Tag: PR

Clairemont Wins 11 Awards for Excellence in PR

Margot HorganAwards, Blog, , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment on Clairemont Wins 11 Awards for Excellence in PR

Clairemont Communications Recognized Among Top Raleigh Public Relations Agencies with 11 Awards

–Raleigh Public Relations Society Names Sir Walter Raleigh Award Winners– 

Raleigh, N.C. – Sept. 25, 2013 – Clairemont Communications, a full-service public relations and marketing communications firm, brought home 11 Sir Walter Raleigh awards from the annual Raleigh Public Relations Society awards banquet. These honors included the most gold and best in division wins of the evening.

“Being acknowledged as the best in division winner for a number of our client campaigns reflects our dedication to do work we love for clients we love supporting,” said Dana Hughens, chief executive officer of Clairemont Communications. “As Raleigh continues to grow as a top communications agency market, we are honored that our work is recognized among the best in the region.”

Clairemont team member, Tracy Lathan accepts a Gold and Best in Division Award for Triangle Family Services' 10th Annual Gingerbread Benefit
Tracy Lathan accepts a Gold and Best in Division Award for Triangle Family Services’ 10th Annual Gingerbread Benefit

The Sir Walter Raleigh Awards are hosted annually by the Raleigh Public Relations Society and showcase exemplary work completed by North Carolina public relations and communications professionals. Award entries are judged by an independent public relations organization based on individual campaign’s objectives, method, results, creativity and budget. Members of the Sacramento Public Relations Association judged this year’s entries.

Clairemont was awarded with the following:

Special Event/Campaign

  • Best in Division and Gold: Triangle Family Services’ 10th Annual Gingerbread Benefit

Media Kit

News Releases

  • Best in Division and Silver: Newland in the Wall Street Journal

Organizational Identity/Promotion

  • Gold: Briar Chapel

Social Media

Promotional Campaign for a Product, Program, Topic or Issue

Employee Relations

  • Honorable Mention: Wrangler Dave & the Railinc Cow
Dana Hughens accepts one of Clairemont's three Best in Division Awards
Dana Hughens accepts one of Clairemont’s three Best in Division Awards

“These awards represent the strengths of our Clairemont team including strategic planning, effective media relations, results-driven social media, creative campaigns and successful event planning,” said Tracy Lathan, account strategist, Clairemont Communications.

Clairemont Communications devises communications strategies that utilize traditional communications and social media to help clients achieve business objectives and improve the bottom line by influencing purchases, persuading stakeholders and influencers, and defining brands. Clarity in vision + the promise of monumental results = Clairemont Communications.

–30–

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Three Cheers/Barks for Pawgust First Friday!

Margot HorganBlog, Professional Development, The Clairemont Team, , , , , , , , , ,

Last week marked August First Friday in downtown Raleigh, and Clairemont celebrated the occasion by hosting our own special event at The Clairemont House – Pawgust First Friday. Part networking, part professional development, part tear-jerking and part tail-wagging, the event was a huge success, especially because we were able to raise money for a local pet charity very near and dear to the Clairemont family’s heart: the SPCA of Wake County.

At the event, local PR professionals and friends gathered to network and listen to two dog-inspired presentations given by Clairemont CEO, Dana Hughens, and HMA Public Relations general manager/vice president, Abbie Fink. Reading a blog post written by Clairemont’s top-dog, Billy, Dana shared 10 social media tips for success, like creating leash-free environments on Facebook, being the master of your territory and riding with your head out the window (make sure to check out the blog to see what all of these mean for your social media strategy!).

PRSA Counselors Academy friends at Pawgust First Friday
PRSA Counselors Academy friends at Pawgust First Friday

Visiting all the way from Phoenix, Ariz., Abbie did an encore performance of the highly rated ignite-style speech she presented at the 2013 PRSA Counselors Academy Conference. A love letter to her late dog, Viva, Abbie didn’t leave a dry eye in the house as she talked about the love of a dog and its owner and the hard decisions you sometimes have to make.

At the end of the evening, guests voted for a local pet charity to donate the Pawgust First Friday event proceeds to, and we are happy to say that the SPCA of Wake County was selected! You see, the oh so loveable chief motivational officer at Clairemont Communication and Hughens family dog, Billy, was adopted from the Wake SPCA so we were thrilled that our guests decided to help give back to such a great local organization.

All in all, the event was a blast, and we would like to thank everyone who came out and made it a success!

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Official PR Theme Song by PRSA’s Counselors Academy

Dana PhelpsBlog, Counselors Academy, Professional Development, Public Relations, , , 4 Comments on Official PR Theme Song by PRSA’s Counselors Academy

Every industry needs a theme song, don’t you think? This one is for all of you hardworking PR people!

We kicked off the PRSA’s Counselors Academy 2013 conference earlier this summer with a wonderfully fun and collaborative opening session led by Banding People Together. I’ve previously blogged about how much I love what Banding People Together does and how in the conference setting it is a terrific way to meet new people, collaborate and have a really great time.

As the 2013 Counselors Academy conference chair, I knew we had to add Banding People Together to our schedule. Plus, we were in Austin, so a songwriting session seemed fitting. Attendees formed four bands and with the leadership of a Banding People Together songwriter/facilitator, they were tasked with agreeing on a band name and writing a song about today’s challenges of running a public relations agency.

After group performances, a distinguished panel of judges selected “The Shit Kickers” (we were in Texas, y’all) as the winners. As the prize, Banding People Together’s Brandon Hill so graciously recorded the song. Thanks to Brandon, Alan Schaefer, Brant Menswar and John Stringer at Banding People Together and Clairemont’s fabulous summer intern, Kate Fedder, for adding conference photos taken on attendees’ mobile devices for some extra fun!

Kate also added the lyrics so that you can join sing-along style as you embrace this as the official PR person’s theme song. Enjoy!

 

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Clairemont Interns: Introducing Kate Fedder

Margot HorganBlog, Public Relations, Raleigh PR Agency, The Clairemont Team, , , , , , , , , 1 Comment on Clairemont Interns: Introducing Kate Fedder

We’d like to formally introduce you to our fabulous summer intern, Kate Fedder. A rising senior at UNC-Chapel Hill (go Heels!), Kate is winding up to complete her final year in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication where she is majoring in Public Relations.

Prior to joining Clairemont, Kate studied abroad completing an honors semester in London while also interning at a London strategic public relations and communications agency working on client accounts like Fitness First, YooMoo, Rangemaster and Toyota.

With a love for fashion and an awesome go-getter attitude, Kate has been a natural fit at Clairemont and has been proving day-in and day-out that she has some serious PR chops. We have discovered that she has a special talent for creating meticulously organized and thorough media lists and has absolutely no fear when it comes to trying out some media pitching.

What more, you may ask? What other talents does Ms. Fedder possess? Well, she’s a natural at writing creative copy and can zero in on spelling and grammar errors that even the most seasoned editors could miss. But, probably most importantly, Billy – Clairemont’s top dog and CMO (chief motivational officer) – LOVES Kate, and that is something you just can’t learn in school.

Want to learn more about Kate? Check out this video she put together about work at Clairemont. Have some special advice for our summer intern? Please share below in the comments section!

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PRSA’s Counselors Academy Member Spotlight: Q&A with Laura Pesin

Margot HorganBlog, Counselors Academy, Professional Development, Public Relations, , , , , , , , ,

Last but certainly not least, meet the final member of the Counselors Academy conference planning committee, Laura Pesin!

Getting to know you…
Name: Laura Pesin

Agency: DeVries Global

Position: Executive Vice President

First job in PR: Associate at The Dilenschneider Group

Your insights…

Most loved thing about being in PR: Nailing a consumer insight related to my client/brands in such a cool, simple way that media and consumers alike “get it” and share it.

Best source for breaking PR news: PRWeek

Number one recommendation to new PR professionals: Be fearless, don’t be shy. And, don’t default to email, pick up the phone/get out of your office!!

About Counselors Academy…

Most valuable aspect of being a Counselors Academy member: Making connections to industry insiders that have a different way of looking at PR, dealing with challenges and approaching client service – and learning from them!

Role on the planning committee: Content Committee team member

Best thing about the Counselors Academy conference: Same as “most valuable aspect” question above.

Most fun memory of a Counselors Academy conference: Have only been once, but was sitting next to Elise Mitchell of Mitchell Communications at dinner in New Orleans last year and oversharing with eachother… 😉

 

Counselors Academy Member Spotlight Blog Series: 

Our very own Dana Hughens is the PRSA’s Counselors Academy Conference Chair for the 2013 conference June 9-11 in Austin, Texas. As conference chair, she has the privilege to work with other members of the conference planning committee, which consists of senior-level PR counselors and agency owners from across the United States and Canada. We caught up with these PR pros to find out their secret to success and what they love most about Counselors Academy.

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