Tag: Raleigh PR

What Does a PR Agency Do? Pepper Festival

Sarah HattmanAwards, Blog, Case Studies, , , , , , ,

More exposure and higher attendance were the desires of the Briar Chapel marketing team as it planned its 8th Annual Pepper Festival to support North Carolina agriculture. Briar Chapel is the largest master-planned green community in North Carolina and part of Newland Communities, the country’s most prominent privately held residential real estate developer. It turned to Clairemont Communications to achieve these goals and draw potential homebuyers on-site.

The Strategy

Clairemont faced the challenge of engaging busy media with an overall dwindling interest in annual festivals and one located nearly an hour’s drive from the community. We established an event strategy with target audiences of local media and influencers and area residents with interests in new homes, local foods and sustainable agriculture to drive attendance for the Pepper Festival.

Execution

Our creativity spiced up the festival, securing record coverage and top attendance for this one-day, local event.

  • The People Behind the Pepper: Hosted on-site at Briar Chapel, the Pepper Festival features local culture, food, music and art, while inviting the community to support North Carolina agriculture. For the festival’s eighth year, Clairemont told the story of the people behind the pepper. We dubbed the festival founder as “The Pepper Queen” and touted the fact that her vision now funded more than 200 local farmers due in part to the festival’s success. Farm tours gave reporters the chance to experience the farmers’ stories, interview Briar Chapel partners and highlight the appeal of the festival.
  • Hot Media: We invited key members of the media who personally enjoy spicy dished and craft brews to serve as food and beer judges, and secured attendance from seven prestigious reporters from print, radio, blog and TV outlets that directly correlated to resulting media coverage. Clairemont also sent journalists pepper-themed materials, including news releases, fact sheets, media alerts and pitches that incorporated highly themed verbiage.
  • Event Logistics: Clairemont provided on-site support for the Pepper Festival and served as concierges for the media and judges. We crafted judging criteria, provided media kits, escorted media members through a festival tour and oversaw the judging, the emcee of the event and the awards presentation.

Results

After turning up the heat on the 8th Annual Pepper Festival, Clairemont exceeded each of its objectives and produced the following results:

  1. Clairemont secured a total of 13 blog posts and nine news stories, which included two stories in the area’s largest newspaper, the News & Observer, and a full blog with Triangle Explorer. For the first time in Pepper Festival history, we secured television coverage – both pre-event stories and on-site interviews – and a feature article in a long-lead magazine.
  2. We bolstered Briar Chapel’s online visibility by securing third-party social media mentions from bloggers and reporters on social media to approximately 200,000 combined followers on Twitter alone.
  3. Clairemont boosted ticket sales more than seven percent.

Clairemont’s strategic plan and creative tactics revitalized the Pepper Festival, garnering record attendance of 1,500 people. Additionally, Briar Chapel’s marketing manager declared the event was the tipping point for many homebuyers already considering a home purchase at Briar Chapel and the impetus for increased on-site and online visits by those just beginning a new home search. Moreover, Clairemont broke through the barriers with media and influencers – distance and lack of interest – to generate event excitement and news coverage that will continue to benefit North Carolina agriculture and drive consideration for Briar Chapel as a new home community long after the 8th Annual Pepper Festival.

The work Clairemont Communications conducted in partnership with Briar Chapel earned an Honorable Mention in Total Campaign from the Raleigh Public Relations Society and an Honorable Mention 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.

Image courtesy of Briar Chapel. 

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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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Do you Dread the Difficult Talks?

Sarah HattmanBlog, Professional Development, The Clairemont Team, , , ,

When you think about the personality of a PR professional, you probably envision an extrovert who isn’t afraid to speak their mind. While this is often the case, Alan Cohen says they can also be “some of the most non-confrontational people on earth.” I don’t know about you, but on a personal level I completely agree with this statement. Yes, I am a people pleaser and love getting results for my clients, but when it comes to confrontation there’s nothing I dread more and look to avoid.

It’s for this very reason that I was eager to read Alan Cohen’s book, Those Difficult Talks for PR Pros. Not only is it an easy read, but Cohen offers some great advice on how to tackle the tough talks and explains that they don’t have to be conflict ridden or uncomfortable.

Self Evaluation                                                                                                                                   Before embarking on any important or potentially uncomfortable conversation, Cohen suggests we take a closer look at ourselves and determine how well prepared we are to have the tough talks. The book features a list of questions to help guide you through the thought process and reveal areas you might need to address internally before you sit down to discuss issues with another person.

Two-Way Communication                                                                                                              One of the underlying themes in the book is two-way communication. Cohen first quotes Truman Capote who said, “A conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue,” and later references Canadian writer Margaret Millar who once said, “most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of a witness.”

It’s important to approach the difficult talks as a conversation because both parties need to openly discuss and address an important gap in expectation, behavior or performance. This will allow both parties the opportunity to find a solution to the issue and work together to develop a plan that is a win for everyone involved.

Preparation is Key                                                                                                                             This may seem obvious – especially when it comes to folks in PR who typically love to develop a plan – but when it comes to the tough talks, planning is often overlooked according to Cohen.

To make sure readers are prepared for their next difficult talk, Cohen offers up a prep checklist. He suggests reflecting upon the current situation and thinking through nine steps, including how you are experiencing the situation, how is it impacting your core values and what are some possible solutions and next steps.

One step I found to be particularly helpful is reflecting on what you could do to take greater personal responsibility. This forces you to view the issue from both perspectives and explore areas where you might need to take more responsibility for your actions. Think about it. All too often when conflict arises the finger pointing begins. Cohen’s checklist will help you reframe your thinking.

I recommend this book to anyone, no matter how comfortable or uncomfortable you are when it comes to the difficult talks. Whether you purposely dodge these conversations or consider yourself to be a seasoned pro, I am willing to bet that you will find a tip or two that you can put to use the next time you face a difficult talk.

Looking for more suggestions for your summer reading list? Check out Clairemont’s other book reviews.

 

 

 

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Photo of the Week: National Ice Cream Day

Sarah HattmanBlog, Marketing, Photo of the Week, , , , , ,

Did you know that July is National Ice Cream month? Better yet, did you know that this Sunday, July 17, is National Ice Cream Day? It’s true! In 1984, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July as National Ice Cream Month and established National Ice Cream Day as the third Sunday in the month of July.

Now that you know, don’t you wish you could get a Blizzard the size of the one in the picture? While that might not be possible, be sure to stop by a Triangle Dairy Queen location (Clairemont client) to join the celebration by picking up a Blizzard, hot dessert from the new DQBakes! à la mode menu, cone, sundae, Dilly Bar or classic treat.

What’s your favorite Blizzard? Connect with us Facebook and let us know.

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On The Record: Twitter for PR

Sarah HattmanBlog, On the Record, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , ,

Several times in recent weeks, I have heard someone say, “Twitter is dead.” In the spirit of full disclosure, while I have not fully embraced the social media channel on a personal level, I do see how it can be a valuable tool. And while I’m not sure I agree that Twitter is dead, I do believe it  has evolved over the past 10 years.

For this installment of On the Record, I decided to take a closer look at how Twitter can be used for PR initiatives.

 

 

If you’re looking for a good resource to connect with journalists, I recommend following @HelpaReporter.

Hungry for more social media tips? Check out these posts!

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