-house laundry service.

While fodder for one of the leading romantic comedies in 2006, this story has since typified today’s housing market. In 2012, more than 18 percent of the American population resided in a multi-generational family household, defined as home with three or more generations under one roof.

Junior’s Back. And So Is Granny.

The trend skyrocketed during the 2007-2009 recession when insufficient jobs and waning pensions forced families to pool mortgages to survive. What was born out of necessity has since beget a luxury. Families willingly benefit from combined resources, shared comforts and (let’s not forget) direct access to the grandkids.

The multi-gen housing trend has left its mark on the real estate industry. Nationally acclaimed home builder Lennar Homes, for example, rolled out NextGen, a new brand featuring a “home within a home” for this target market. The MEDCottage, another line’s portable “granny pod,” features a 12 to 24-foot flat plopped directly into your own backyard. Forget going “over the river and through the woods” to grandma’s house. You barely have to make it out the back door.

The new MEDCottage. Image courtesy of MEDcottage.com.
The new MEDCottage. Image courtesy of MEDcottage.com.

A New Floor Plan for PR.

So what does this mean for real estate PR?

Lots. As families place a premium on lifestyle, it becomes vital that we create and market opportunities that engage diverse age groups. For example, Briar Chapel by Newland Communities, one of Clairemont’s longstanding clients, offers a range of internally and externally marketed activities. Their Lego Camp draws tykes from across the state while their water aerobics engage active older adults from around the community.

Briar Chapel also provides opportunities from the other side of the coin–large-scale events that nurture inter-generational collaboration and maximize shared interests (such as the multi-generational love for the Rolling Stones—who knew?). Briar Chapel’s acclaimed Pepper Festival fosters relationships by providing a distinct draw for every interest and demographic—from kid-friendly acrobatic showcases to “adult-friendly” craft beer tastings. Strengthen relationships, we say, because the family that plays together, stays together…and will likely “pay” together for houses in your community!

Briar Chapel's Annual Pepper Festival.
Briar Chapel’s Annual Pepper Festival.

Invite All the Right House Guests.

These mufti-faceted avenues provide equally diverse opportunities for us to expand media relations. Not only do media highlight breaking news and overarching stories, but many also pursue niche interests—such as the Triangle’s trending wave of “beer experts.” Effective public relations strategies should dig deep to suss out fresh angles on stalwart offerings for specialized reporters, bloggers and social media experts. Creative pizzazz can unearth a whole new wave of dynamic media attention for a real estate community!

If all else fails, the multi-gen trend at least promises free babysitting from grandma for a last-minute date night, right?

Read More

Clients Who Care: Wendell Falls

Cherith AndesBlog, Clairemont Client News, In Our Community, Real Estate PR, , ,

In the spirit of holiday giving, “Clients Who Care” is a blog series that recognizes some of the recent acts of kindness and caring demonstrated by Clairemont clients. We hope these stories inspire you to be charitable this holiday season and throughout 2015. Happy Holidays!

After grand opening, many companies make an effort to get to know their new neighbors–perhaps with an open house, a product promotion or even a donation to a local charity.

But what if your business that hasn’t sold a single product? Or signed a single contract? Or even opened your front doors?

Wendell Falls Steps Out Before Even Starting Up

Wendell Falls, the upcoming master-planned community nestled among the quaint rooftops of Wendell, N.C., exceeded the standard protocol for cursory introductions. Inspired by its mission to forge lasting relationships and strengthen the foundations of its community, Wendell Falls offered a helping hand to its new neighbors long before it even broke ground on its first house.

At first, Wendell Falls started by providing monetary contributions to assist the community where it needed it most immediately. With a focus on bolstering economic and academic growth, the new development team locked arms with local business owners and civic leaders to identify opportunities for growth in the chamber and schools.

And while these ongoing partnerships boldly demonstrate Newland’s caring spirit, we think there’s something else that makes this client “rock”.

A Client That Truly “Rocks”

Newland Communities, the developer of Wendell Falls, is fueled by its vision to “create enduring, healthier communities for people to live life in ways that matter most to them.” Newland has woven this principle of sustainability into 140 commercial, residential and mixed-use communities in 14 states nationwide; Wendell Falls carried on the legacy with a big bulldozer…and some creative thinking.

As the team commenced grading on the new Wendell Falls site, they encountered challenges excavating and disposing of the rocky terrain. And we’re not talking about a few pebbles; these hefty boulders posed an expensive challenge to export and stow offsite. And then Newland’s team encountered a “light bulb” idea: why not donate the boulders to the local Wendell Parks and Recreational department to aid its renovation efforts?

A dump truck (and a crane and a few hard hats) later, Wendell Falls donated eight hefty boulders to the Wendell Parks and Rec, footing the entire bill for the excavation, exporting and unloading while saving the town thousands of dollars in landscaping fees.

This creative form of “recycling” showcased the team’s heart to support and care for their community in every way possible—including a little “rock and roll.”

Read More

Super Boost Your Time Management

Cherith AndesBlog, Professional Development, Public Relations, , , ,

It’s a busy world, and I envy the Super Mario Brothers.

Remember Nintendo’s Mario and Luigi, circa 1991? These early generation video game characters discovered the secret boost that empowered them to leap skyscrapers, demolish walls and crush mushroom-shaped minions.

What I wouldn’t give for similar superpowers to tackle the workday. If you’re a PR exec, a business professional, a mom, a dad or simply a breathing human, you’ve no doubt longed for the same antidote: a magic bullet that empowers you to attend every event, answer every call and “autocomplete” your looming to-do list.

The magic bullet to time management is that there isn’t a magic bullet. Leading experts instead encourage us to return the basics of time management and implement these best practices well. Application is the key.

Here are three stalwart time management suggestions you’ve no doubt already encountered, but we’ve added our own “Super Boost Tip” to help you get the most bang for your buck. Use this quick and easy refresher as motivation to revisit and re-institute the basics of smart time management.

Superhero cape not included (yet).

1. Standard Advice: Prioritize to-do lists by deadline and importance.
Super Boost Tip: At the end of the day.

You know mornings. You come barreling in with your phone ringing, coffee sloshing and 183 emails pinging on your laptop—not the ideal time to quiet your mind and focus. Instead, take five minutes before you leave the office to review your projects and prioritize activities for the following day.

Categorize action items by time of day (for example, notate if you need to make a call first thing in the morning) and update your running list of daily and weekly assignments to reflect your progress. Organizing your plan of action the day before not only saves you 45 minutes the next morning but also allows you to leave the office with a little peace of mind each evening. (We like peace of mind).

2. Standard Advice: Maintain a tracker and note-taking system for your team.
Super Boost Tip: Offline.

No, I’m not suggesting that we ditch our elegant—and highly effective—electronic trackers. These beautifully groomed tools enable synergy, efficiency and momentum that few other systems afford.

However, there’s a time and place for hard copy. Don’t be afraid to whip out “Post-It Note Technology” during a brainstorm, encouraging team members to write down ideas (one per note) during a predetermined time frame as a “free think” exercise. (YMCAs around the country employ this tactic). Tangible, interactive note taking stimulates creativity and fosters fertile ground for team cohesion. In essence, you get your team’s best ideas…faster.

3. Best Practice: Take time to proof.
Super Boost Tip: Someone else’s work.

By now you know well the industry’s standards for copy editing and proofing. Review for flow, check for structure, comb for style and scrutinize for grammar.

And then hand it to someone else.

As busy professionals, we’re often tempted to skip this vital step. But the brain that creates the copy often overlooks its own errors. At Clairemont, we follow a rigorous system of proofing as an agency team to ensure that content—from emails to proposals—adheres to strict standards and communicates consistent messages. While taking a team approach to proofing might appear to be more time consuming on the front end, it will save valuable “clean up” efforts after the fact.

Bonus Tip: When all else fails, brew a cup of coffee.

What time management tip would you add?

Read More

Is Negative Publicity All Bad?

Cherith AndesBlog, Public Relations, Raleigh PR Agency, , , ,

Intern McKenzie Muckerman explores the ramifications of “negative PR.”

Miley Cyrus. Urban Outfitters. Uzbekistan. Kanye West.

What do all of these have in common? It’s simple; these entities have all found a way to thrive on negative publicity. Each of them has spun adverse PR in such a way that has allowed them to stay relevant in the public’s mind.

Shock = Value?

Kanye West and Miley Cyrus make their fortune and gain their fame by cultivating and leveraging media attention. For these two celebrities, it’s all about shock value.

Miley did a complete 180-degree turn when she transformed from a wholesome, Disney Channel star to a twerking, scantily clad performer. Meanwhile, Kanye interrupted Taylor Swift mid-speech on stage and instantly skyrocketed his fame factor. Both of these stars have had VMA performances that garnered more tweets per minute than Super Bowl XLVII, aptly named the “Blackout Bowl.”

For these two stars, infamy and fame are synonymous.

It appears that the media thinks that Urban Outfitters adhered to the same marketing formula: controversy = customers. Recently, Urban Outfitters sold a “vintage-inspired” Kent State University sweatshirt sporting what seemed to be fake blood spatter. As expected, a media firestorm ensued.

Media outlets claimed that the sweatshirt was related to the shooting that occurred at the University during the 80s. Urban claimed that the red dye was part of the vintage look and was not intended to resemble blood. Following Urban Outfitters’ scandalous history in the press, the media didn’t hesitate to implicate that this product was just another ploy for the retailer to broaden its exposure. Note, however, that despite the negative claims, Urban Outfitters still garnered significant airtime and news coverage.

Uzbekistan, a small country in the Middle East, was pretty much off the travel radar until the edgy comedy, Borat, hit theaters in November 2006. The entire film portrays an exaggerated interpretation of ethnic stereotypes and casts Uzbekistan in a less-than-favorable light. However, following the film’s release, travel inquiries to Uzbekistan increased by a staggering 300 percent, and the once unnoticed country is now a viable vacation destination.

The Exception or the Rule?

In all of these instances, negative publicity, without a doubt, amplified their spotlight.

However, there are other instances where negative press has ruined a celebrity, country or company. Tiger Woods and BP are great examples of the anguish that bad publicity can bring. Tiger lost millions of dollars in sponsorships and countless fans. BP lost billions of dollars and the trust of investors and consumers alike.

So, this poses the question: Are Kanye, Miley, Uzbekistan and Urban the exception or the rule?

In the grand scheme of things, Miley and Kanye’s actions pale in comparison to the scandalous nature of Tiger’s exploits and the trillions of dollars of unforeseen damage BP caused the environment and the people of the Gulf Coast.

These were “accidents” that were never supposed to happen. Tiger certainly never intended for his affair to come out, and BP certainly never expected to leak 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf.

Miley and Kanye’s actions, on the other hand, created a conversation and likely achieved what they aimed to accomplish.

Changing the Conversation

Regardless if a response is intentionally sought, non-response to negative publicity marks a missed opportunity. Lack of chatter about a brand is the same as getting a three-star rating; you don’t know where the brand stands. When a brand receives negative PR, it’s not hard to identify what went wrong and opportunities for the brand to improve.

Feedback, whether positive or negative provides a platform to identify opportunities for growth, join the conversation and influence the audience’s experience. It is an opportunity to turn the naysayers into brand ambassadors. Anyone that cares enough about a brand to spur bad publicity cares enough to share positive messages as well, and hence, these individuals warrant careful, heart-felt attention.

As you and your company plan for similar contingencies, take the time now to build your crisis communication team and public relations council. Develop definitive strategy and clear, actionable tactics that address possible situations should they arise. In crisis communication, a swift, strong response can transform negative publicity into positive advocacy.

Read More