Author: Clairemont Intern

What Does a PR Agency Do? Tiger Eye Security Sensor

Clairemont InternAwards, Blog, Case Studies, Raleigh PR Agency, , ,

Client: 10 for Humanity

Situation Analysis: 10 for Humanity is a for-profit company with a goal to develop 10 innovative technology-based products and mobile applications to reduce acts of violence globally by 10 percent in the next decade. The company’s first product was a revolutionary, hands-free device called the Tiger Eye Security Sensor (TESS), a piece of wearable technology designed to sense high stress in a wearer’s voice when activated by words such as “help,” “stop,” or “no.” The piece has the capability to instantly dispatch police based on the wearer’s GPS location and to video and audio record to aid in the identification and prosecution of criminals. With the Tiger Eye Security Sensor expected to enter the market in spring 2014, 10 for Humanity turned to Clairemont Communications to assist in building awareness of the company and its first product, TESS.

Objectives: Agreeing upon a media relations campaign within the client’s strict two-month deadline, we established the objectives as:

  1. Drive awareness of 10 for Humanity and TESS through media relations, securing a minimum of one print news story and one TV media placement.
  2. Increase awareness of the Indiegogo campaign benefiting TESS, securing mention of the campaign in at least one news story.

Execution:

Media Materials — With the introduction of any new technology comes the potential for technical details to overwhelm those who are unfamiliar. To avoid this issue when working with media, Clairemont first created a message board with clear points outlining TESS and its functional components, which guided media materials and pitch development. Clairemont also drafted a carefully written news release announcing TESS and its Indiegogo campaign. Additional materials included an oversized diagram of the TESS product and USB media kits promoting the Indiegogo campaign as well as photos and background information on the company, TESS and the company’s CEO, CJ Scarlet.

Telling a Story — Clairemont’s mission was to tell the story of CJ Scarlet – the inventor of TESS and CEO of 10 for Humanity – to convey the importance of this revolutionary product. Scarlet, a survivor of sexual assault and a well-respected victim’s advocate, believes deeply in TESS and its potential to change lives by reducing interpersonal violence. Clairemont secured key media interviews, allowing her to tell her personal story. In one interview, the reporter was so compelled by Scarlet’s story, she felt comfortable sharing her own story of sexual assault. Additionally, we leveraged Scarlet’s past as a U.S. marine to connect with military-beat media, resulting in coverage.

Tapping into Influencers —To garner both media and community attention, Clairemont coordinated an evening cocktail event themed “Raise Your Glass (and Voice) Against Violence,” with the goal of bringing together influential women within the greater Raleigh, N.C. community to raise awareness of TESS. Nearly 40 guests attended, including the North Carolina secretary of state. Target media were also invited, allowing Clairemont to facilitate multiple media attendees and resulting in an on-site interview with Scarlet and a local TV anchor.

Results/Evaluation:

  1. Drive awareness of 10 for Humanity and TESS through media relations, securing a minimum of one print news story and one TV media placement.
  • We secured seven media placements in a variety of news outlets including print, TV, and online. With two TV stories – including coverage on the DMA’s most watched television news station – Clairemont also surpassed its goal of securing one TV story.
  1. Increase awareness of the Indiegogo campaign benefiting TESS, securing mention of the campaign in at least one news story.
  • Successful media pitching ensured mention of the Indiegogo campaign benefiting TESS in five of the seven articles, helping drive awareness of the product and its upcoming launch.

What did you think of this public relations case study? Was it helpful? We’re here to answer any questions you may have!

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Copy Cat – Netflix Steals the Show

Clairemont InternBlog, Copy Cat, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , ,

In the midst of the net neutrality debate, Netflix chose to catch the eye of its Twitter followers – and subsequently the media – with a creative tweet. Staying under the 140 character limit, the copy read, “What if the internet was so slow it loaded one word at a time? Don’t let Comcast win.” The tweet concluded with a link to battleforthenet.com, a site that argues in favor of net neutrality.

Regardless of your stance on the issue of net neutrality, there is no debate that this was an ingenious tweet. It took up prime real estate in a Twitter user’s feed, making it nearly impossible for followers to miss. The clever tweet has currently received 26,537 retweets and 19,371 favorites. It did everything creative copy should: nabbed users’ attention and encouraged them to consider the effects of a Comcast victory with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Combine the much-anticipated release of House of Cards on February 27 with Netflix’s savvy social media skills, and it’s obvious that Netflix is here to stay.

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Intern Takes Amsterdam

Clairemont InternBlog, Professional Development, The Clairemont Team, Wonderfully Random, , ,
  • 59,350 Attendees
  • 1,052 Exhibitors
  • 12 Halls
  • 1 RAI Convention Center

Who knew the audiovisual industry was so huge? After spending five days at the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) trade show in the Netherlands, I learned that there is a lot more to speakers, projectors and TVs than we all think, and ISE, the largest AV trade show in the world, proves it.

Last week, I took a hiatus from UNC, Clairemont and my everyday life to travel to Amsterdam with rAVe [Publications], an all-digital publication and marketing company that serves both the commercial and residential industries. As a reporter for the company, my job was to title and upload more than 1,000 product videos featuring everything from smart home technology to a virtual dressing room.

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Part of the rAVe team at ISE

For those of you who have never attended a trade show, it’s an unforgettable experience. Here’s what I learned from my time with rAVe at ISE:

1. When communicating, remember your audience: Although the official language of the trade show was English, there were many international companies present from all over the world. As a North Carolina native, I tend to talk fast with a typical Southern accent. When shooting videos with international vendors, many encouraged me to slow down and articulate, which I perfected after a few booths. Communication is key in this industry, and it’s vital to keep in mind the culture and language barriers in any professional environment.

2. Take breaks: Sitting in front of a computer can make your head hurt, and being on your feet all day can drain you. Whether you’re working in an office, restaurant or trade show, it’s important to take a walk, drink a coffee or grab a snack to refresh your mind. At Clairemont, we value a break from our work to re-energize — a concept that I certainly practiced at the trade show by making a loop around the convention center or treating myself to a Nutella crepe.

3. Teamwork is key: Just like in every industry, it’s important to remember that you are part of a team. This was definitely true for my time with rAVe. If one member of the team wasn’t on her game, everyone suffered. Having a supportive, creative team made my experience in Amsterdam unforgettable, and I learned how important it is to work with caring people. This is definitely true at Clairemont; I am surrounded by colleagues I love to see when I come to work.

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The last bit of advice taken from my time in Amsterdam is to be present. During my travels, I had a difficult time concentrating on enjoying my time abroad, and instead I spent a lot of time thinking about all the things on my to-do list when I returned home. In work, in school, in travel and in life, it’s important to focus on the tasks in front of you instead of stressing about the next day. So take a deep breath, go for a walk and get to it!

Editor’s Note: This is the second year in a row that a Clairemont intern has been accepted for this project. We understand that it is a prestigious assignment, and we are so proud of Kaitlyn Goforth, the author of this post. Last year, Sam Halle wrote about her experience in a post called (S)Amsterdam.

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What’s in Your Media Kit?

Clairemont InternBlog, Case Studies, Raleigh PR Agency, ,

As most PR experts know, pitching to the media can sometimes be a daunting task. But at Clairemont, we try to bypass typical roadblocks and adopt a spicier approach with creative media kits. Not only does it make the mission more fun, we also have much greater success garnering media attention! Take a gander at these two media kits that we created for Briar Chapel’s 7th Annual Pepper Festival in 2014 and Triangle Family Services’ 2012 Gingerbread Benefit.

The Briar Chapel Pepper Festival: Spice up your stories this fall! 

Instead of presenting a run-of-the-mill media kit to secure coverage for the Briar Chapel Pepper Festival, Clairemont chose a different tactic. In an email-saturated media market, we crafted a quirky approach to nab the attention of on-the-go reporters. Our “pepper-themed” media kit that showcased pepper-themed foods and accessories, all from Clairemont clients, including the following:

  • Cape Fear Salsa Verde, Jalapeno Cheddar Crackers and Ghost Pepper Sauce from Lowes Foods made by local food artisans
  • Fresh, local peppers from Papa Spud’s
  • Annual Pepper Festival t-shirt provided by Briar Chapel and Abundance NC
  • Pint glass and gift card from T.MAC Restaurants
  • Free shake coupon and “Shake Out Cancer” t-shirt courtesy of PDQ

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The coordinating news release, fact sheets, media alerts and community calendar postings incorporated highly themed verbiage, inviting the media to “spice up” the weekend and “heat up” their fall stories with the Pepper Festival. Clairemont incorporated the media kit as part of an overall strategy to secure at least seven blogs and 10 local news stories about the Pepper Festival, to boost the festival attendance by 30 percent and to increase Briar Chapel’s online visibility.

The 7th Annual Pepper Festival proved to be a spicy hot success, an event that surpassed expectations. In addition to meeting each objective, we also revitalized the Pepper Festival, garnered top attendance and placed Briar Chapel back on the map for media coverage.

Triangle Family Services 10th Annual Gingerbread Benefit: Christmas in July! 

The Annual Gingerbread Benefit is the main fundraising event for Triangle Family Services, a United Way of the Greater Triangle partner agency with the mission of “Building a Stronger Community by Strengthening the Family.” As 2012 welcomed the 10th annual benefit and Clairemont’s third consecutive year working with the organization, our team knew we had to make it more successful than ever. Much like the Pepper Festival media kit, Clairemont chose to take advantage of the delicious gingerbread theme to snag media attention.

Taking a proactive approach to media pitching, we celebrated “Christmas in July” by targeting long-lead regional outlets with the creative media kits. The gingerbread-themed kits featured a custom 10th Annual Gingerbread Benefit canvas tote bag filled with goodies, including gingerbread man lollipops, make your own gingerbread man stickers and a “recipe” providing facts about Triangle Family Services.

tfs2012 media kit (1)

Clairemont successfully got the media into the holiday spirit with a distinctive gingerbread-themed pitch. The team secured a wide range of local and regional news stories, including Southern Living Magazine, Our State Magazine and Carolina Parent Magazine, strengthening the brand of Triangle Family Services and the Gingerbread Benefit. Triangle Family Services was pleased with the results, and Executive Director Alice Lutz said, “People kept telling us that everywhere they turned, they saw news coverage of the Gingerbread Benefit.”

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What’s in your media kit? Instead of providing the media with an everyday pitch, considering “spicing up” your presentation to get noticed!

 

 

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What does a PR agency do? Home Interiors Facebook Campaign

Clairemont InternBlog, Case Studies, Furniture PR, , ,

Clairemont Communications has extensive experience in furniture public relations and building strategic PR plans for home decor brands, interior designers and furniture manufacturers. As our team celebrates our 5th anniversary, we are revisiting some of our most favorite projects since launching in 2010. Here’s one:

Client: Thomasville Furniture 

Background: Thomasville Furniture, established in 1904 and a leading name in home furnishings, was confronted by the challenges of economic downturn. Faced with a reduced marketing, advertising and media relations budget, Thomasville turned to Clairemont Communications for help. After evaluating social media networks and confirming Facebook’s significant potential as a customer engagement channel for the company, we assumed management of the company’s Facebook page in July 2010.

Objectives: Clairemont met the client’s request to build brand awareness during Thomasville’s annual Memorial Day Sale by conceptualizing the Ready to Refresh $10,000 Giveaway. Our objectives included the following:

  • Leverage giveaway to build brand and sale awareness by increasing Facebook fan count by 10,000 likes during the promotional period.
  • Spread the story of Thomasville Furniture and its Memorial Day Sale via Facebook, creating at least one million total daily impressions and a total daily reach of 300,000 users.
  • Capture 75,000 giveaway entries as consumer leads for Memorial Day Sale and future sale marketing.

Method: Seeking a major fan increase as part of a larger strategy to build a younger customer base, this six-week-long promotion that was integrated with other online and offline tactics to maximize engagement. Clairemont built and managed a customer application to host the giveaway using the social engagement platform Shoutlet. Working with the Shoutlet team and a graphic designer, we conceptualized and directed the creation of a custom graphics for the giveaway, incorporating the designs into the application, optimized for desktop and mobile use. To facilitate our objective of leveraging the giveaway to increase page likes, impressions and reach, we built a sharing component into the giveaway application, so that fans could earn extra entries.

Creativity: To emphasize the affordability of Thomasville Furniture, Clairemont shared beautiful photography – which was also featured in the Memorial Day Sale catalog – showcasing rooms decorated with Thomasville Furniture for $10,000 or less. Additionally, we created and shared collage boards showing fans assortments of products totaling $10,000. With these two tactics, Clairemont sough to help fans visualize the amount of stylish furniture available at Thomasville within the $10,000 price range.

To engage users on the page, we also created ten word graphics, such as “Imagine what $10,000 will do to refresh your home,” and “Keep calm and redecorate,” which prompted conversation on the page. Custom-designed cover photos promoting the giveaway were updated bi-weekly to keep page content fresh. Lastly, coordinated marketing efforts separate from Facebook promoted the giveaway through regular email blasts, on Thomasville.com and in the Memorial Day catalog.

Evaluation:

1. Leverage giveaway to build brand and sale awareness by increasing Facebook fan count by 10,000 likes.

  • During the duration of the giveaway, Thomasville’s Facebook fan count increased by nearly 11,000 likes, exceeding our original goal of 10,000.

2. Spread the story of Thomasville Furniture and its Memorial Day Sale via Facebook, creating at least one million total daily impressions and a total daily reach of 300,000 users.

  • The giveaway successfully increased key metrics on Facebook, allowing us to exceed our original objectives with more than one million total daily impressions and a total daily reach of approximately 500,000. Strategic postings and captivating content successfully increased the page’s engagement, with nearly 25,000 more daily engaged users throughout the six-week-long promotion than the weeks prior to the giveaway.

3. Capture 75,000 giveaway entries as consumer leads for Memorial Day Sale and future sale marketing.

  • Additionally, with more than 134,000 entries, the giveaway successfully captured more than 100,000 new consumer leads for Thomasville, surpassing our goal of 75,000 new leads.

As we look back at this work from just a few years ago, we realize how much has changed on how Facebook can be used for promotional purposes. Have you found the same to be true? Do you long for the old Facebook that had seemingly less rules?

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