Tag: InSpire Awards

Selfies & Succotash: Inspiring 2021

Cherith AndesBlog, Professional Development, The Clairemont Team, , , , 1 Comment on Selfies & Succotash: Inspiring 2021

Among other things, 2020 marked the 10th anniversary of Clairemont Communications. And we had big plans to “do something different” this year.

Boy, did that “something different” ever unfold!

So what happened? How did we grow, change and (don’t say it, don’t say it …) “pivot”?

Clairemont CEO Dana Phelps presented as the keynote speaker for the Public Relations of Society – North Carolina Chapter (NCPRSA) at its annual InSpire Awards ceremony (virtual, of course).

She unveiled learnings from 2020 to inspire your 2021, from selfies to succotash.

Best five minutes of your day, right here. 👇🏼👇🏼

Looking for more personal (and professional) inspiration?

We have a few tips for you.

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219 Award-Winning Inspirations

Kelli FletcherAwards, Blog, Professional Development, Public Relations, ,

There are many things that inspire us: our workspace, coffee, our teammates, the DTR vibe. But it is fair to say that that nothing inspires us more than our clients. We’re always striving to be creative, efficient, thorough and most of all fun, while helping them reach goals and achieve success. And in turn, their success equals ours. So when it comes time to celebrate our work, we’re not too shy about doing just that, because we’re proud of what we do and we love doing it. Last night, Clairemont celebrated our 2018 client work with some big wins at the 2019 Inspire Awards.

Hosted by the North Carolina Chapter of the PRSA, the Inspire Awards recognize the best public relations campaigns and tactics from North Carolina’s Triangle to its Coast. PR pros from the region submit their work to a panel of judges from other PRSA Chapters for consideration for Silver and Bronze Awards.

2019 PRSA Inspire Awards

This year, Clairemont received a total of 19 awards, including six Best in Category awards and the Bronze Best In Show.

  • Bronze Award for Best in Show for “Media Relations: A Royal Media Affair with Lord Spencer and Theodore Alexander”
  • Award of Excellence and Best in Category for “Integrated Communications: Governments/Associations/Nonprofit Organizations: Lighting a Fire for Everyday Heroes”
  • Award of Excellence and Best in Category for “Websites: Briar Chapel’s Website Refresh”
  • Award of Excellence and Best in Category for “Editorials/Op-Ed Columns: WGU North Carolina Takes Higher Education to Another Level”
  • Award of Excellence and Best in Category for “Media Relations: Theodore Alexander and Lord Spencer Unveil Royal Furniture”
  • Award of Excellence and Best in Category for “Events and Observances: Theodore Alexander and Charles, 9th Earl Spencer Debut Royal Furniture Line”
  • Award of Excellence and Best in Category for “Reputation/Brand Management: Western Governors University Builds a Brand in North Carolina”
  • Bronze Award of Excellence for “Feature Story: Briar Chapel Feature Story”
  • Bronze Award of Excellence for “Media Relations: A Royal Media Affair with Lord Spencer and Theodore Alexander”
  • Bronze Award of Excellence for “Media Relations: Vita Vite Hosts a Toast-Worthy Preview”
  • Bronze Award of Excellence for “Social Media: Reimagining Holiday Traditions with Riceland”
  • Silver Honorable Mention for “Marketing Consumer Products/Services: Carrie Knowles – A Laureate’s New Laurels”
  • Bronze Honorable Mention for “Video News Releases/Satellite Media Tours/Internal External Video Programs: Wendell Falls: Open Campaign Videos”

Thank you to our amazing clients! We are grateful for the opportunity to do what we love and love what we do!

Want to explore how we can create a winning campaign for your business? Drop us a line!

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What Does a PR Agency Do? Briar Chapel Unveils Encore

Clairemont InternAwards, Blog, Case Studies, , , , ,

Briar Chapel is one of the largest master-planned green communities in North Carolina and part of Newland Communities, the country’s most prominent privately held residential real estate developer. As Briar Chapel prepared to launch Encore, its new age-qualified section, marketing managers turned to Clairemont Communications to gain visibility and roll out this distinctive offering to homebuyers ages 55 years and older.

Strategy: Feature Story

Clairemont crafted a comprehensive public relations campaign designed to gain visibility and support home sales for Encore. As a key element in this strategy, Clairemont set an objective to secure a feature story in The Original Relocation Guide prior to Encore’s grand opening that highlighted the age-qualified section’s features and lifestyle appeal. To gain maximum exposure, we aimed to secure this story in a local publication with a followership of at least 300,000 that targeted homebuyers. 

Execution

Clairemont recognized that feature stories often secure greater exposure with more opportunity to tell a complete, in-depth narrative than news briefs or short blurbs. Encore included a distinct set of lifestyle offerings that few other locations in the country could claim, so a larger feature story was critical to thoroughly depicting the character of the new section. The Original Location Guide, with its large readership in North Carolina, provided the perfect vehicle to share the news.

Clairemont crafted a creative, out-of-the-box angle designed to grab the attention of busy editors. Our initial hook leveraged the exclusivity that Encore offered, since it was only the second of its kind in the country. While this newsy tidbit might have been worth a local newspaper mention, we recognized the need for a more engaging story that would appeal to The Original Relocation Guide’s informative yet warm tone. We invited them to share a “how to” segment that tapped on both the desire to share fresh news as well as equipping the editors with a DIY approach for their home shoppers.

Results

Clairemont met the stated objective and far exceeded expectations. The feature story in The Original Relocation Guide highlighted the distinct character of Encore while positioning Briar Chapel (cited as the author) as a thought leader in the retirement industry to its circulation of 470,000. Published prior to the grand opening, the feature article prompted interest from prospects, and Encore secured a full waiting list of homebuyers by grand opening date.

The work Clairemont Communications conducted in partnership with Briar Chapel received a “Best in Category” award in the 2017 InSpire Awards. We are proud that this campaign represents one of the 175 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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When Square Dancing Pays Off

Cherith AndesAwards, Blog, The Clairemont Team, , , , , , ,

To all of those wonderful media people who whipped out their best square dancing moves at the Wendell Falls Hoedown Showdown last May … thank you.

On May 10, the North Carolina Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (NCPRSA) hosted its 2017 InSpire Awards recognizing outstanding public relations and marketing campaigns in a variety of categories. The Clairemont team almost danced its pants off when we received 27 accolades from NCPRSA, adding to the agency’s existing 137 awards. Our most favorite, of course, was the Best in Show award for the Wendell Falls Hoedown Showdown … because who doesn’t love cuttin’ a rug for a good cause?

Clairemont’s 2017 InSpire Awards included:

  • Best in Show for “Creative Tactics: Hoedown Showdown at Wendell Falls”
  • Best in Category for “Creative Tactics: Hoedown Showdown at Wendell Falls”
  • Best in Category for “Events and Observances: Fire It Up! Briar Chapel’s 9th Annual Pepper Festival“
  • Best in Category for “Media Relations: The Media Digs Chef Teddy Diggs”
  • Best in Category for “Social Media: A Taste of Italy at Il Palio”
  • Best in Category for “Video: Our Coffee Cares at Wendell Falls”
  • Best in Category for “Feature Stories: Briar Chapel Unveils Encore”
  • Best in Category for “Brochures: Unlocking Your Child’s Future with Wendell Falls”
  • Best in Category for “Press Kits/Media Kits: Applebee’s Hand-Cut Wood-Fired Media Kit”
  • Best in Category for “Editorial/Op-Ed Columns: Piña Coladas, Creativity and #PinkBeetle“
  • Best in Category for “Advertorial: Newland Communities Advertorial for Wake Living”
  • Award of Excellence for “Creative Tactics: Hoedown Showdown at Wendell Falls”
  • Award of Excellence for “Creative Tactics: Vita Vite Creates Raleigh’s Sunday Spot”
  • Award of Excellence for “Creative Tactics: Briar Chapel Asks, ‘How Spicy is Your Personality?’”
  • Award of Excellence for “Events and Observances: Fire It Up! Briar Chapel’s 9th Annual Pepper Festival”
  • Award of Excellence for “Media Relations: The Media Digs Chef Teddy Diggs”
  • Award of Excellence for “Media Relations: DQ’s Miracle Treat Day to Benefit Duke Children’s Hospital“
  • Award of Excellence for “Social Media: A Taste of Italy at Il Palio”
  • Award of Excellence for “Video: Our Coffee Cares at Wendell Falls”
  • Award of Excellence for “Feature Stories: Briar Chapel Unveils Encore“
  • Award of Excellence for “Brochures: Unlocking Your Child’s Future with Wendell Falls”
  • Award of Excellence for “Press Kits/Media Kits: Applebee’s Hand-Cut Wood-Fired Media Kit”
  • Award of Excellence for “Editorial/Op-Ed Columns: Piña Coladas, Creativity and #PinkBeetle”
  • Award of Excellence for “Advertorial: Newland Communities Advertorial for Wake Living”
  • Award of Excellence for “Reputation/Brand Management: Il Palio Dishes Up Something New”
  • Award of Excellence for “Integrated Communications: Il Palio Dishes Up Something New”
  • Honorable Mention for “Social Media: Briar Chapel Asks, ‘How Spicy is Your Personality?‘”

We love what we do. We love our clients. We love doing what we love to do with the clients we love. (Whew! That’s a mouthful!) Thank you to our wonderful partners and clients who allow us to live out our dream and do great work for our community!

Want to know more about what we do? Check out a few of our case studies!

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Clairemont: 106 Awards in Five Years

Cherith AndesAwards, Blog, Public Relations, , , , , , , , 1 Comment on Clairemont: 106 Awards in Five Years

This year marks a dual milestone for Clairemont as the agency celebrates its fifth anniversary and the winning of a total of 106 public relations industry awards.

On May 12, 2015, the North Carolina Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (NCPRSA) honored Clairemont at the annual InSpire Awards Ceremony with 17 accolades that recognize outstanding public relations campaigns, adding to the agency’s previous 89 awards. Including four Best in Category awards, Clairemont was honored for client work in media relations, event planning, creative tactics, marketing strategies and social media campaigns.

Clairemont’s 2015 InSpire awards include:

  • Best in Category for “Media Relations: LEKKER Bikes US Rolls into America”
  • Best in Category for “Creative Tactics: LEKKER Bikes US Rolls into America”
  • Best in Category for “Events and Observances: LEKKER Bikes’ First 24 Hours in America”
  • Best in Category for “Marketing: T.MAC Expands to the Triangle”
  • Award of Excellence for “Media Relations: LEKKER Bikes US Rolls into America”
  • Award of Excellence for “Media Relations: Briar Chapel Spices Up 7th Annual Pepper Festival”
  • Award of Excellence for “Media Relations: The Design Network Lands Channel on Time Warner Cable”
  • Award of Excellence for “Media Relations: PDQ (People Dedicated to Quality)”
  • Award of Excellence for “Social Media: PDQ Mom Blogger Campaign”
  • Award of Excellence for “Creative Tactics: Clairemont Shakes It Up for PDQ”
  • Award of Excellence for “Creative Tactics: LEKKER Bikes US Rolls into America”
  • Award of Excellence for “Events and Observances: LEKKER Bikes’ First 24 Hours in America”
  • Award of Excellence for “Events and Observances: Briar Chapel Spices Up the 7th Annual Pepper Festival”
  • Award of Excellence for “Marketing: T.MAC Expands to the Triangle”
  • Award of Excellence for “Marketing: LEKKER Bikes US Rolls into America”
  • Award of Excellence for “Integrated Communications: Lowes Foods Reinvents Grocery Shopping”
  • Honorable Mention for “Events and Observances: PDQ Invites Moms to Experience ‘Fresh’ Concept”

Clairemont Team We get excited–giddy, really!–at the daily opportunity we have to make a difference for our beloved clients. Our hats are off to you for trusting us to create fresh, vibrant campaigns to showcase dynamic brands, programs and products. We’re thrilled to continue to do work we love for people we love throughout 2015 and into the future!

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