I am blessed, honored and grateful to work with such an amazing team. Nearly five months ago I told my colleagues that I was pregnant, and from that moment they have been incredibly supportive and excited for me. To better understand, look no further than our take on Starrkeisha’s Baby Momma Dance.
While we won’t find out the baby’s gender until he or she arrives, one thing is certain – the Clairemont team likes to celebrate and dance. Have you seen our “Good to Be Alive” video?”
Anyone who knows me knows that I love pageantry. In college, I was privileged to take top honors in five pageants, but I walked away with a lot more than a crown and a title. The wins also meant a substantial amount of money for scholarships and trips around the world. Pageantry has helped cultivate and culminate my skills and talents. I believe that pageants are more than just the tiara – they teach young women about volunteerism, kind deeds and love for all mankind.
In recent news, The Miss USA system has been under copious amounts of scrutiny in relation to the presidential election. There have been fresh changes in the ownership of the organization and a lot of confusion over the brand’s identity. Last year the pageant was dropped from NBC and Univision and it aired on the independent channel REELZ instead. Sponsorships from Macy’s were also pulled from the pageant along with a lot of commercials that would have aired on NBC. Put it all together and you get a PR crisis, but it doesn’t stop there.
Normally, most of the criticism spinning around the Miss USA system takes place during the swimsuit round. Viewers often find it demeaning – claiming that it shows too much skin and promotes “perfect” bodies to viewers of all shapes and sizes in the United States.
If you watched the pageant this week, you learned that the Q&A round may be even worse. It’s meant to be a chance for the contestants to showcase their intelligence and public speaking skills. In most instances this is the only time we get a chance to hear their perspective on issues that should prove they are the pristine candidate. As a previous contender, I know that this is the opportunity to either shine or shatter and lose the crown.
Questions are selected at random so the contestants have no idea what they will be asked. The tricky questions in the mix seem increasingly concocted to trip contestants up (from a production standpoint). Viewers can expect 30 seconds of utter terror assessing questions surrounding issues like the bathroom bill and the migrant crisis, as well as other social and political issues.
Although all five questions were tricky, one question took the cake. Miss Hawaii was asked point blank who she would be voting for in the presidential election. A question that was not exactly expected and the audience responded with loud screams and boos.
In the PR industry, we are constantly preparing our clients for a crisis. On the stage at that very moment, Miss Hawaii needed a crisis communications plan. Of course, she can be accused of the fallacy of fence-sitting after not answering the question, but it was also a wise choice for her to keep away from political associations.
Sometimes our clients will be thrown curve balls. We as PR professionals know to expect and anticipate thorny questions from a reporter or media contact from time to time, and that’s why preparation and key messages are invaluable. Although I am sure Miss Hawaii did not think she would be asked who she would vote for, there is no question after hearing her response that she has knowledge about the controversial issues that are currently in the news surrounding the election.
My tip – the next time your client steps into the spotlight make sure that they are well prepared for their close up on camera no matter what direction the interview takes.
Want to learn how to perfect your crisis communications plan? Watch our On The Record series here.
In May of 2015, we celebrated the grand opening of Wendell Falls and one 
of our favorite coffee shops, Grounds Cafe. Located in the Farmhouse information center at Wendell Falls (client), Grounds serves all-American favorites (like serious twists on grilled cheese!) along with “brews and brews” – craft beer and gourmet java. We watched Grounds take its “first steps” last year, and this year, we had the pleasure of celebrating its first birthday!
But no plebeian sheet cake or Kool-Aid for this first anniversary! Trust Grounds Cafe to throw a creative soiree in sweet southern style: live 
bluegrass, two specials from Prime Barbecue (pork and pimiento, anyone?), crafty cake pops and a little draft called “Rhino Dust Pale Ale.” Wendell’s only coffee shop has developed in just 12 short months to become one of east Wake County’s social hubs. Where else can you fuel up in the morning and wind down after work?
We had a blast and even caught some of the action via Facebook Livestream. Cheers, happy birthday, high five, salud, mazeltov and much, much more to our friends at Grounds Cafe!
Check out Cheers and Cheese, one of the other fun events that we hosted with Grounds Cafe last summer!
We already knew that client Anthony Carey, general manager of The Siena Hotel, was a shining star in the hospitality industry. So it was no surprise (but definitely an occasion for celebration!) when he earned national acclaim as the 2016 Eastern Region Full-Service General Manager of the Year for Marriott hotels in the Americas.
Presented by Marriott International, this accolade recognizes the premiere service and leadership of only one general manager for all full-service Marriott brands, including Marriott, JW Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, EDITION, Gaylord Hotels and Resorts and Autograph Collection hotels.
The Siena Hotel, the Triangle’s longest-standing AAA-rated Four Diamond hotel, touts a growing list of regional and national accolades, including the prestigious 2015 Hotel of the Year Award for the Autograph Collection in the Americas, the Marriott Service Excellence Award and 19 consecutive Four Diamond awards from AAA. The Siena is ranked number one in Staff Service Overall in the Americas as well as one of the top hotels in Overall Guest Satisfaction for all full-service brands in the Marriott portfolio, including Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott and Renaissance brands. Il Palio, The Siena’s dining establishment led by Chef Teddy Diggs, is North Carolina’s only AAA-rated Four Diamond Italian restaurant and the longest-standing Four Diamond restaurant in the state.
Congratulations, Anthony!
Oh, and we couldn’t help but include this photo as well. As a pet-friendly hotel, The Siena hosts its fair share of four-legged guests. Anthony nabbed a new friend for this snapshot!
Check out The Siena’s other shining accomplishments!
Shrinking newsrooms. It’s something PR professionals have been battling for years, and news opportunities only seem to be getting slimmer. Two and a half years ago, Chris Schroder, president of SPR in Atlanta, started the 100 Companies and the Atlanta 100 as a way to help spread the word about PR and content marketing in a model appropriate for shrinking newsrooms.
Chuck Norman, owner and principal of S&A Communications, launched the North Carolina 100 in April. Let’s go On the Record to learn more about the project and how it works.
Click here to subscribe to the North Carolina 100. Connect with us on Facebook and let us know how you are navigating the shrinking newsroom.
