Tag: Social Media

Copy Cat – Netflix Steals the Show

Clairemont InternBlog, Copy Cat, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , ,

In the midst of the net neutrality debate, Netflix chose to catch the eye of its Twitter followers – and subsequently the media – with a creative tweet. Staying under the 140 character limit, the copy read, “What if the internet was so slow it loaded one word at a time? Don’t let Comcast win.” The tweet concluded with a link to battleforthenet.com, a site that argues in favor of net neutrality.

Regardless of your stance on the issue of net neutrality, there is no debate that this was an ingenious tweet. It took up prime real estate in a Twitter user’s feed, making it nearly impossible for followers to miss. The clever tweet has currently received 26,537 retweets and 19,371 favorites. It did everything creative copy should: nabbed users’ attention and encouraged them to consider the effects of a Comcast victory with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Combine the much-anticipated release of House of Cards on February 27 with Netflix’s savvy social media skills, and it’s obvious that Netflix is here to stay.

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What does a PR Agency Do? Creative Tactics

Jasmin SessomsAwards, Blog, Case Studies, Raleigh PR Agency, , , ,

Clairemont has had the pleasure of working with Briar Chapel as its agency of record for several years, allowing us a variety of opportunities to put on our thinking caps and get creative with our wonderful clients. As 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, we strive to help showcase the beautiful homes and amenities of Briar Chapel. Looking back at the work we’ve done together these past few years, there are two initiatives that Clairemont conceptualized at different times and to accomplish different objectives that we thought would be fun to highlight in one blog post.

The first was born in response to a very smart question from one of our Briar Chapel clients. She asked, “Instead of trying to add fans and followers purely for the sake of building our numbers, how can we increase engagement with our existing fans to encourage them to be our brand advocates?” After careful thought and planning, Clairemont answered the question with a question. “Are you Briar Chapel’s Best Buddy?”

The Clariemont team created a contest and participants were encouraged to get creative in using social networks to earn points to win a Buddy Scooter, with this prize tying into the contest name. The contest encouraged community members to take to the social channels of their choice and post using the Best Buddy hashtags.

In order to reach the target audience of residents and local community members and to engage throughout the six-week long contest, Clairemont focused its efforts on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Pinterest and Foursquare. The Clairemont Team was able to increase fan engagement and community awareness of Briar Chapel. The Briar Chapel Facebook page engagement skyrocketed by 400 percent, the fan count increased by 159 percent and the viral reach of the page expanded by nearly 600 percent. Briar Chapel was most pleased with the positive, third party content that directly generating local word-of-mouth advertising for Briar Chapel.

A couple of years later as Briar Chapel neared its fifth anniversary, we found ourselves answering this question: “How can we get media to come out to Briar Chapel to see the progress the community has made in the five years since the grand opening?”

Clairemont used creative thinking to plan a visual event that interested the media. The Clairemont team decided on an aerial media tour. Who could resist an invitation to ride in Big Red, the hot air balloon? Creative and individualized pitches were used to pique the interest of targeted media, and themed media kits were strategically delivered to media contacts in the morning just before editorial meetings.

The aerial tour provided a bird’s eye view of the development’s progress by taking members of the media up in a hot air balloon, while allowing Briar Chapel representatives to talk about accomplishments and future plans. Though the hot air balloon served as the event’s focal point, Clairemont worked with the Briar Chapel community to build in other visual and informational elements to attract media. We strategically scheduled the event to fall just before two of Briar Chapel’s popular, annual events: the Parade of Homes and the Pepper Festival.

The creative, experiential campaign exceeded expectations by rebuilding relationships, engaging 18 target media contacts on-site in a fun, positive way. For many, the event offered their first hot air balloon ride, allowing Briar Chapel to leave a lasting, memorable impression.

Clairemont received several NCPRSA InSpire Awards and RPRS Sir Walter Raleigh Awards for both of the these creative campaigns.

 

 

 

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Copy Cat- #HairProbs

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Copy Cat, Marketing,

#HairProbs we all have been there. I mean, how many countless times have you been tardy for something because of your hair?

Ever have a morning where you absolutely just cannot get your hair right? I find that that is me 90 percent of mornings. I take so much time prepping or planning a great style at night only to wake up in the morning and have to change it repeatedly.

Aussie is inspiring women to #DitchTheDrama and spend less energy on their hair and more time living carefree! The new line of products encourages women to never stress about styling with easy steps to tame testy tresses and detangle morning messes.

Not only does the commercial ad feature a hilarious man talking endlessly about his hair, but “Ditch the Hair Drama” copy flashes across the screen. Thanks to Aussie’s copy I now am well aware how ridiculous I sound about my hair.

Join me, #DitchtheHairDrama!

 

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WHAT DOES A PR AGENCY DO? PDQ Blogger Campaign

Tracy LathanBlog, Case Studies, Public Relations, Restaurant PR + Hospitality PR, , , , 2 Comments on WHAT DOES A PR AGENCY DO? PDQ Blogger Campaign

Client: PDQ (People Dedicated to Quality)

Situational Analysis

PDQ, which stands for People Dedicated to Quality, is a fast-casual restaurant that specializes in hand-battered chicken tenders and offers a full menu of fresh, made-to-order items, including daily cut fries, hand-spun milkshakes and fresh salads. Founded in Tampa, Florida in 2011, PDQ opened its first North Carolina location at the end of 2012 and now has five locations in the Triangle. As PDQ quickly expanded in the area, managers wanted to introduce moms and families to the restaurant and build awareness of the company’s brand.

PDQ turned to Clairemont Communications to introduce influential moms to one of the newest fast-casual dining options and raise awareness about the restaurant’s dedication to freshness and quality. With no microwaves or freezers in the restaurant, Clairemont wanted to educate moms that there are healthier options available when they need to feed their families on the go. Clairemont created an event that directly targeted PDQ’s key audience of moms and in turn created loyal PDQ brand ambassadors.

Planning

Based on our primary and secondary research, Clairemont established the following objectives to achieve brand awareness for PDQ:

  1. Increase awareness of PDQ by securing at least five bloggers to attend the event.
  2. Secure 15 social media mentions.

We offered two seating times – a late lunch and an early dinner – to better increase our chances of coordinating with their schedules. Since PDQ is a family restaurant, we also decided to open the event to the bloggers and their families so they would get the true experience.

Because the Clairemont team knew that the bloggers would be live tweeting and posting pictures on Instagram, we created a document with the attendees’ handles so we could make sure PDQ’s social media team tagged them and responded accordingly. Additionally, we worked to identify which bloggers had allergy concerns and coordinated with PDQ to develop a document that detailed menu items’ ingredients to answer any allergen or dietary concerns.

Execution

To maximize engagement in-person and through social media, Clairemont focused its efforts for the mom blogger event in the following areas:

  • Creating the Dining Experience for Moms: To get the full experience, we directed them to the counter to order directly from the menu. As most of them had never been to PDQ, we encouraged them to ask the staff questions. This allowed employees to demonstrate their knowledge of the brand and its menu, while showcasing their excitement for PDQ. It also allowed the bloggers to experience how easily menu items can be customized as part of a regular PDQ visit and not just at a special event.
  • Engaging the Kids: With two moms on the Clairemont team, we know that the key to happy moms is happy kids! The children of the mom bloggers were treated as VIPs at the event. They were given behind-the-scenes Fresh Tours of the kitchen where they were invited to make their own shakes and to try the “potato punch down” that PDQ uses to make fries.
  • Onsite Support: Two members from the Clairemont team staffed each of the sessions to engage with the bloggers, distribute information and take pictures to be shared on PDQ’s social media channels.

Evaluation

The PDQ executive team attributes this event to helping put the brand on the map in the Triangle region, and Clairemont successfully exceeded our objectives within our budget as follows:

  1. Secured attendance of 14 bloggers, exceeding our goal of five, which ultimately resulted in 10 blog posts. In aggregate, these 10 blog sites receive approximately 212,865 unique site visitors per month.
  2. Secured 21 social media mentions, exceeding our goal of 15 posts, which were visible to more than 42,000 combined followers.

Additionally, the bloggers provided feedback, stating that this was one of the best-planned and executed blogger events they had attended. They were impressed by the food, service, the allergy information and the special way their children were treated. Overall, Clairemont effectively engaged a group of vocal, visible bloggers, many of whom have become regular customers and PDQ brand advocates.

 

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The Beauty of Raleigh PR: Day 28 – #prjobtips

Jasmin SessomsBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Raleigh PR Agency, , , ,

On my 28th day in the PR world, I decided to list a few of the things that I have learned.

Top 9 PR tips I have learned from working at Clairemont:


1) Use social media as tools. Gaining more followers for our clients is a daily task for me and social media has the power to gain meaningful exposure for our clients.

2) Use links, keywords, and SEO to optimize blog posts. It is important to add in a quick tag or keyword to our posts. Hopefully, this will help to maximize the visibility of Clairemont’s blog.

3) Save your drafts, every single time. In order to avoid losing a hard day’s work, I try to save every few minutes. Saving my work ensures that the files will be around in case of a freak accident.

4) Develop an eye for details. Proofreading is the most important thing to do before hitting the send button. In order to avoid miscommunication or utter embarrassment, I often ask a colleague to help me.

5) Brush up on your phone communications skills. Everyday I have the opportunity to talk to potential clients and vendors for events. A positive tone and clear enunciation is key during a conversation.

6) Read the newspaper, every day. At Clairemont, we receive the paper daily. I think that reading up on current events and watching the news regularly are essential when working in PR to stay in the know and to help come up with creative ideas for clients.

7) Be enthusiastic about putting in additional time at work. Sometimes, PR can call for a little extra time out what many would consider normal office hours. Working in this 24/7  field requires a flexible attitude and the realization that oftentimes projects come to life outside of the office.

8) Teamwork matters, so love your colleagues. The best part about Clairemont has to be the positive collaboration of the team. Since I am in a room full of so much diverse experience and backgrounds, I get the opportunity to soak in so much information.

9) Be proactive with your client work. I have learned from my colleagues that it is important to anticipate client needs. I watch as they make sure every detail is ironed out for our clients,  ask “what might be next?” and plan accordingly.

What are some of the things you learned at your first job?

Editor’s Note: Clairemont enthusiastically welcomes Jasmin Sessoms to our team! Follow this former beauty queen’s journey as she documents her first 30 days in a Raleigh PR agency.

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