Tag: Social Media

Adopt or Dump a Social Media Challenge?

Cherith AndesBlog, Marketing, Public Relations, Raleigh PR Agency, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , ,

Everybody’s doing it. Or more accurately, everybody did it.

The recent ALS Ice Bucket Challenge ignited one of the year’s largest grassroots social media campaigns with more than 8 million videos posted on YouTube alone. In a matter of months, the challenge raised more than $100 million for the ALS Association from approximately 3 million donors, including celebrities ranging from bubbly Justin Bieber to grim-faced Lady Gaga.

It wasn’t just a dump. The Ice Bucket Challenge became a tidal wave, an international campaign that no doubt will earn an accolade in the Guinness World Book of Records or a spot on Time Magazine’s top ten lists. An iconic demonstration of our nation’s generosity and passion.

Naturally, other organizations were eager to join the fun and show support with their own icy baths. And as clients sought our counsel, we encouraged them to consider two key questions before deciding to adopt—or dump—any social media challenge.

1. Who Are You?

Take a moment and reflect. In fact, feel free to loop the 1978 rock classic “Who Are You?” in the background during your self-assessment (we’re fans of mood music). Does the purpose of the challenge support your company’s own core values? Does the outcome align with your organization’s mission and vision?

Don’t get me wrong. Social media thrives on spontaneity, and in fact, it’s often “off-the-cuff” videos that build the strongest personal rapport with your audience. But viral trends, such as social media challenges or picture contests, can carry weighty messages that warrant careful consideration before your team invests in an endeavor. Fortunately, many campaigns, such as the ALS Challenge, support positive change for worthy causes—and it can be an easy choice to partner with these efforts.

2. How will you take it from icy to spicy?

Viral challenges offer the perfect opportunity to showcase your organization’s personality. How can you craft your own memorable moment by adding an extra dose of creative pizzazz?

Newland Communities, the nation’s largest private developer and a Clairemont client, stepped up their game when they accepted the ice bucket challenge. Rather than follow the typical backyard-bucket pattern, Newland incorporated a key icon from its own company—a dump truck—and drenched its team with a truckload of ice and water. In addition, the team bypassed the garden hose and used water from a nearby pond, addressing public concerns that the challenge wasted water and supporting Newland’s own commitment to sustainability. In the muddy mayhem that ensued, Newland created a video that earned a spot on the ABC 11 morning news.

Cause + creativity = a hefty dose of fun!

 

 

 

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Reply Already!

Cherith AndesBlog, Restaurant PR + Hospitality PR, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , ,

Kaitlyn Goforth, Clairemont’s wonderful intern, explores the importance of responding to your customers and maintaining a dialogue on social media.

As a PR agency, we manage social media strategies for a variety of clients.  Effective social media demands careful attention, especially for restaurants where repeat business relies on word-of-mouth reviews. When an organization posts something on social media, it bares itself to criticism, praise and everything in between. In many cases, customers can reply to posts unrestricted, making social media a proverbial minefield to navigate.

In general, restaurants can respond to a social media comment in five ways: by ignoring it, deleting it, defending themselves, issuing an apology or apologizing and offering a solution. Obviously, the last option is often the strongest strategy, but that doesn’t always happen in the restaurant business. Large chains receive thousands of tweets a day, and small companies often don’t have the manpower to consistently manage social media accounts. However, restaurants cannot afford to ignore social media’s burgeoning clout anymore, especially with trends such as the  “eat and tweet” movement.

So what does creative conversation with a restaurant look like? To answer that question objectively, we took a look at three brands that are not Clairemont clients.

1. Chipotle – This popular “fast-casual” chain has a three-person social media team that responds to almost all social media comments individually. Joe, Rusty and Myra sign their names after they have responded to “humanize” and personalize conversation. In addition, Chipotle uses social media as a way to communicate internally and regularly congratulates employees on promotions and jobs well done. It’s not just a burrito store; it’s a supportive family.

Chipotle Tweet

2. Morton’s Steakhouse – Before researching for this blog post, I had never heard of Morton’s Steakhouse, despite the fact that there are locations all over the world. After reading about this great use of social media, Morton’s is definitely on my radar to try. This upscale, trendy steakhouse listens to customers and fans on Twitter – and responds. Businessman Peter Shankman was boarding a plane home to New York City when he tweeted:

Peter Shankman Tweet 1

To Shankman’s surprise, a Morton’s employee was waiting for him at Newark Airport with a to-go bag full of steak, shrimp and all the fixings. Shankman immediately tweeted a photo to announce the yummy surprise.

Shankman 2 Shankman 3

With more than 150K followers on Twitter, this was great publicity for the Morton’s since the story went viral! But more importantly, this “act of kindness” exhibited how listening and responding to customers can go a long way in the restaurant industry. Read Shankman’s entire story, which he titled “The Greatest Customer Service Story Ever Told, Staring Morton’s Steakhouse.”

3. Starbucks – Brad Nelson, a former Starbucks barista, runs the company’s twitter account, and he’s knocking it out of the park. He personally responds to the majority of DMs and mentions that Starbucks receives. In October, Starbucks announced the launch of “Tweet a Coffee,” a way for followers to send a five-dollar digital eGift to another Twitter user. This not only boosted social media engagement with the company, the program also encouraged customers to spread the Starbucks love while increasing sales. The coffee chain also uses humor to give their followers a giggle for the day (nothing bonds us together like a good laugh!), as seen in this recent haiku:

Starbucks

Chipotle, Morton’s and Starbucks are all setting a great example about how restaurants and other similar companies can turn tepid tweeters into life-long fans.

How does your favorite restaurant use social media to engage with customers?

 

 

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A Fashionable Future for Technology

Cherith AndesBlog, Fashion, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , ,

Guest post by our fabulous intern, Stephanie Zirker!

The millennials, often dubbed the “connected generation,” may be advanced, but they aren’t the end of the line. What will society coin our next generation, the ambassadors of new products being introduced daily? Being a millennial myself, I can say that we largely owe our “connectivity” to the companies that continue to design “the next new thing,” and without these newest gadgets, we would feel as if we were missing out on cutting edge trends in communication.

Consider Apple and its exclusive iPhone-to-iPhone capabilities that encourage buyers to turn to Apple technology in order to be part of the hippest tech culture. It’s hard to imagine that technology could somehow claim a bigger role in our daily lives. But a peek into the future reveals yet a closer level of integration between humans and devices – technologies with a fashionable flare.

What to Expect

Machinery can’t get much closer to our physical person than with the growing industry of “wearable technologies.” Before long, you won’t even have to move a muscle to see your updated Facebook feed or read urgent emails. For example, Google Glass combines vision technology with the Smartphone features many consumers expect, such as the ability to surf the internet or snap a photo.

But don’t stop with function. In our connected age, the term “wearable” signifies the undeniable relation between utility and appearance, media and communications that are inescapably part of our being. Temporary tattoos that can monitor pregnancy, a cocktail ring that tells you when the phone buried in your purse is ringing, even a hoodie sweater that can send text messages—these are the products that will become innate parts of the ever-evolving definition of “being connected.” Even Clairemont has gotten in on the action — or at least close to it — by working last year with 10 for Humanity to introduce the Tiger Eye Security Sensor, jewelry that is designed to help prevent violent crimes. Thus, wearable technology will continue to blur the line between technology as a tool and tech as a fashion.

The Ripple Effect for Business

The prosperity of the market for wearable technology will, however, depend on companies’ ability to appeal to customers’ fashion interests. On the flip side, style trends will become more digital, more industrial. As developers work to find a happy union between style and practicality, the question then becomes which features take precedence during design: look or utility.

For businesses, the wearable technology trend introduces the possibility to create a visual company profile through customizable products. Imagine a Smart hoodie designed for a specific organization and supplied to customers or employees. The new employee uniform could concurrently serve as the staff member’s means of communication.

The 21st Century Legwarmer

This wave of wearable technology opens the gates for tech products to shape users’ individual images. With many producers jumping on the growing trend of fitness bands, the slickest and most chic models are among the most popular. The new market for smart jewelry that provides call alerts allows women stay connected (and cutely accessorized) throughout the day without a second thought.

Take a quick memory trip back to the ’80s, the decade with legwarmer fashion and a boombox music culture. While music boxes and the loud, brightly colored style trend are often lumped together because of a similar time frame, the two are not interrelated. That won’t be the case in 80 years. A look back from year 2101 at the fashions of the mid-21st century will no doubt feature products that marry fashion with function: technology as the 21st century legwarmer.

 

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Instead of Giving “The Finger”

Cherith AndesBlog, Public Relations, Social Media + Influencer Engagement, , , , ,

Facebook “Poke” Dies, Raising Another “Pointed” Question

After what might possibly be Facebook’s shortest-lived app, the infamous Facebook “poke joke” died a silent death on Friday, May 9—sans headstone, eulogy or even so much as commemorative post.

And rightly so, you’ll agree, after a quick peek at the facts.

As legend has it, Zuckerburg developed the new Facebook Poke app (not to be confused with the original poke feature)  in less than two weeks. This “new” version touted the ability to grace your friends with videos and photos that self-destructed after 10 seconds (yes, you got it. A direct Snapchat clone.) After its premiere in late 2012, Facebook’s iOS poke app zipped around the market for a whoppin’ 16 months before fizzling into the social media graveyard (accompanied by loud Zuckerburg family drama).

Sad Day.

Except not. Originally, the 2004 inaugural Facebook poke started as a little digital tug on the sleeve: “Don’t forget about me.” “I’m here…and thinking about you.” “NO, REALLY. MESSAGE ME ALREADY.”

And for the last half-decade, social media apps have followed suit, morphing into one big sleeve-yanking trick after another to garner the attention of our family, friends and followers. Snapchat, the obvious rival for the Facebook poke, appeals to our miniscule attention spans while Instagram satisfies our unspoken yen for endless visual stimulation.

But recently, social media has done an about-face. Rather than eliciting attention, we’re desperately trying to silence the noise.

Shut up? There’s a button for that.

Twitter, for instance, just introduced a new button that enables you to “mute” chatty followers from your feed. Zap. Instant silence. Another app, “Shut Up! The Red Button” available on Google Play, allows you to tell a nearby friend to pipe down with the tap of a  button. Enjoy a similar, albeit slightly more jarring, experience with Smosh’s “iShutUp” that yells “shut up” in response to any nearby noises.

We’re dying for ways to unplug with apps like Freedom or Anti-Social that impose timed internet blackouts on your laptop. And just think: after decades of inventing ways to burn the midnight oil, we’ve now created systems like SleepStation to force us to quiet our minds and nod off.

The Newest Craze: Nothing.

We can’t help but crave it: blessed, golden silence.

So the death of the “new” Facebook poke is certainly nothing to mourn. (Did anyone even know it existed?) Rather, the shift is a reminder for us to invest in meaningful communication. Meaningful communication: this self-defined concept bequeaths us with the freedom—the permission—to step back and reevaluate our time.

You may find that tweets truly are the glue in your long-distance friendships. Or your evening Facebook chat and random Snapchat streams actually strengthen the bond among your best girlfriends. That’s all ok. Better than ok.

Tweet it. Mean it.

The medium can be irrelevant; the message is critical. So don’t bother adopting every latest app fad (the Facebook poke being a prime example). Instead, choose whatever Insta-Snap-Book-Tweet-a-gram actually works for you and your friends, and then do it: invest in meaningful messages to those who matter.

And if you’re ever in doubt, I’m pretty sure the post office still manufactures them good ‘ole postage stamps (and Target has quite the collection of chic personal stationery). Just pointing that out.

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