Tag: PR Agency

Photo of the Week: Hot Air Balloon

Sarah HattmanBlog, Photo of the Week, Raleigh PR Agency, , , , , ,

One of my favorite things about living in New Mexico was occasionally seeing hot air balloons on my morning commute. I always knew it was going to be a great day if it started with a hot air balloon sighting. While I see fewer balloons in North Carolina, my theory still holds true.

Clairemont is the PR partner for the second WRAL Freedom Balloon Fest. The three-day festival is organized solely by volunteers and it is estimated that 300 people will be needed each day. To kickoff the call for volunteers, organizers recently held a day-long event to generate excitement for the festival, and starting the day with a tethered hot air balloon certainly did the trick!

If you’re interested in volunteering, be sure to sign up on the website.

Want to see how we used a hot air balloon to provide a new perspective for our client Briar Chapel? Click here.

 

 

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Is Facebook Here to Stay?

Clairemont InternBlog, Public Relations, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , , , ,

Today’s post is written by Clairemont intern, Emma Kirkpatrick.

We’ve all heard it – chatter that Facebook is slowly dying and is doomed to become the next MySpace. But before you go and break up with Facebook, consider this. Yes, more and more users, specifically young teenagers, are trading in their Facebook accounts for newer social media platforms, such as Instagram and WhatsApp. But let’s not forget who owns these apps—Facebook.

Social Media and the Changing Environment

And why did Facebook decide to buy these apps? With its steady user base and enormous funds, Facebook is changing and adapting to the new social media environment where it is not the only social network anymore. In more recent years, an average social media user navigates between multiple platforms, including Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.

Facebook Is Still Distinctive

But what makes Facebook different from these newer platforms? Channels like Snapchat allow users to post pictures that will disappear and be forgotten after a few seconds or hours. On the other hand, Facebook aims to allow users to post photos designed to be remembered, such as weddings, graduations and family reunions. Each platform’s goals and functionalities differ, helping to further distinguish them.

The Cool Factor

Teenagers might say that Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram are the “in” platforms and Facebook just isn’t cool anymore. But according to Business Insider’s article in 2013 when Facebook seemed to be diminishing, Mark Zuckerberg said, “People assume that we’re trying to be cool. It’s never been my goal. I’m the least cool person there is! We’re almost 10 years old so we’re definitely not a niche thing any more so that kind of angle for coolness is done for us.”

Instead of trying to be the trendy site that relies on the cool factor to attract users, Facebook is trying to build a lasting product to compete in the same market with platforms such as Google.

Trampling the Competition

From Fortune.com
From Fortune.com

Recent data shows that Facebook continues to squash the competition in social media traffic referrals. This may be because businesses and companies still rely heavily on Facebook for marketing strategies and endorsement activities.

So even though there are new channels, tools and platforms popping up daily, Facebook isn’t dying anytime soon.

How do you feel about Facebook? Connect with us on Facebook and let us know!

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What does a PR Agency do? Vita Vite Grand Opening

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Case Studies, Clairemont Client News, , , , , , , , , ,

Vita Vite comes from the Italian words for “life” and “vine” – the idea of life revolving around wine and food, and how they bring people together in a common space of appreciation for the beautiful things that can enrich life. In order to showcase Vita Vite’s atmosphere and build onsite traffic and general visibility for the business, Clairemont hosted a creative ribbon-cutting ceremony designed to engage key influencers and members of the downtown Raleigh community.

As part of an ongoing public relations strategy to introduce Vita Vite to Raleigh and gain exposure for the business owner, Lindsay Rice, a visual twist was added to the ceremony to engage media; we highlighted the wine bar/art gallery concept by creating a ribbon out of wine corks.

Connecting with the Community: Vita Vite is located in Raleigh’s Warehouse District, also known as the Art District. To make a strong connection with the downtown community, the president of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, David Diaz, made an official statement about the growth in the Warehouse District and Vita Vite’s role in helping its expansion. To further integrate Vita Vite with the community, guests were invited to co-create a piece of art and “leave their marks.” Participants put ink on their thumbs and placed thumbprints on a canvas to create a commemorative art piece that is now on display at Vita Vite.

Targeted Pitches: Clairemont targeted lifestyle bloggers to enjoy a date night at Vita Vite. Bloggers were invited to bring someone special with them to enjoy VIP perks, like a complimentary glass of wine, cheese plates and one-on-one interviews with the owner.

Vita Vite’s introduction to the downtown Raleigh scene has been a success as the new hotspot in the Warehouse District. The tweets from the ribbon-cutting ceremony reached a followership of 33,471 on Twitter alone. As part of a larger strategic campaign, Clairemont helped Vita Vite engage with a targeted lifestyle blogger audience by highlighting the date night aspect of the wine bar. This tactic exceeded expectations by securing two media placements and Instagram posts to a reach of more than 14,100 followers on Instagram, generating additional buzz about Vita Vite and its welcoming atmosphere.

Want to learn more about the creative work that we do at Clairemont? Read our case study blog posts here.

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What does a PR Agency do? Foodie Event

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Case Studies, Real Estate PR, , , ,

Grounds Café, the café onsite at Wendell Falls, features local brews by Raleigh Coffee Company and Big Boss Brewery as well as fresh sandwiches, salads and desserts that change daily. In order to continue building onsite traffic and general visibility for Wendell Falls, Clairemont hosted a “Cheers and Cheese” event at Grounds Café for the region’s leading food bloggers and culinary media.

The Pitch:

On July 21, 2015, Grounds Café and Wendell Falls hosted a build-your-own grilled-cheese and s’mores event for local food bloggers. Clairemont leveraged the hot Triangle food scene trend of DIY activities to draw media onsite. We also emphasized the distinct character of the café as one of the first in the town along with its commitment to another food trend — local sourcing.

Execution:

Food Blogger Outreach: Clairemont sent VIP invitations to key bloggers and local food media to make their own grilled-cheese and s’mores creations while enjoying “brews and brews”– craft beer and local coffee. Bloggers were tempted with the opportunity to name their own grilled-cheese to compete for a spotlight on the menu.

Beer Blogger Outreach: Local beer experts received teasers to try hot local brews on tap to pair with their grilled-cheese specialties.

Prep Kit: Clairemont provided guests with information to seed their news feeds leading up to the event. Bloggers received social media handles, sample tweets, images and newsy tidbits about the café and Wendell Falls that were easily spread online to build excitement.

Onsite Visuals: Clairemont recognized the importance of food photography and worked with Grounds Café to display a visually appealing and well-lit food spread. The social media handles for Wendell Falls were peppered throughout the space for easy access during the event. Bloggers received Wendell Falls “goodie bags” as departure gifts and physical reminders to talk about their experiences.

The Results:

As a result, WRAL Out and About and NC Beer Guys filmed and posted Periscope live feeds during the event, which featured an interview with Kelly Talbot, marketing manager, about the Wendell Falls new home community. In addition, the event also generated two home buyer leads who connected with Kelly to schedule a tour or get more information.

Collectively, these contacts created approximately 100 posts about Wendell Falls 
and Grounds Café. On Twitter alone, these posts reached a combined followership of approximately 50,000 followers. The event also generated five blog posts and vibrant buzz online, a vital building block in increasing the ongoing visibility and touting the well-rounded lifestyle at Wendell Falls.

Screen Shot 2015-08-02 at 6.58.51 PM

Want to learn more about the work we do at Clairemont? Read more of our case study blog posts here.

 

 

 

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Photo Of The Week: Corks and Ribbon

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Photo of the Week, Raleigh PR Agency, , , , ,

Vita Vite, downtown Raleigh’s premiere wine bar and art gallery and Clairemont client, celebrated its official grand opening this week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. We wanted to put the creative Clairemont touch on the official ribbon, and because wine is an essential part of Vita Vite we decided to create it out of wine corks. Guests were also invited to leave their mark on the newest business in the Warehouse District by putting their thumbprint on canvas to create a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork that will be displayed in Vita Vite to commemorate the occasion.

Want to learn more about the work that we do at Clairemont? Be sure to check out our case study blog posts!

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