Tag: Social Media

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.

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

 

 

 

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On the Record: Twitter’s Next Move

Sarah HattmanBlog, Public Relations, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , , ,

With slowing growth and stock troubles, 2015 was a tough year for Twitter. If you’re expecting the app to cease to exist in 2016, think again. Changes are coming. There have been rumors swirling lately about lifting the 140 character limit restriction, but no confirmation from company representatives. However, Twitter did recently introduce conversational ads as a new way to increase interest and engagement. Let’s go “On the Record” and take a closer look.

 

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Right now, conversational ads are currently available for select advertisers in all markets. Assuming it goes mainsteam, how will you use conversational ads for your brand? Make the most of the 140 characters and tweet us your thoughts.

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What does a PR Agency do? DQ Frozen Event

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Case Studies, Restaurant PR + Hospitality PR, , , , , , ,

Nothing says Dairy Queen like a frozen-themed party complete with ice cream cakes and the “Frozen” Queen herself, Elsa. Looking to raise awareness for DQ Cakes, Triangle Dairy Queen turned to Clairemont Communications to create an event that could garner social media attention and build brand awareness with influential bloggers.

The Pitch:

Triangle Dairy Queen hosted a cake decorating party with Elsa for local bloggers and their children. Clairemont designed an event that gave participants the opportunity to decorate and take home their own heart-shaped cake.

Execution:

  • Creating a Special Dining Experience for Moms: We invited bloggers to bring their families to try the food, DQ cakes and experience the restaurants features, and family friendly environment.
  • Engaging the Kids: The bloggers’ kids were treated as VIPS as they walked the red carpet into the restaurant, took photos with Elsa and helped their parents decorate their very own custom ice cream cake. By engaging the children, we created several photo opportunities that the moms couldn’t resist sharing on social media.
  • Key Messaging: While the kids decorated, the owner and operator of Triangle Dairy Queen gave a brief history of the franchise. Knowing these bloggers were extremely interested in community, Clairemont encouraged the operating director to highlight Triangle Dairy Queen’s support of schools and local community organizations.

The Results:

As a result, seven bloggers shared 20 posts from the event on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. On Twitter alone, the social media mentions were visible to a combined followership of 17,985. Additionally, several bloggers are now brand ambassadors and have posted about Triangle Dairy Queen in recent months.

Want to learn more about Clairemont’s work in the food and beverage industry? Read our posts about restaurant PR.

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What Does a PR Agency Do? Back-To-School Pitch

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Case Studies, Restaurant PR + Hospitality PR, , , , , ,

The Pitch

As a tactical component of Clairemont’s public relations strategy to reintroduce Il Palio, Chapel Hill’s iconic Italian restaurant, after the restaurant’s first renovation in 30 years and to gain exposure of the new chef, Chef Teddy Diggs, Clairemont leveraged the back-to-school season by highlighting Chef Teddy’s role as a parent. Recognizing that busy parents often struggle for fresh ideas for school lunches, we asked, “what does a top chef pack for his own children to eat?”

We selected targeted media and shared “Top Chef’s Top Tips for Back-to-School Lunches,” a series of kid-friendly recipes and photos designed to engage children and yield tasty, balanced lunches. We also offered college-friendly recipes upon request. These efforts resulted in articles, blogs and wide-spread posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Execution

  • Blogger Outreach: We targeted key mom bloggers and local media for a behind-the-scenes tour of the new restaurant before it was publicly unveiled. These bloggers were invited to join Chef Teddy in the kitchen to see his recipes being prepared and discuss issues important to them such as healthy, balanced meals and quality family time.
  • Media Materials: Clairemont Communications shared photos of Chef Teddy preparing lunches with his children in his own home kitchen for a personal touch. The photos and tips were incorporated into media pitches and sent to media contacts in order to help them visualize Chef Teddy’s fun approach to packing lunches with his children.
  • Coordinated Pitches: Creative and individualized pitches were used to pique the interest of targeted media contacts. For example, mom bloggers received a personal invitation to bring their children into Il Palio’s kitchen for a personal cooking session with Chef Teddy where they learned to make a special Nutella cookie.

Results

Il Palio’s reintroduction to the Triangle restaurant scene has been a success. As part of a larger, strategic campaign, Clairemont helped Il Palio engage with a targeted mom audience by finding a common connection through this Back-to-School pitch. This tactic exceeded expectations by securing five media placements and 10 social media posts, with a reach of more than 51,899 followers on Twitter alone, to generate additional buzz about Chef Teddy and his family friendly persona.

Want to see more about the restaurant PR work we do at Clairemont? Be sure to check out our Foodie Blog Posts!

 

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Photo of the Week: Foodie Dinner

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Marketing, Restaurant PR + Hospitality PR, , , , , , , ,

Ever wonder how foodies take such fabulous photos of mouth-watering, scrumptious-looking plates? In this case, a little teamwork makes the dream work. Check out Trish Witek’s photo of food bloggers collaborating on how to get the best shot at Il Palio’s (client) VIP foodie dinner. As one food blogger shines an iPhone flashlight onto the dish, another friend zooms in on his camera for the perfect (well-lit!) shot.

As a strategy to engage key influencers in an ever-changing food industry and to highlight the grand reopening of the restaurant, Il Palio hosted 16 of the Triangle’s leading food bloggers for a special, four-course dinner event.

Love the work we do at Clairemont? Be sure to read our other foodie posts on the blog.

 

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