Category: Raleigh PR Agency

What does a PR Agency Do? Creative Tactics

Jasmin SessomsAwards, Blog, Case Studies, Raleigh PR Agency, , , ,

Clairemont has had the pleasure of working with Briar Chapel as its agency of record for several years, allowing us a variety of opportunities to put on our thinking caps and get creative with our wonderful clients. As 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, we strive to help showcase the beautiful homes and amenities of Briar Chapel. Looking back at the work we’ve done together these past few years, there are two initiatives that Clairemont conceptualized at different times and to accomplish different objectives that we thought would be fun to highlight in one blog post.

The first was born in response to a very smart question from one of our Briar Chapel clients. She asked, “Instead of trying to add fans and followers purely for the sake of building our numbers, how can we increase engagement with our existing fans to encourage them to be our brand advocates?” After careful thought and planning, Clairemont answered the question with a question. “Are you Briar Chapel’s Best Buddy?”

The Clariemont team created a contest and participants were encouraged to get creative in using social networks to earn points to win a Buddy Scooter, with this prize tying into the contest name. The contest encouraged community members to take to the social channels of their choice and post using the Best Buddy hashtags.

In order to reach the target audience of residents and local community members and to engage throughout the six-week long contest, Clairemont focused its efforts on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Pinterest and Foursquare. The Clairemont Team was able to increase fan engagement and community awareness of Briar Chapel. The Briar Chapel Facebook page engagement skyrocketed by 400 percent, the fan count increased by 159 percent and the viral reach of the page expanded by nearly 600 percent. Briar Chapel was most pleased with the positive, third party content that directly generating local word-of-mouth advertising for Briar Chapel.

A couple of years later as Briar Chapel neared its fifth anniversary, we found ourselves answering this question: “How can we get media to come out to Briar Chapel to see the progress the community has made in the five years since the grand opening?”

Clairemont used creative thinking to plan a visual event that interested the media. The Clairemont team decided on an aerial media tour. Who could resist an invitation to ride in Big Red, the hot air balloon? Creative and individualized pitches were used to pique the interest of targeted media, and themed media kits were strategically delivered to media contacts in the morning just before editorial meetings.

The aerial tour provided a bird’s eye view of the development’s progress by taking members of the media up in a hot air balloon, while allowing Briar Chapel representatives to talk about accomplishments and future plans. Though the hot air balloon served as the event’s focal point, Clairemont worked with the Briar Chapel community to build in other visual and informational elements to attract media. We strategically scheduled the event to fall just before two of Briar Chapel’s popular, annual events: the Parade of Homes and the Pepper Festival.

The creative, experiential campaign exceeded expectations by rebuilding relationships, engaging 18 target media contacts on-site in a fun, positive way. For many, the event offered their first hot air balloon ride, allowing Briar Chapel to leave a lasting, memorable impression.

Clairemont received several NCPRSA InSpire Awards and RPRS Sir Walter Raleigh Awards for both of the these creative campaigns.

 

 

 

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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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The Beauty of Raleigh PR: Day 30 – #favmoments

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Raleigh PR Agency, ,

Today is my 30th day! Woohoo! Although I thought I would have a serious sense of relief when I finished my ever-present responsibility of daily blogging, I have appreciated the experience of sharing my work days on the blog.

For 30 days, I have learned the ropes at Clairemont, and I am thrilled to share my top moments with you today.

My favorite moments at Clairemont to date: (Cheesy, but they make me grin.)

  1. Walking in on my very first day and meeting Mrs. Hughens with a smile. I was greeted with a brand new desk, a Macbook and pink accessories. I was at the first day of my first job, and I felt special.
  2. Learning all of the new apps I would be using each day. In undergrad, I only used Apple for editing in my sound and video production classes. Receiving my Macbook was confirmation that this was a fresh start.
  3. Learning about each of the clients and what my role would be on each account.
  4. Meeting Mrs. Hughens’ dog, Billy. He is a sweetie pie, and rubbing him in the office brings joy to my day.
  5. Learning how to take the initiative on my assigned tasks. I have learned to go the extra mile when researching accounts and client work.
  6. Getting a sweet treat from PDQ–the new seasonal shake, Toffee Coffee.
  7. Collaborative learning in the office. Since the office setup is so cozy, we get a chance to talk each day. If I have a quick question, there is no problem asking for help from Sarah or Cherith.
  8. The expertise of my boss. In our conversations over the past 30 days, I have had multiple opportunities to ask her opinion or counsel, and these mini lessons have given me invaluable information to help with my start in PR.
  9. The team. Every day I get the chance to work with an amazing, supportive group. I think we could conquer the PR world.
  10. My first field trip with the team. On our recent new business pitch out of the office, I got a chance to be a part of the meeting. Not only did I get the opportunity to talk to the prospective client, but I also got to sing for them!
  11. My special Valentine’s Day chocolate heart from Mrs. Hughens. I think the best part about my job is knowing that my boss cares. That’s what makes it a joy to come into work.

What was your favorite blog moment of mine?

Editor’s Note: Clairemont enthusiastically welcomes Jasmin Sessoms to our team! Follow this former beauty queen’s journey as she documents her first 30 days in a Raleigh PR agency.

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The Beauty of Raleigh PR: Day 28 – #prjobtips

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Raleigh PR Agency, , , ,

On my 28th day in the PR world, I decided to list a few of the things that I have learned.

Top 9 PR tips I have learned from working at Clairemont:


1) Use social media as tools. Gaining more followers for our clients is a daily task for me and social media has the power to gain meaningful exposure for our clients.

2) Use links, keywords, and SEO to optimize blog posts. It is important to add in a quick tag or keyword to our posts. Hopefully, this will help to maximize the visibility of Clairemont’s blog.

3) Save your drafts, every single time. In order to avoid losing a hard day’s work, I try to save every few minutes. Saving my work ensures that the files will be around in case of a freak accident.

4) Develop an eye for details. Proofreading is the most important thing to do before hitting the send button. In order to avoid miscommunication or utter embarrassment, I often ask a colleague to help me.

5) Brush up on your phone communications skills. Everyday I have the opportunity to talk to potential clients and vendors for events. A positive tone and clear enunciation is key during a conversation.

6) Read the newspaper, every day. At Clairemont, we receive the paper daily. I think that reading up on current events and watching the news regularly are essential when working in PR to stay in the know and to help come up with creative ideas for clients.

7) Be enthusiastic about putting in additional time at work. Sometimes, PR can call for a little extra time out what many would consider normal office hours. Working in this 24/7  field requires a flexible attitude and the realization that oftentimes projects come to life outside of the office.

8) Teamwork matters, so love your colleagues. The best part about Clairemont has to be the positive collaboration of the team. Since I am in a room full of so much diverse experience and backgrounds, I get the opportunity to soak in so much information.

9) Be proactive with your client work. I have learned from my colleagues that it is important to anticipate client needs. I watch as they make sure every detail is ironed out for our clients,  ask “what might be next?” and plan accordingly.

What are some of the things you learned at your first job?

Editor’s Note: Clairemont enthusiastically welcomes Jasmin Sessoms to our team! Follow this former beauty queen’s journey as she documents her first 30 days in a Raleigh PR agency.

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The Beauty of Raleigh PR: Day 23 – DQ Cakes

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Raleigh PR Agency, Wonderfully Random, ,

Sprinkles and icing and cakes! Oh my! Yesterday, the Clairemont team hosted a Frozen-themed Valentine’s Day event for one of our beloved clients,  Triangle Dairy Queen. After much planning and preparing, the day had finally approached us. Dairy Queen is famed for its ice cream cakes, and we wanted to give them an official introduction to our friends at Clairemont.

This event turned into a bona fide cake-decorating, finger-licking, Queen-Elsa-spotting party. Kids of all ages flocked from near and far to decorate a sweet treat for their moms and dads. With a little inspiration from the Dairy Queen team, cake beautifying began.

I think that the most gratifying moment of this event was to see the children’s faces brighten when they spotted their favorite Disney character, Queen Elsa, walk up to aid with their designs. What makes DQ cakes so special? All of the cakes at the Triangle Dairy Queen locations are made fresh in-house and are fully customizable for every occasion.

For more than 70 years, DQ has been crafting delicious treats for the entire family. The key to Dairy Queen’s success is simple: a combination of hard-working staff and great-tasting food. With three Triangle locations under our client’s belt, he and his staff are strongly embedded in the local culture and enjoy giving back to the community.

Although much has changed in the world since Dairy Queen’s inception, one constant has remained: DQ restaurants are still the place to find friends celebrating a birthday, stopping by after a date or simply enjoying a sweet treat. If you can’t think of a gift for Valentine’s Day, pop into Dairy Queen and request a custom-made ice cream cake for your sweetie. Dairy Queen’s scrumptious flavors combined with the staff’s boundless design expertise will provide the perfect treat to “heat up” your holiday.

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