Tag: grand opening

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? The Lincoln Apartments

Cherith AndesAwards, Blog, Case Studies, , , ,

In 2015, The Lincoln Apartments broke ground in downtown Raleigh, set to be the newest apartment complex in the Oakwood neighborhood. At the time, downtown Raleigh apartment complexes were at an all-time high, and The Lincoln faced the challenge of breaking into a product-saturated market.

In response, The Lincoln team retained Clairemont Communications to capture the public’s attention and craft a strong debut for the versatile downtown living option. Clairemont Communications captured the community’s attention and generated media buzz for the The Lincoln’s official ribbon cutting ceremony by partnering with Cause for Paws of NC and showcasing the pet-welcoming aspect of the complex.

The Pitch
To attract pet lovers and community members to the ribbon cutting, Clairemont planned the event to feature a dog ambassador “cutting” the ribbon. Creative and individualized pitches were used to pique the interest of targeted media and secure on-site coverage. TV stations were invited to participate in “Tag You’re It!” – a social media photo relay – as part of the official ribbon cutting. This photo relay doubled as a fundraiser for Cause for Paws of NC.

Execution
The event began with the president of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, city council members and other prominent Raleigh officials welcoming The Lincoln Apartments to the community. After the dignitaries’ remarks, Molly, our canine ambassador from Cause for Paws, “cut” the ribbon by chewing through a treat in the middle of the ribbon. As a part of the “Tag You’re It” social media relay, The Lincoln Apartments donated $5 to Cause for Paws of NC for each participant who shared their photo of the event with the tags #TheLincolnRaleigh and #CauseforPawsNC.

Results
– Clairemont met the goal of securing a major television station on-site for the event, which resulted in coverage on air and online.
– The event also helped secure four additional media placements, including two print stories, four blog posts and three TV segments.
– “Tag, You’re It!” generated more than 70 social media posts.

The Lincoln Apartments’ successful ribbon cutting played a vital role in introducing the complex to the community. Additionally, The Lincoln Apartments donated $1,500 to its charity partner Cause for Paws of NC.

The work Clairemont Communications conducted in partnership with The Lincoln Apartments earned a Gold Excellence Award in Total Campaign by Raleigh Public Relations Society as well as the Best in Category for Creative Tactics from the North Carolina Public Relations Society of America. We are proud that this is one of the 129 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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