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Tag: CAPRSA

Clairemont CEO Named PRSA’s Counselors Academy Chair

Clairemont CEO Named PRSA’s Counselors Academy Chair

February 21, 2018January 31, 2023 Tracy LathanBlog, Counselors Academy, Raleigh PR AgencyCAPRSA, PR Agency, PR leader, PRSA leader, Raleigh PR Agency

Dana Phelps Hughens Named Chair of PRSA’s Counselors Academy

Fanelli, Finley and McCormick named as new members on 2018 executive committee

NEW YORK  — The members of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Counselors Academy have elected Dana Phelps Hughens, CEO of Clairemont Communications in Raleigh, N.C., as its 2018 chair. In addition, Filomena Fanelli of Impact PR & Communications and Kate Finley of Belle Communications have joined the Counselors Academy executive committee for three-year terms, and Gary McCormick of GMc Communications as an ex-officio member for a one-year term.

Counselors Academy is the national professional interest section of PRSA that focuses on the business of agency PR. Its entrepreneurial members are owners or senior managers of leading independent firms in the U.S. and Canada. Counselors Academy’s programs foster networking, mentoring and learning, and the executive committee consists of 15 senior-level public relations professionals from across the country.

As CEO of Clairemont Communications, Hughens leads the agency to devise public relations and marketing strategies that have been recognized with 175 industry awards since opening in 2010. She is a Silver Anvil award winner and has been honored by the Triangle Business Journal with Women in Business and Forty Under Forty awards. Previously, Hughens was Senior Vice President and Global Consumer Practice Group Co-Chair of Fleishman-Hillard.

“As the owner of an independent agency, one of my first decisions was to join PRSA Counselors Academy,” said Hughens. “It is an essential resource in building and managing a business and has allowed me to build close relationships with other public relations professionals who I know I can trust.”

Hughens added, “As a long-term member of Counselors Academy, I’m really passionate about being this year’s chair. We’re focused on growing and engaging our membership while we continue to make our annual conference the premier professional development event for public relations agency owners and senior leaders.”

The section’s marquee event is the PRSA Counselors Academy 2018 Spring Conference, which will be held May 6-8, 2018, in Toronto. Known for its robust networking and learning opportunities, the Spring Conference enables collaborative peer relationships in which meaningful business counsel, operational best practices and industry trends are shared and gained.

Continue reading “Clairemont CEO Named PRSA’s Counselors Academy Chair”

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Fake News

Fake News

August 1, 2017January 31, 2023 Dana PhelpsBlog, Counselors Academy, Public RelationsCAPRSA, Counselors Academy, fake news, PR Agency, PRSA, Public Relations Society of America, Raleigh PR Agency

Fake news. Early this year, gathered in a conference room with PR agency owners from across North America who make up the executive committee of PRSA’s Counselors Academy, we debated how long that trending term would remain trending. While some of us thought that #fakenews would have faded by now, it is holding strong.

My fellow executive committee member, Brenda Jones Barwick, penned an article for the March issue of PRSA Tactics called Combating Fake News: How to Protect our Profession, Our Clients and Companies. It remains as relevant now as it was at the time of publishing.

As a member of PRSA‘s Counselors Academy executive committee and now chair-elect, I have collaborated with Tactics editor John Elsasser since 2015 as a liaison of sorts to secure monthly thought-leadership pieces contributed by Counselors Academy members and experts in the field of  public relations. Want to know more about Counselors Academy and its members? Read our previous posts here.

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Authenticity Matters

Authenticity Matters

September 6, 2016January 31, 2023 Dana PhelpsBlog, Counselors AcademyAuthenticity, CAPRSA, Counselors Academy, PR experts, PRSA, PRSA's Counselors Academy, Public Relations

Earlier this summer, my friends and fellow public relations professionals, Sydney Ayers and Lisa Cutter, wrote a column for PRSA’s Tactics about how social media has given anyone with a voice an always-on platform to be heard and how that affects authenticity. A snippet of this piece is below, and I encourage you to read it in full: Why Authenticity Matters.

“This change in how information is shared and at the speed it can be shared increasingly means that organizations can not afford to be disingenuous in any way. Communicating authentically is a critical component of a successful business equation.”

As a member of PRSA‘s Counselors Academy executive committee, I’ve been collaborating with Tactics editor John Elsasser for several months as a liaison of sorts to secure contributors for the publication’s monthly column called “Changing Times.” It was started by Michael Herman, APR, Fellow PRSA, friend and mentor to many. There was no one better than Mike to write about changes in the public relations industry, and his only published column appeared in January 2015, the same month he unexpectedly left this world. Since then, members of PRSA’s Counselors Academy have been contributing their thoughts on the evolution of our profession.

Want to know more about Counselors Academy and its members? Read our previous posts here.

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Encouraging Creativity

Encouraging Creativity

July 25, 2016January 31, 2023 Dana PhelpsBlog, Counselors Academy, Raleigh PR Agencyapartment public relations, CAPRSA, Counselors Academy, creativity, Disney, PRSA

This article originally appeared in the April 2016 issue of PRSA’s Tactics. You can read it online here.

Changing It Up to Encourage Creativity

Dana Phelps Hughens

“The definition of insanity is repeating the same behaviors and expecting a different outcome.” – Albert Einstein

For the past several months, this column has been focused on the changes our industry is facing. This month we are changing it up to highlight ways to do things differently in order to achieve greater results.

Last year, I shared a photograph of four women that was taken in the early 1900s with our team at Clairemont Communications. Each team member was asked to write a story about the photo, and the stories were shared on our blog as part of a contest. The author of the story that had the most votes won a prize.

This was Clairemont’s first Creative Challenge. Part professional development and part team building, this exercise tapped into our imaginations with a creative writing exercise far different than that of say, writing a client news release. However, the brainstorming and story mapping were a similar process to many things we do for our clients. Additionally, social media influence was put to the test as team members solicited their professional and personal networks for votes – another task related to we do for clients daily.

Earlier this year we challenged ourselves to step out of our comfort zones when we decided to take a non-traditional approach to thanking our clients by producing what we called our gratitude video. In addition to our team singing the words to Andy Grammer’s “Good to Be Alive,” our clients danced along with us to celebrate our accomplishments together. Check it out on our Facebook page!

Not only do our clients embrace our creative and sometimes wacky ways, they rely on us for fresh ideas for pitches, promotional campaigns and special events. Otherwise, it would prove difficult to produce results month after month and year after year.

We recently met with a prospect seeking to change agencies after an engagement that had spanned nearly two decades. He didn’t seem particularly dissatisfied with the existing PR firm and yet not fully satisfied either. Upon further discussion, it was revealed that the only real issue with the incumbent was that it had been around long enough to learn all the things that didn’t work.

Wow. I never want to be that agency leader who says, “We already tried that” or “Just do it the same way, and it will be good enough.” We all know it is easy to get stuck in a rut. We’ve all been there, and help is on the way.

This year we are opening the Counselors Academy conference with “Think Differently: The Biggest Barrier to Innovation Is Our Own Expertise,” an interactive keynote with Duncan Wardle, vice president of Disney’s Creative Inc.

Duncan works with his team across all Disney corporate divisions as creative ideation consultants. They design engaging, collaborative ideation forums that capture unlikely connections and lead to new thinking and revolutionary ideas. During his Counselors Academy session, he will explore the myths around creativity and innovation, provide tangible innovation tools and help us get out of our own “Rivers of Expertise” to think differently.

To be part of this session and exchange ideas on creativity with other PR agency leaders, join us May 1 to 3, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. More information can be found at caprsa.com and on Facebook in The Official Counselors Academy Facebook Group.

Dana Phelps Hughens is CEO of Clairemont Communications based in Raleigh, N.C. She serves as an assembly delegate for the North Carolina chapter of PRSA and on the board of Counselors Academy. Dana is known as @blah2voila on Instagram and Twitter.

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PR Trendspotting

PR Trendspotting

June 28, 2016January 31, 2023 Dana PhelpsBlog, Counselors Academy, Public RelationsCAPRSA, PR Trenspotting, PRSA, Public Relations, Trends in PR

In a few days, we’ll be halfway through 2016. Yes, wow! Think about that for a minute. As such, I wanted to revisit this December Tactics column penned by fellow Counselors Academy member, Deborah Weinstein of Tornoto PR firm Strategic Objectives, called The Changes in Store for 2016: Trendspotting for the New Year.

Deb predicted that our profession of public relations, with its power to make news, spark conversation and engage in real time, will continue to take a prominent role at the business strategy table. She included predictions from other Counselors Academy members that support that thought such as the following:

“Search and content merge together to create the fabric of how we generate awareness and influence action. It’s an opportunity for PR professionals to broaden our skill sets into data collection and analysis, audience segmentation and automated technologies to provide targeted and relevant communications that move audiences through the sales funnel. In the process, we become invaluable to the organizations we serve.” — Lisa Gerber, founder, Big Leap Creative

“I’m going to pay even more attention to what Google calls micro-moments: all those times during the day when we reflexively turn to our smartphones to satisfy those incessant ‘I want to know/go/do/buy’ impulses. For me, that’s a rallying cry for public relations on two fronts. First, we must understand what motivates our audiences and the type of content they’re searching for in the moment. Second, we need to get untethered from our desktops, put on our walking shoes, and then create and distribute short, visual, meaningful stories that stand out and help people when they’re on the go.” — Martin Waxman, president, Martin Waxman Communications

“The erosion of traditional news sources by social and digital media will continue to provide opportunities for the PR and communications profession. Content generation and thought leadership will remain key components for success in our profession.” — Tom Garrity, president, The Garrity Group Public Relations

Do you think these predictions are on the mark for where we are halfway through 2016? What predictions are you willing to make for the next six months and 2017? You can read Deb’s full column here.

As a member of PRSA‘s Counselors Academy executive committee, I’ve been collaborating with Tactics editor John Elsasser for several months as a liaison of sorts to secure contributors for the publication’s monthly column called “Changing Times.” It was started by Michael Herman, APR, Fellow PRSA, friend and mentor to many. There was no one better than Mike to write about changes in the public relations industry, and his only published column appeared in January 2015, the same month he unexpectedly left this world. Since then, members of PRSA’s Counselors Academy have been contributing their thoughts on the evolution of our profession.

Want to know more about Counselors Academy and its members? Read our previous posts here.

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Have you heard about Meta’s newest social media Have you heard about Meta’s newest social media platform? It’s called Threads, and it’s being referred to as “the new Twitter.” Read everything you need to know about Threads in our latest blog post - link in bio!
SNEAK PEEK! @dellthepig landed at @wendellfallsnc SNEAK PEEK! @dellthepig landed at @wendellfallsnc (client) today, and rumor has it that @blah2voila has already been hamming it up with Dell! We know you want a selfie with Dell to post on Pigstagram, too!
We are proud to represent Raleigh as a member of P We are proud to represent Raleigh as a member of Public Relations Consultants Group, allowing us to offer clients expertise and support across the country! Clairemont founder, Dana Phelps aka @blah2voila, recently attended the PRCG conference in Oklahoma City.
2022 has been a fantastic year for Clairemont Comm 2022 has been a fantastic year for Clairemont Communications! Visit our blog for the full 2022 year in review!
As communications professionals, we wear a variety As communications professionals, we wear a variety of hats to meet our clients’ needs.
 
We’re writers, social media managers, photographers, marketers, editors, content creators- the list goes on and on.
 
Check out our recent blog post to learn what @olivia.noles , account coordinator here at Clairemont, does on a weekly and monthly basis.
#communicationsagency #communicationsmajor #pragencylife #pragency #raleighpr
This Friday, Clairemont’s Dana Phelps, @blah2voi This Friday, Clairemont’s Dana Phelps, @blah2voila , will be speaking at the 2022 @nc_prsa Strategic Communication & MarCom Conference! Phelps is a repeat presenter at this annual conference, and this year she is leading a session called Growing from Communication Technician to Strategic Counselor during which she will share three of her coined concepts: knowcasting, morecasting and collabolighthing. Visit our blog for the link to register for the conference!
@clairemontcommunications and @yellowdogcreative g @clairemontcommunications and @yellowdogcreative go together like the bacon and eggs! And speaking of bacon and eggs, have you been to @therainbowluncheonette yet? YUM!
Later this year, Clairemont client @wendellfallsnc Later this year, Clairemont client @wendellfallsnc, a master-planned community just 15 miles from downtown Raleigh, will welcome @parksideraleigh, a Raleigh-favorite restaurant known for its fresh, made-from-scratch dishes, to the community!
 
Visit our blog to see the @trianglebizjrnl coverage and read the full feature in the TBJ to learn more about Parkside.
“What exactly does a PR Agency do?” Because we “What exactly does a PR Agency do?” Because we get this question often, we have a series on our blog where we dive into our recent projects to give you a look at what a PR Agency really does.
 
For example, a statewide resource for small businesses recently hired Clairemont to devise an executive visibility campaign to help position the organization and its director as the leading small business resource in North Carolina.
 
Head to our blog to read what exactly an executive visibility campaign entails and to learn more about our services!
So you say it’s National Coffee Day? We say let So you say it’s National Coffee Day? We say let us tell you about our new favorite @drink321coffee ! If you are in Raleigh, go see Paul, the other Paul, Emma  or whichever smiling faces are working today. We LOVE this place and the coffee! ❤️❤️❤️
Our client @wendellfallsnc, one of the largest mas Our client @wendellfallsnc, one of the largest master-planned communities in the Triangle, closed on its first age-eligible rental community plan, Arden at Wendell Falls, that will offer 140 open-concept units and exclusive onsite amenities!
 
Visit our blog to see the @trianglebizjrnl coverage and read the full feature in the TBJ to learn more about Arden at Wendell Falls.
Staying in Raleigh this Labor Day weekend? Stop by Staying in Raleigh this Labor Day weekend? Stop by client @vitaviteraleigh for good snacks and great wine!🍷 Both locations are open normal hours Friday-Sunday and closed on Monday.
You never know who might be hanging out at The Cla You never know who might be hanging out at The Clairemont House. Thanks to @yellowdogcreative for helping save this buddy. Notice that we speak lizard. Or skink. Or gecko or whatever he is. Or maybe it’s the extra caffeine before our client presentation.
Yep, our town is pretty cool. #raleigh Yep, our town is pretty cool. #raleigh
Who wants to have a Friday afternoon porch meeting Who wants to have a Friday afternoon porch meeting?
Congrats to our new neighbor on Bloodworth Street Congrats to our new neighbor on Bloodworth Street South @raleighwineshop ! @blah2voila was there today representing Clairemont at the grand opening festivities and enjoying the @grandchamphospitality sandwich pop up. Yum! 🍷🥪
It’s National Volunteer Month, and volunteers ar It’s National Volunteer Month, and volunteers are needed more than ever! Many organizations with scarce resources rely on volunteers and would not exist without them. Visit our recent blog post to read about the organizations Clairemont has supported and how you can make a difference in your community!
Authenticity is trending, and research shows that Authenticity is trending, and research shows that consumers are 2.4 times more likely to view user-generated content as authentic. Read our recent blog post to learn about UGC, how it can benefit your brand and how to use it in your marketing strategy.
From social values to behavior patterns, COVID-19 From social values to behavior patterns, COVID-19 has left an impact on every sector of life, including marketing. Read our blog on marketing in a post-COVID world to learn how things have changed and how that should impact your business strategy.
We are so excited to share that Clairemont earned We are so excited to share that Clairemont earned eight awards, five gold🥇and three silver🥈, at this year's Sir Walter Raleigh Awards hosted by the Raleigh Public Relations Society!🎉 We are beyond grateful to work with so many amazing partners, clients and industry friends!
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