Tag: Public Relations

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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Video: Clairemont’s 10 Years in 110 Seconds

Cherith AndesBlog, Public Relations, The Clairemont Team, , ,

The year 2020 has witnessed an unexpected array of developments in our community, our country and our world. Amidst the events of this year, Clairemont Communications marked its own milestone:

We celebrated our 10th anniversary!

10 years …
120 months …
3,653 days (yes, we counted the three leap years in there) …
220+ awards for successful client campaigns …
… and countless memories.

How do we capture an exciting decade in a few short minutes? Here’s a blast through the past 10 years in 110 seconds.

(Alright. That was actually 117 seconds.)

Thank you to our clients and our partners who have made this decade such a wonderful journey!

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Disney’s Daring Marketing

Clairemont InternBlog, Marketing, Public Relations, , , ,

Strong marketing and an effective organizational strategy provide the ability to adapt your business model at the drop of a hat. Over the past few months and amidst a pandemic, the Walt Disney Company has rewritten its playbook and realigned its plan of action.

What lessons can we take from its approach?

Focusing on Profit Points

Disney’s park closures around the world from mid-March through mid-July were followed by a soft opening keeping current crowd numbers at an all-time low. Considering the current loss of revenue at the parks, Disney took steps to recognize and maximize profit potential in other areas. 

Disney Plus has been a big source of revenue for the Walt Disney Company, especially throughout the past few months. Identifying this, Disney dropped a few new releases along with old favorites on the streaming platform early and amidst the thick of quarantine. 

Onward, which first came to theaters on March 6, was released on Disney Plus as soon as April 1. The latest Star Wars film, The Rise of Skywalker, joined the line up on May 4. Disney Plus’ latest big addition, the live-action version of Mulan, whose release has been delayed since mid-March, is dropping on Disney Plus this September — for an added fee, of course. 

Additionally, for Disney Park fans, a virtual viewing of the “Magic Happens” parade was made available for families to gather and watch from their living rooms.

While Disney is losing profits in other areas, the company has been able to alter its business model and focus on the places that it can maximize success during this time.  

How can you identify profit maximization areas and navigate the inevitable ebb and flow of your own organizational pursuits?

Strategizing Without Sacrificing

With many stores closed or adjusting their operations, online shopping has been booming. Retailers are capitalizing on strategies involving sales and specials. Yet, Disney isn’t known for having “bargain prices.” It isn’t part of the company’s brand. 

How has Disney capitalized during this time to attract consumers to buy its products? 

Rather than discounts, shopDisney has added value and appeal to its product offerings with free shipping, personalized recommendations and creating product pairings. Each of these additions adds incentives for consumers to purchase from Disney without sacrificing Disney’s brand. 

Whatever your business’s product or service, how can you adapt and add value while maintaining your brand’s reputation?

Respectful and Responsible

In the past, Disney has focused its marketing on attracting large crowds. How many people can be incentivized to come to the parks? What events, conferences and competitions can be hosted to pull as many people as possible to Disney property? 

Fast forwarding to the present, wait times for popular rides like Flight of Passage, Space Mountain and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train that previously reached three hours aren’t exceeding lines longer than 20 minutes. Amidst the current pandemic, Disney’s focus is on social responsibility rather than filling its parks to the brim. 

Through this example, Disney portrays that good business tactics mean being responsible and upholding ethics rather than solely focusing on bringing in revenue. 

Enjoying the “Magic” at Home

Whether from the comfort of home or on its property, Disney has continued its central theme of enjoying the magic and experiencing joy through beloved characters, products and offerings. 

Here are a few ways the company continued to care for its “Disney people” from afar.

  1.  The Disney Parks blog made several recipes, including its crowd favorite churro recipe, available for cooking connoisseurs to try at home.
  2. Through its hashtag, #DisneyMagicMoments, Disney opened the gates for its fans to “see, hear and feel the magic of Disney, wherever they may be.”
  3. Movie theater closures haven’t stopped Disney from creating animation amazement. Disney has warmed the hearts of its fans and guests from afar using clips of beloved characters like this one. 

How can you create your own “magic” for your clients or audience during these uncommon circumstances?

Ready to read more about marketing magic? Check out the marketing section of our blog. 

By Clairemont intern Anna Beth Adcock, a senior at NC State.

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Making Our Own Summer Fun

Clairemont InternBlog, Inspirational, The Clairemont Team, , , , , ,

What has your favorite PR team been up to this summer, you ask? Here’s how we’ve been spending our warm days while working from home!

Tracy Lathan

The Lathans are moving! I’m not sure if moving during COVID is perfect timing or the worst idea ever, but nonetheless we are packing up! Much of our summer has been filled with house projects, sorting, packing and making a few more memories. While we are excited about this next chapter, we are also sad to say goodbye to the house where we raised our babies. Here’s to a new adventure! 

Dana Phelps

Photo scavenger hunts have helped me keep my sanity this summer! They get me out of my house, and instead of thinking about the alarming headlines while I’m walking, my brain is occupied with what I’m going to photograph. Sometimes I engage a group of friends via text and ask each person to name an item for the scavenger hunt. One day that meant that I took pictures of an ant, a bee and berries, and spent a lot of time trying to find a lily pad that was nowhere to be seen on my walk! However, my default is flowers. I love flowers. Thank goodness Raleigh offers months of different blooms so that when all else fails, I can always lace up my sneakers and head out to find flowers that I haven’t yet photographed. 

Anna Beth Adcock

This may not sound like too much fun, but I’ve spent almost every day this summer running! While the heat during a North Carolina summer is no joke, running has been a great way for me to clear my mind, listen to my favorite songs (Taylor Swift just came out with a new album), and catch up on the latest podcasts. Sometimes, I can even convince a friend or two to join me on a socially distanced jog! In addition to running, I have enjoyed one of my favorite foods (avocado toast) with one of my favorite people, my sister, several times over the course of the summer.

Cherith Andes

This summer, my sister and her family jaunted down to North Carolina to visit my parents. We scrapped our traditional vacation travel plans and instead concocted our own theme park in the suburbs of Raleigh. In addition to a gigantic inflatable water slide (12 hours of wet, splooshy adventures), we rented an at-home cotton candy machine for all-you-can-eat North Carolina State Fair goodness. 

Kelli Fletcher

This summer has been all about family for me. My sister, who is expecting her first baby, left NYC with her family to come to Emerald Isle and stay for three months. We visited them multiple times, and I got to watch her belly grow – something I thought was going to be impossible when the pandemic hit in March. She’s back in NYC now, and I don’t know when I’ll see them again/meet the baby. But the memories we made during this summer, which we all thought was surely canceled, will carry me through until that day.

Hungry for more? Eat up a few inspirational ideas from the Clairemont team.

By Clairemont intern, Anna Beth Adcock, a rising senior at NC State.

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Time Management in the Time of COVID-19

Tracy LathanBlog, Public Relations, The Clairemont Team, , , ,

For someone who used to frequent no fewer than four grocery stores per week, I have really been missing running errands and wandering around Whole Foods reading labels and drinking a latte.

But one of the many things the COVID-19 shutdown has taught me is that maybe I had it all wrong.

Before the coronavirus outbreak, I considered myself to be quite skilled in time management. After all, I manage my PR career, the running of our household and schedules for two very busy kids, as well as various volunteer positions at school, church, etc. Several friends raved about ordering groceries online, but I quickly dismissed the idea because, quite frankly, I am very particular about my produce.

Fast forward six months, and let me tell you, this self-proclaimed germaphobe has mastered the art of managing almost all my interactions via online orders.

Queen of Curbside

It hit me last week when I was running a few “errands” with the kids in tow. Our first stop was Benjamin Moore to pick up the paint samples I ordered and paid for over the phone earlier that morning. The nice gentleman walked them right out to the car.

Next up was Seaboard Wine for our biweekly call-ahead order. Then we headed to curbside pickup at The Container Store. We are moving this week, and not even a global pandemic was going to get between me and the mecca of organization. Then we swung through Harris Teeter and Target to grab our online orders. We pulled in and popped the hatch, and just like that, we are stocked for the week. (Who am I kidding? At the rate these people are eating, it will be gone in three days tops.)

Our last stop, or so I thought, was NoFo to grab dinner from the prepared foods section. I called in the order while we were in the car, and a staff member walked it right out to us. Even though we had never left the air-conditioned Suburban during our outing, the kids proclaimed they were hot and needed some ice cream. Kilwins to the rescue! I called in the order, and within minutes we pulled up to the door and were greeted with two ice cream cones at the curb.

The New Normal?

Wondering where I am headed with all this? In less than one hour, I accomplished what would have taken closer to four or five hours if I would have had to park, shop, wait in line to check out and drag two kids through seven stores.

It got me thinking about time management and how we can be more efficient. Has the way we shop been forever changed, even after COVID-19 is behind us?

Don’t get me wrong, when all this is over, you will definitely find me back at Whole Foods or wandering aimlessly around HomeGoods from time to time, but I will certainly be more intentional about how I schedule my errands. And I anticipate retailers will see that this level of customer service will need to be integrated into their ongoing business models. There is not a great deal we can control these days, but how we spend our time is certainly one of them.

I am curious to know if I am alone in this new world of online ordering. Has anyone else been embracing the convenience of call-ahead ordering during the pandemic? Head over to our Facebook Page and tell us what you think!

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