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Tag: communication

COVID Coping: The Power of One Wave

COVID Coping: The Power of One Wave

April 23, 2020January 31, 2023 Cherith AndesBlog, In Our Community, The Clairemont Teamcommunication, connection, social connection

A personal essay

In times of challenge or crisis, we sometimes find ourselves concentrating on the small things, the tiny non-issues that aren’t essential for basic survival. Rather than fear the crash of the economy, we worry what we’ll do now that our hair salon is closed, or we mourn the loss of March Madness. It’s quite natural — a way to cope with the weight of a hefty situation that otherwise threatens to engulf us. While we know that this involuntary practice doesn’t diminish the seriousness of a situation or negate the critical actions we must take, it somehow provides comfort. I get it. In the middle of chaos, we dial things down into manageable bits that we can understand and process.

My secret, small non-worry? The gym. This regular outlet provided structure and a healthy cornerstone in my daily routine.  Like my other health-nuttish-friends, when my gym closed, I rushed to order resistance bands and even sprung for a set of adjustable dumbbells. I then commenced hopping around my small living room, tangled in bands and heaving questionably-constructed weights, in an effort to boost my heart rate. Sadly, I think the greatest value so far has been free entertainment for my roommate.

So I turned to the next option on my exercise log — running outdoors. And after lacing up my shoes, I found an unexpected benefit to my runs beyond cardio.

I found people. People … everywhere. Moms pushing strollers. Dads taking sons on bike rides. Retired neighbors strolling and chatting. Couples refreshing their front yard mulch beds. I found two brothers doing a body-weight HIIT workout in a park and an elderly man walking his overly excited Pomeranian. Rain or shine, my neighbors came out in droves, spurred no doubt by the same cabin fever that irked me. And every time I passed someone, we would meet eyes, nod and wave — all within a safe distance, of course.

Those waves were so much more than requisite social greetings. They morphed into shared moments of meaning and engagement. An acknowledgment that “I don’t know you, but I see you, and I know you’re feeling the same concern and weight I am.” A silent encouragement, a touchpoint of hope forged through shared connection. We knew why we were all outside instead of at the gym, on the couch or wherever else our normal routines would have slotted us. And in those moments, we somehow gleaned great comfort simply knowing that we were not alone.

It’s just a simple wave. But it’s a meaningful one. A knowing one. One that binds us together in a time where connection is more vital than ever. So next time you’re out, take a moment to lift your eyes, smile and nod in your neighbor’s direction. Small moments like these will keep us connected, keep us encouraged, keep us strong.

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Traits of Successful PR Communicators

Traits of Successful PR Communicators

September 18, 2019January 31, 2023 Clairemont InternBlog, Professional Development, Public Relations#PRlessons, #publicrelations, communication

Maybe you’re a student, a graduate fresh out of college or a practicing PR professional; whichever hat you wear, this blog is for you. It’s always good to bring things back to the basics and remind yourself how to do what you do well. Read on for a few key tricks to keep in your toolbox in order to be a successful PR communicator. 

Trait 1: Be a candid and captivating storyteller.

Everyone loves a good story, and people are willing to buy into a story if it is told candidly. Knowing how to tell your client’s story in a captivating manner is essential for generating a response to your message. By artfully presenting your message, you elevate your client to a position of authority and respect, boosting brand acceptance. As PR professionals, our job is to solve problems, and storytelling can be the means by which this is done. Find the silver lining and craft a straightforward, sincere narrative to achieve the solution.  

Trait 2: Be an audience-centered researcher.

Know your audience and how they will receive your message. In PR, we must be conscious of the various lenses through which our audience will process information. A variety of factors including age, gender and socio-economic demographic can influence these lenses. It is important to understand your audience’s experiences and then let this shape the way you work. Look for reactions and responses to similar messages and leverage these things to format your strategy.

Trait 3: Be a strategic influencer.

I may be a Gen-Z, but when I say, “Be a strategic influencer,” I don’t mean the trendy term used to describe people with thousands of Instagram followers. Consider your audience and approach, and intentionally craft your delivery to be an agent of influence for your client. Because people respond well to prominence and relevance, being a purposeful communicator is important. With this in mind, connect with your audience by channeling your strategy through notable networks, times and people.

Trait 4: Be an exceptional writer.

In PR, the trait of exceptional writing should never be overlooked or underestimated. This is how you hook your audience initially and sustain its attention. The skill of collecting and arranging words in a manner that’s catchy and clear is necessary for creating influential content. Purposeful, powerful and perfect writing can encourage people to absorb and accept the PR message you’re promoting.

Have a message you need help spreading far and wide?

Drop Us a Line

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

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Lost in Translation: The Greatest Hits

Lost in Translation: The Greatest Hits

March 11, 2019January 31, 2023 Clairemont InternBlog, Marketing, Public Relations#ClairemontIntern, #publicrelations, #PublicRelationsLessons, #TranslationBlunders, communication

In 2009, HSBC Bank was ready to unveil its new “Assume Nothing” U.S. campaign overseas. The perfect slogan had been chosen, and all the campaign materials were prepped. It wasn’t until after it launched its campaign that HSBC realized it had missed one of the most crucial steps for any global campaign …

… Communication. HSBC had not considered the language differences when taking its “Assume Nothing” campaign abroad. While this tagline was strategic in the United States, the translation in many foreign countries meant “do nothing,” which had the opposite effect that HSBC desired. After the campaign backfired, the bank spent almost $10 million to re-brand and play it safe with the modified tagline, “The world’s private bank,” (a little harder to misinterpret).

person holding pens and papers

Language and word translation differences across the globe are easy to overlook yet key to consider when taking a campaign abroad. Forgetting to do your research (or lacking knowledge about the chosen country for your next campaign) could leave you with a full-blown PR crisis on your hands.

A Pregnancy Preventing Pen

The Parker pens translation blunder is one of my personal favorites. Who knew such a product existed! When Parker first entered the Latin American market and introduced its product, the pen advertisements were supposed to read: “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you.” However, the company had mistakenly used the Spanish word “embarazar,” thinking it meant “to embarrass.” In reality, “embarazar” is the Spanish verb for pregnant. The translated slogan, “It won’t leak in your pocket and make you pregnant,” most definitely caught the attention of locals, but not the attention that the Parker brand had been seeking.

two black and blue click pens on white book page

Taking ‘Naked Leather’ a Little Too Literally

Another famous translation blunder occurred in Mexico in 1987. Braniff Airlines unveiled its luxurious leather seats with the slogan, “Fly in leather.” Even though the Spanish translation “Vuela en Cuero,” was technically correct, it was almost identical to the phrase “en cueros” which means “naked.” When listeners heard the ad on the television or radio, they often heard “fly naked.” We can only imagine the kind of customers that jumped to book tickets for Braniff were not the ones the airline had in mind.

For every large corporation that’s made a translation blunder, there are countless examples of small businesses that have made the same mistakes.

airplane on sky during golden hour

Potatoes Find Newfound Fame

Rumor has it that when Pope John Paul II visited Miami in 1987, t-shirts were designed to say “I saw the Pope” in Spanish for locals and tourists alike. Instead of using “el Papa” (“the Pope”), a t-shirt manufacturer mistakenly substituted it for “la Papa” (‘the potato”). Somewhere in the creation of this t-shirt idea, the concept of the Spanish gender pronoun was forgotten. While the potato industry surely saw this as a bonus, we can only imagine the Pope’s reaction to the potato connotation.

Translation critiques and language understanding are must-dos for a global campaign, but it is not always about the literal translations. Making sure your team is knowledgeable on the cultural differences around the world is also crucial.

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s a … Peach?

One of Procter & Gamble’s biggest advertising uh-oh’s occurred in the late 1900s when the firm introduced its Pampers brand in Japan. The company used an advertisement that had resonated well with U.S. customers: an animated stork delivering Pampers diapers to a happy home.

Unfortunately, the cute commercial didn’t even come close to hitting its mark with Japanese consumers. They were confused as to why a bird was delivering diapers. Unlike Western folklore, storks are not supposed to deliver babies in Japan. If more research had been done, Procter & Gamble would’ve discovered that a 14th century fable in Japan reads that babies arrive in giant peaches, floating peacefully along rivers and streams to deserving parents. Move aside storks; peaches are in!

Time and time again, a simple lack of proper translation and research have left companies with an easily avoidable crisis. The stories are laughable years later, but doing your research could prevent you from being the next public relations professional that forgets to check the meaning of “embarazar” in Spanish.

What are your favorite translation blunders? Tell us here.

Written by Alex Davis-Isaac, a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill.

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Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust

Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust

March 8, 2018January 31, 2023 Clairemont InternBlog, Public Relations, Raleigh PR Agencybusiness relationships, clairemont intern, client relations, communication, PR Agency

Trust is the glue that holds relationships together. It’s the stuff that builds friendships and, coincidentally, great business partnerships.

In 2014, Rubin Postaer and Associates partnered with USA TODAY to conduct a survey on the current state of the client/agency relationship. What is the one factor they found that fosters the most success for both the client AND the agency? “Clients trusting their agencies.” It’s the naked truth.

Of course, it can take a while to get to that point, right? Strong, trusting relationships don’t develop overnight. It takes an intentional effort to get to know your clients and a true desire to solve their needs. Putting in the extra effort will pay off in the long run, though, and will likely result in more business on both sides in the future.

How to Make That Magic

When I worked with Disney, I learned the true meaning of a mutually beneficial relationship. I had to establish trust with my potential customers before I even began to sell them their best-fit ticket. The same principles that applied to my job as a vacation planner are the same ones that we use at Clairemont to build our long-standing relationships with clients. Here are some cornerstones of a solid agency-client relationship.

  1. Listen (actually listen) to their concerns. This doesn’t mean to smile and nod and start planning your reply the second the other person starts talking. Above all, the purpose of PR is to serve clients’ needs. So, be ready to actively listen, ask questions and confirm with the client before your brain starts running a mile a minute.
  2. Don’t promise something that you can’t deliver. If a client request is impractical or unlikely to succeed, be honest about it and suggest an alternative. Transparency, even when it involves sharing bad news, is infinitely better than promising something that never gets done.
  3. Be consistent. Communicate deadlines with your client and meet them with exceptional work. Return phone calls. Show up to meetings prepared and on time without fail. A series of small steps adds up to one giant leap towards a strong, trusting relationship.
  4. Constantly communicate. Throughout the project, the most important thing you can do is check in with the client. Is he or she getting the desired results? At the end, what did he or she wish had gone differently? What will you specifically adjust now or in future campaigns?
  5. Go the extra mile. Always. Do the extra work, the hard work, the creative work. Take genuine interest in them as a person (which we do!). As the saying goes, you’ve gotta be a friend to have a friend.

Itching for an agency you can trust? Let us show you how it’s done.

Written by Jessica Winesette, a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill.

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On the Record: Lost in Translation

On the Record: Lost in Translation

May 18, 2016January 31, 2023 Sarah HattmanBlog, On the Record, Public Relationscommunication, lost in translation, PR, text messages, text messaging, texts

Can you believe texting has been around for more than 20 years? From pressing numbers on the dialpad to form a word (that was guessed by your phone) to the qwerty keyboard and now the smartphone, texting has come a long way over the decades, and it’s no wonder that it is now more popular than ever.

In fact, according to Pew Internet, texting is the most widely and frequently used app on a smartphone with 97 percent of Americans using it at least once a day. And check out these figures: 8.3 trillion text messages were sent last year alone. That’s 23 billion texts a day or nearly 16 million messages a minute!

Text messaging is now being viewed as a powerful way for businesses to connect with their customers, but it’s not without its drawbacks. Let’s go On the Record to explore how to make sure your text message isn’t lost in translation.

https://clairemontcommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Texting.m4v

How do you ensure your text messages are clear and concise? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter.
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