Category: Case Studies

What Does A PR Agency Do? Il Palio

Sarah HattmanAwards, Blog, Case Studies, , , ,

Il Palio, Chapel Hill’s only AAA-rated Four Diamond Italian restaurant, had stood as a cultural icon for 30 years. As a proliferation of new, modern restaurants flooded the market, Il Palio launched a $1 million renovation and revamped menu crafted by its new executive chef, Teddy Diggs. Clairemont Communications led the charge to craft a comprehensive public relations strategy to win the hearts of young diners while retaining loyal customers.

Strategy 

Clairemont crafted a campaign that incorporated media relations, community events and blogger interaction. Targeting Generation Y and Millennial diners, Clairemont’s goal was to generate positive awareness and increase guest traffic.

Execution

Clairemont crafted a multi-layer strategy that provided opportunities for “sneak peeks,” customized experiences and themed reveals designed to cultivate brand ambassadors.

  • Behind the Smokescreen – Personalized Blogger Tours: Clairemont invited young community influencers and family oriented bloggers into the kitchen to get a first look at the renovated space and new menu. One millennial blogger broadcasted a cooking session with Chef Teddy on Periscope as he created her favorite Italian dish, while another mom blogger brought her two sons to bake signature cookies with him. The tours produced a flurry of coverage on social media and blogs and secured reservations at the restaurant.
  • VIP Dinners: Il Palio and Clairemont hosted eight VIP dinners for media, food and lifestyle bloggers, and community leaders to create brand ambassadors.
  • Creative Pitching: Clairemont stretched beyond traditional media pitches to craft creative, individualized story angles featuring Chef Teddy’s back-to-school lunch packing tips, tidbits about Chef Teddy’s proprietary custom-designed wood-fired grill, cutting-edge menu trends and unexpected recipes.
  • Social Media: Clairemont harnessed the visual, interactive nature of social media to provide a behind-the-scenes look at the restaurant. Content showcased elements that appeal to young diners, such as a tour of the kitchen, the communal nature of the dining room and special dishes on the menu.

 Results

Clairemont met every goal, exceeded expectations and produced the following results:

  • 17 media stories in key outlets
  • 19 food and lifestyle blogger visits
  • 40 influencers attended on-site dinners
  • Six blog posts and third-party social media posts to at least 176,000 combined followers on Twitter alone
  • 30 percent increase in guest count

Clairemont unveiled the new Il Palio and successfully positioned it as a desirable, modern dining hot spot for all ages. As a result, in December Il Palio earned a 4.5 star rating – an increase from the previous 4 stars – and glowing reviews, such as one millennial diner who said, “This was the best meal I’ve had in Chapel Hill!”

The work Clairemont Communications conducted in partnership with Il Palio earned a Silver Excellence in Total Campaign from the Raleigh Public Relations Society and a Silver Award of Excellence in Reputation/Brand Management from the North Carolina Public Relations Society of America. We are proud that this campaign represents two of the 137 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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What Does a PR Agency Do? Pepper Festival

Sarah HattmanAwards, Blog, Case Studies, , , , , , ,

More exposure and higher attendance were the desires of the Briar Chapel marketing team as it planned its 8th Annual Pepper Festival to support North Carolina agriculture. Briar Chapel is the largest master-planned green community in North Carolina and part of Newland Communities, the country’s most prominent privately held residential real estate developer. It turned to Clairemont Communications to achieve these goals and draw potential homebuyers on-site.

The Strategy

Clairemont faced the challenge of engaging busy media with an overall dwindling interest in annual festivals and one located nearly an hour’s drive from the community. We established an event strategy with target audiences of local media and influencers and area residents with interests in new homes, local foods and sustainable agriculture to drive attendance for the Pepper Festival.

Execution

Our creativity spiced up the festival, securing record coverage and top attendance for this one-day, local event.

  • The People Behind the Pepper: Hosted on-site at Briar Chapel, the Pepper Festival features local culture, food, music and art, while inviting the community to support North Carolina agriculture. For the festival’s eighth year, Clairemont told the story of the people behind the pepper. We dubbed the festival founder as “The Pepper Queen” and touted the fact that her vision now funded more than 200 local farmers due in part to the festival’s success. Farm tours gave reporters the chance to experience the farmers’ stories, interview Briar Chapel partners and highlight the appeal of the festival.
  • Hot Media: We invited key members of the media who personally enjoy spicy dished and craft brews to serve as food and beer judges, and secured attendance from seven prestigious reporters from print, radio, blog and TV outlets that directly correlated to resulting media coverage. Clairemont also sent journalists pepper-themed materials, including news releases, fact sheets, media alerts and pitches that incorporated highly themed verbiage.
  • Event Logistics: Clairemont provided on-site support for the Pepper Festival and served as concierges for the media and judges. We crafted judging criteria, provided media kits, escorted media members through a festival tour and oversaw the judging, the emcee of the event and the awards presentation.

Results

After turning up the heat on the 8th Annual Pepper Festival, Clairemont exceeded each of its objectives and produced the following results:

  1. Clairemont secured a total of 13 blog posts and nine news stories, which included two stories in the area’s largest newspaper, the News & Observer, and a full blog with Triangle Explorer. For the first time in Pepper Festival history, we secured television coverage – both pre-event stories and on-site interviews – and a feature article in a long-lead magazine.
  2. We bolstered Briar Chapel’s online visibility by securing third-party social media mentions from bloggers and reporters on social media to approximately 200,000 combined followers on Twitter alone.
  3. Clairemont boosted ticket sales more than seven percent.

Clairemont’s strategic plan and creative tactics revitalized the Pepper Festival, garnering record attendance of 1,500 people. Additionally, Briar Chapel’s marketing manager declared the event was the tipping point for many homebuyers already considering a home purchase at Briar Chapel and the impetus for increased on-site and online visits by those just beginning a new home search. Moreover, Clairemont broke through the barriers with media and influencers – distance and lack of interest – to generate event excitement and news coverage that will continue to benefit North Carolina agriculture and drive consideration for Briar Chapel as a new home community long after the 8th Annual Pepper Festival.

The work Clairemont Communications conducted in partnership with Briar Chapel earned an Honorable Mention in Total Campaign from the Raleigh Public Relations Society and an Honorable Mention for Events & Observances from the North Carolina Public Relations Society of America. We are proud that this campaign represents two of the 137 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.

Image courtesy of Briar Chapel. 

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What Does a PR Agency Do? Gratitude Video

Sarah HattmanAwards, Blog, Case Studies, , , , , ,

It’s a well-known fact that the five-year anniversary is a critical milestone for any business, and it’s one that Clairemont Communications achieved in 2015. Looking ahead to our sixth anniversary in 2016, we took our love of dancing to a whole new level and created a gratitude video to celebrate our success in a fun, creative way.

Strategy

Clairemont opted to celebrate with a virtual dance party set to the tune of Andy Grammer’s “Good to be Alive.” We felt it was the perfect match because its positive lyrics expressed our sentiment that we were happy and grateful to be in business doing work that we love, and that our hard work had paid off with wonderful clients for six amazing years.

Execution

  • Stepping out of our Comfort Zone: It’s something we often ask our clients to do for us in the way of media interviews, public speaking and being in the spotlight. Therefore, we felt that it was important for us to demonstrate that we don’t ask them to do anything we wouldn’t do ourselves. Instead of using Andy Grammer’s voice, we opted to sing the lyrics in our own voices, something that was entirely out of our comfort zone as a group.
  • Clients: As a way to thank our clients, we wanted to celebrate our success together. We went into multiple kitchens and community centers, a restaurant, bar and produce warehouse. We even captured one client dancing on the roof of his business!
  • Families: Clairemont also wanted to thank our families in the video, so we invited them to join us on the front porch of the Clairemont House for dancing.
  • Mentors: To honor Mike Herman, a PR mentor who passed away in 2015, we opted to include information about the Michael Lee Herman Memorial Award Fund at the end of the video. We also recognized other mentors who have helped us in our PR journeys.

Results

At the completion of the project, we met every goal, exceeded expectations and produced the following results:

  • Clairemont surpassed its goal of 10,000 views in the first year by receiving 10,000 views within the first four months of the video’s release, and the number continues to climb.
  • Much to our surprise and delight, clients enthusiastically said yes to our request to dance with us on camera. The video featured nine clients in the video.

Clairemont’s “Good to be Alive” video earned a Best in Division for Digital Communications at the Raleigh Public Relation from the Raleigh Public Relations Society. We are proud that this is one of the 137 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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What Does a PR Agency Do? Wendell Falls

Sarah HattmanAwards, Blog, Case Studies, , , , ,

Newland Communities, the country’s most prominent privately held residential developer, prepared to launch its newest master-planned community, Wendell Falls, on May 16, 2015. Wendell Falls is situated in a relatively undeveloped section of Wake County with the perception of being far away from other towns in the county. Newland Communities turned to Clairemont Communications to position the community as a popular living destination and craft a successful grand opening event that would generate buyer traffic and dispel the myth that Wendell Falls was a distantly located neighborhood.

Strategy

Clairemont crafted a grand opening event strategy that targeted home buyers who valued a sense of community. Clairemont highlighted the fun, relational atmosphere at Wendell Falls and provided opportunities for potential guests to personally interact with the brand.

Execution

Clairemont and the Newland team modeled the grand opening after a classic barn raising, an event designed to highlight the community’s innovative offerings while honoring its urbane way of life, agrarian heritage and strong sense of community.

Clairemont created a barn raising atmosphere through entertainment reminiscent of a family carnival. Guests enjoyed southern fare, pony rides and rickshaw tours while being serenading by two top bluegrass bands. Attendees could document the event at a fun photo booth and then sign an old-fashioned commemorative barn quilt. The Barn Raising culminated with the announcement of the winner of the “$50k on the House” – a contest that invited homebuyers a chance to win $50,000 toward a new house in Wendell Falls by writing a short entry and taking selfies at the model homes prior to grand opening.

Results

Clairemont met every goal, exceeded expectations and produced the following results:

  • 11 news stories within one month of opening, including a Sunday paper front page spread and two television segments.
  • Five bloggers and approximately 250 community influencers visited Wendell Falls prior to its grand opening.
  • Clairemont and Wendell Falls hosted 2,000 attendees at the grand opening, a 100-percent increase above the original goal.

Clairemont successfully positioned Wendell Falls as one of the top places to live in Wake County, efforts that have helped Wendell Falls meet its annual sales goal and earn the community the title as Best Master Planned Community in East Wake County by The News & Observer.

The work Clairemont Communications conducted in partnership with Wendell Falls earned a Gold Excellence Award for Total Campaign from the Raleigh Public Relations Society as well as Best in Category for Events & Observances from the North Carolina Public Relations Society of America. We are proud that this campaign represents two of the 137 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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What Does A PR Agency Do? Papa Spud’s

Sarah HattmanAwards, Blog, Case Studies, , , , , , ,

The Triangle Business Journal captured this shot at the behind-the-scenes media breakfast and featured it as the Photo of the Week.

At a time when people have become more interested in knowing where their food comes from, community supported agriculture (CSA) delivery services have become increasingly popular. Papa Spud’s is a farm to fork delivery service based in Cary, N.C. that has been serving Triangle families since 2008. Each week, the team works with more than 50 local farmers and artisans to fill the CSA boxes.

While interest in this type of service did seem to be on the rise in 2014, the vast majority of Triangle residents had never heard of Papa Spud’s, and were not aware of the service it provided. To combat this issue, Papa Spud’s engaged Clairemont Communications to help raise awareness of the service and ultimately increase signups.

Strategy

We determined that the best approach to differentiate Papa Spud’s from its competitors was to highlight the fact that the service was completely customizable and offered a much broader offering than other CSAs in the area. Additionally, we wanted to feature the local farmers and food artisans to share an inside look at how the food makes it from the farm to customers’ front doors.

Execution

Clairemont Communications crafted and implemented a comprehensive strategy to increase brand awareness for Papa Spud’s.

  • We planned and executed an event targeting local mommy and food bloggers that allowed them to see a typical weekly box and gave them ideas on how to use it. Guests also had the chance to meet the Papa Spud’s team and hear from the company’s founder, Rob Meyer, who shared why he started the business and how it works.
  • A select group of media were invited to a breakfast and behind-the-scenes tour to see firsthand how the boxes are pulled together before delivery.
  • We formed grassroots partnerships with restaurants, gyms, schools and organizations –  including the Junior League of Raleigh that led to an ongoing sponsorship where Papa Spud’s supplied fruit for the Backpack Buddies program.
  • Creative and individualized pitches were used to maximize engagement from reporters and bloggers. We also invited mom bloggers to try the service for a month and blog about their experiences.

Results

Clairemont exceeded expectations and met all established objectives, along with increasing general awareness and customer registrations. As a result of our efforts, we secured the following:

  • 10 community partnerships
  • Four traditional media placements
  • Three blogger trials
  • More than 30 social media posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
  • 10 blog posts that featured in-depth information about Papa Spud’s

The work Clairemont Communications conducted in partnership with Papa Spud’s earned an Honorable Mention Award in the Total Campaign category from the Raleigh Public Relations Society and an Honorable Mention Award from the North Carolina Public Relations Society of America. We are proud that this campaign represents two of the 137 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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