Category: Blog

Clairemont Takes Home Top PR Awards

Cherith AndesAwards, Blog, The Clairemont Team, , , ,

Clairemont Communications secured two prestigious PR industry awards at the 2019 Sir Walter Raleigh Awards banquet hosted by the Raleigh Public Relations Society (RPRS). RPRS named Dana Phelps, founder and CEO of Clairemont, as the recipient of the Watt Huntley Award for Lifetime Achievement. Considered the highest honor given by RPRS, the Watt Huntley Award recognizes “an individual who has made lasting and meaningful contributions to the field of public relations over the course of a career.”

The Clairemont team also received the distinction of 2019 Team of the Year, an honor recognizing its creativity, strategy, tenacity, client successes and excellence in the public relations industry. In addition to these prestigious honors, RPRS recognized several of Clairemont’s PR client campaigns in media relations, social media, events, branding and writing, including two Platinum Awards. Other awards included:

  • Silver Award for Media Events in Campaigns: Vita Vite Midtown Hosts a Toast-Worthy Preview
  • Honorable Mention Award for Organizational or Branding in Campaigns: Who Says? Journelle Forces Lingerie Conversations into Limelight
  • Silver Award for Organizational or Branding in Campaigns: Western Governors University Builds a Brand in North Carolina
  • Silver Award for Special Events in Campaigns: Theodore Alexander and Charles, 9th Earl Spencer Debut Royal Furniture Line
  • Gold Award for Social Media in Campaigns: Reimagining Holiday Traditions with Riceland
  • Platinum Award for Community Relations in Campaigns: Lighting a Fire for Everyday Heroes
  • Silver Award for Websites in Tactics: Your People Are Here – Briar Chapel’s Website Refresh
  • Silver Award for Writing – Op/Ed in Tactics: WGU North Carolina Takes Higher Education to Another Level
  • Gold Award for Writing – News Releases in Tactics: Transfer Co. Food Hall Hits the Downtown Scene
  • Silver Award for Writing – Blog or Feature in Tactics: Briar Chapel’s Four Great Gains of Going Green
  • Platinum Award for Media Relations in Tactics: Royal Media Affairs with Lord Spencer and Theodore Alexander

We are humbled and grateful to do work we love with clients we love every day. Thank you to our wonderful partners, clients and industry friends. We’re excited to celebrate more than 230 awards and nearly a decade of Clairemont with you!

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Where’s the Wonder?

Cherith AndesBlog, Inspirational, Professional Development, , , ,

I just ran across an Instagram graphic detailing 15 time management skills. This was after reading a blog on five ways to improve your writing, nine tips to produce error-free projects and three ideas to maximize your workflow.

Since when did life become one giant checklist?

The question gave me pause. Real pause. Like … enough that my 15 time management skills checklist wouldn’t have approved.

Originally, I ventured into marketing and public relations because of its open door into a world of creativity. While good PR is founded on thorough research and solid strategy, great PR adds the unexpected, a streak of color or a head-tilting idea. The industry has become steeped in analytics, big data and ROI. And yes, while we exist to achieve results, data is not the only goal.

What happened to sitting around the coffee bar spinning out “what if” scenarios? What happened to diving down a rabbit hole of reading just to indulge your inner nerd? What happened to team brainstorms that use crazy props like Play-Doh or Lucky Charms cereal boxes? (I’ve done both.)

What happened to the whimsy of creativity?

On a recent trip to Carolina Beach, I popped into a nook that housed a hybrid coffee shop, pastry mecca and used bookstore.

It was here that I stumbled on a blind date.

The book shop owner had repurposed a vintage card catalogue (Google that one, millennials and Gen Z) and filled its drawers with novels wrapped in brown paper and string. The paper read “Blind Date with a Book” followed by hand-scrawled reviews of the publication. Without the aid of cover art, I could only rely on the intriguing verbiage to get a sense of the secret gem wrapped in the paper.

It was delightful. No title. No images. Just tight, poignant phrases that thoroughly piqued my interest. Suddenly, all I wanted to do was dive nose-first into whatever book contained this “funny, barbed, delightfully winsome storytelling.”

And that’s what I want us to recapture. Just for a spell here and there, shake off the taskmaster of to-dos and deadlines. Let your curiosity wander. Explore a new corner. Try new words. Heck, take a different route to the grocery store. Creativity isn’t a task that can be defined, prescribed and checked off the list. It’s an attitude of pervading curiosity that leads to new ideas, fresh perspective and often, a fascinating journey.

What makes our work effective isn’t the efficiency; it’s the sense of play.

It’s time to reignite your wonder.

Looking for a place to start?

Check out our team’s sources of inspiration. 

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From Broadcast to Bloodworth Street

Clairemont InternBlog, Public Relations, The Clairemont Team,

The past few months have been busy as I kicked off both my junior year at NC State and my communications internship at Clairemont Communications. I came to Clairemont from a summer internship in sports broadcasting where, ultimately, I learned the performance of TV broadcasting wasn’t for me. I entered the fall season with a determined pursuit to engage in the PR world. While going from producing news to pitching news may seem like a natural transition, the two aren’t as related as they seem! But, here are three reasons I took the leap:

STORYTELLING

Since I can remember, I’ve admired the artful combination of words that create a story and captivate audiences. In PR, producing well-written content is always the goal, and is strategically utilized to not just capture the attention – but also the influence – of an audience. 

SOCIAL MEDIA

In these tech savvy times, social media has made its mark as the most commonly used medium to communicate. On a variety of social media platforms, PR pros can craft a narrative to the public, pitch media and influencers and, most importantly, respond to reactions in real time for clients! 

DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS

It may sound cliché, but this skill is the foundation for much of my professional future. In this field, not only do I get to build relationships with my team and my clients but I connect with the public and of course, media. As a general lover of people, I feel I’m in my natural element getting to communicate with a variety of individuals.

While becoming a PR professional may be my focus, it’s not my only passion! Here are some fun personal facts!

  1. I was a cheerleader growing up, but my thing was tumbling. I spent more than three days each week in the gym practicing and perfecting flips. If you asked me to do a backflip now, my answer will always be, “I’m retired.”
  2. I’m an older sister. My sister Abigail is three years my junior, and my best friend. Since we’ve grown older, it’s common for people to assume we’re twins (see picture for proof)! 
  3. You’ve made it this far, here’s three facts in one because I can’t choose! Sports is my love language (NC State Wolfpack, Carolina Panthers and U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team), coffee runs through my veins (preferably iced and vanilla) and I can’t go a day without spending time with Jesus! 

Check out my first blog at Clairemont!

By Haylee Hicks, Clairemont Intern and junior at North Carolina State University.

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What Does a PR Agency Do? WGU Comes to NC

Kelli FletcherAwards, Blog, Case Studies

Western Governors University (WGU) is a nationally recognized online, competency-based university designed for busy adults who must balance work, family and financial obligations but may not be able to attend a traditional brick-and-mortar university. In the fall of 2017, WGU prepared to launch WGU North Carolina, a partnership that was created through an agreement between the state of North Carolina and the nonprofit university. Since WGU is based in Utah, it hired Clairemont Communications to effectively understand the North Carolina landscape and to plan and execute a press conference that would officially launch WGU North Carolina.

Chancellor Catherine Truitt speaking at the launch of WGU North Carolina.

STRATEGY

Clairemont conducted research to better understand the public awareness level of WGU across the state. As suspected, general awareness of WGU in North Carolina was very low. Therefore, we knew the location of the press conference needed to have a big impact. We collectively decided on the North Carolina State Capitol building to send the message that this was not just another online university but a partnership with the support of state officials. Clairemont worked with WGU to establish the primary audiences we would be targeting to attend the press conference.

EXECUTION

In order to grab the attention of busy reporters and influencers, Clairemont’s strategy featured a high-profile media event rich with visuals, exclusive interviews and elite spokespersons. With less than a month to plan and execute the press conference, the Clairemont team had to employ creative and tenacious efforts to secure permits for use of the State Capitol building and grounds. We were also tasked with helping secure a strong lineup of speakers at the press conference with little notice.

RESULTS

Our team surpassed expectations of building credibility for WGU NC by securing attendance from three prominent politicians and key thought leaders, including the Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House and President of the NC Chamber. With the goal of five local stories including broadcast coverage, Clairemont exceeded the objective by landing 31 total stories and securing on-site attendance from two TV stations.

The work Clairemont Communications conducted in partnership with Western Governors University earned an Award of Excellence by the North Carolina Public Relations Society and a Platinum Award by the Raleigh Public Relations Society. We are proud that this campaign represents one of the 219 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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Clocking Time on the Newest App: TikTok

Clairemont InternBlog, Marketing, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, ,

Have you heard of TikTok? It’s the latest social media app that’s used to create videos, and it’s creating a craze among Gen-Z (and celebs)!

TikTok’s content is largely comedic and ranges from lip-syncing and dancing to random talents. The platform’s laidback and unsophisticated tone presents an opportunity to showcase the fun, candid and expressive side of your company. 

Below are four ways you can use TikTok to promote your brand:

  1. In-feed Native Content: Companies can promote content through full-screen advertisements. Similar to Instagram Story ads, these are 9-15-second videos. The success of in-feed native content ads can be measured through engagements, video views, click-through rates and impressions.
  2. Brand Takeovers: TikTok gives companies the opportunity to take over the app for the day and create images, videos and GIFs. Users can also embed links to their own brand sites for easy access. And since analytics are key, the companies can evaluate brand takeovers through impressions and click-through rates.
  3. Hashtag Takeovers: Companies can create their own hashtags, often in the form of a challenge, to encourage participation and engagement. Dreamwork Pictures and McDonald’s have both utilized this feature in their TikTok digital marketing strategies. Dreamwork Pictures promoted its new Netflix show by challenging users to create TikTok videos of themselves dancing to the show’s theme song. Users were asked to post their videos using the specific Dreamwork hashtag. The campaign reached more than 34.4 million users with more than 2.6 million engagements.
  4. Branded Lenses: Similar to Instagram and Snapchat filters, companies can design custom lenses that users can select to overlay or filter their videos. Featured under the “hot” and “trending” categories on the platform, this new element can live for up to 10 days on TikTok.
tiktok.com

Bottom line, because the platform isn’t saturated by influencer presence and heavy marketing (yet), your approach to TikTok, as with any other successful strategy, should be guided by authenticity. But the clock is ticking, and this app has the potential to become a favorite; so jump on board early to have some fun and see if TikTok is right for your brand.

Looking for ways to get your brand noticed? We can help with that! Drop us a line!

By Haylee Hicks, Clairemont Intern and junior at NC State University.

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