SKY Launches €10 Million Marketing Campaign

Sky Ireland - Sky Broadband Has Arrived

This week Sky Ireland launched their biggest ever marketing campaign to promote their new Broadband and Telephone offerings. The €10m campaign combines TV, press, radio, outdoor and digital. The above ad forms the centrepiece of the campaign.

Featuring Pierce Brosnan, the 60-second ad sees the famous Irishman returning home to Ireland to the apparent delight of the public. However, it is soon revealed that the cause of their excitement is in fact the arrival of Sky Broadband. In a series of everyday scenes showing Brosnan on Dublin’s quays, walking along a town main street, and enjoying a drink in a pub, the ad shows that not even a global celebrity can eclipse the arrival of Sky Broadband.

Launching the new Sky Broadband campaign, Mark Anderson, Director of Sales & Marketing at Sky Ireland said, "The inspiration for this campaign came directly from our customers, many of whom have been waiting for us to introduce broadband for ages. Our research showed that people in Ireland are excited about the prospect of getting their TV, calls and broadband from Sky in one bundle and the ad’s creative idea taps into that sense of anticipation."

Pierce Brosnan comments, "It’s great to be involved in the launch campaign for Sky Broadband in Ireland. I always love returning home whether for work or on holiday and this time was no different. The charm and tongue in cheek humour of the Sky ad really appealed to me and shooting in Dublin was a lot of fun. Hopefully, viewers will like it as much as I enjoyed making it."

The campaign was developed by ad agency WCRS who won the launch project following a competitive pitch. It was shot by director Taika Waititi (Flight of the Conchords, Boy) and Oscar & BAFTA nominated cinematographer Danny Cohen (Les Miserables, The King’s Speech).

MiWadi Brings Storytime to Life with MiBooks

MiWadi MiBook TV Ad

MiWadi, Ireland’s No. 1 Dilute brand, has just launched their latest digital initiative, ‘MiBook’. This on-pack promotion gives children the chance to star in their own story. By simply collecting three unique codes from the reverse of labels and logging onto www.miwadi.ie, consumers can redeem a free personalised children’s story book from a choice of three.

Speaking today at the launch of MiWadi MiBook, Dee Cunniam, Senior Brands & Activation Manager for MiWadi said; ““MiWadi is the brand at the heart of a child’s imagination and our MiBook activation will fuel imaginations nationwide through our three fantastic story titles, My Trip to the Zoo, My Big Adventure and My Birthday Party. Getting children to read is essential for building up grammar and spelling skills, so creating a FREE personalised book, where the children themselves star alongside their family and friends, encourages more reading.”

Sky Research Reveals Our Daily Digital Diet

The following research into consumer trends was conducted by Sky Ireland. It looks at when and how our digital consumption peaks on a daily basis.

Breakfast: Commuter Snacks
The research showed that during their commute:
· 81.8% of people use their tablet or smartphone
· 49.4% will check their social media sites up to three times
· 51% read the news online
· 46.5% play games
· 44.2% catch up on emails


Digital indigestion
However, patchy Wi-Fi and mobile connections were cited as major frustrations, interrupting commuters’ connectivity. To compensate, 55.5% download books or music in advance of their commute and now the recently launched Sky Go Extra app lets Sky customers download the latest blockbuster films from Sky Movies and TV content from channels such as Sky 1 and Sky Atlantic to watch when and where they want, without the need for a Wi-Fi or 3G/4G connection.


Dining Digitally At home
With recent Comreg figures showing that broadband penetration rates stand at over 65%, people still see the laptop as the main digital dinner plate. However, with ownership of tablets and smartphones set to reach 2.38 million by the end of 2013, we are set to consume online content in a more a la carte way.


Sky seeing strong uptake of its Apps
According to Sky Ireland’s own download figures, this digital diet trend has seen total iOS downloads of its most popular Apps reach over 1.2 million in Ireland, including:
· Sky Go App - 295,782 downloads
· Sky News App - 318,259 downloads
· Sky Sports News App - 144,798 downloads
· Sky+ App - 177,326 downloads


“We are seeing a massive change in our digital diet,” says Mark Anderson, Director of Sales & Marketing, Sky Ireland. “Our research and download figures combined show that Irish users are very discerning when it comes to consuming digital content on the move. More and more often users are using home broadband to download content to mobile devices for later consumption – it’s the digital equivalent to a home-packed lunch! With unlimited broadband now available nationwide from Sky, and increases in multi-device usage by consumers, we expect that our digital diet will feature more media meshing as time goes on.”

Guinness Marks 25 Years of the Revolutionary 'Widget'

2.75 billion widgets have been produced by Guinness since 1988

-----Press Release-----

Today, Monday 25th March, Guinness officially marked the 25th anniversary of a true icon of design and innovation - the Guinness ‘widget’. This ingenious invention replicated the draught technology used in pubs and revolutionised the beer industry, enabling Guinness fans across the globe to enjoy a perfect pint in the comfort of their own home.

The widget we are now familiar with is the second generation ‘floating widget’. This small plastic device sits at the bottom of the can until it is opened. Once opened, the floating widget jets Nitrogen through the beer, creating a longer–lasting creamy head on canned Guinness.

Speaking today, Guinness Master, Brewer Fergal Murray "The task was to put Draught Guinness in cans and make it every bit as good as Guinness in pubs. The introduction of the widget meant that consumers could now enjoy the perfect pint both in the pub and at home. It was long journey but every step was a masterful experiment and the end result is considered one of the major innovations in the evolution of the beer industry.”

Since its introduction in 1988, almost every major brewer has replicated this innovative piece of technology to produce their own creamy beers and lagers.

Alan Forage, the widget’s inventor “It’s very satisfying to invent something that revitalised both Guinness and the UK beer industry. After trying their own modifications, they (competitors) have come back to ours, because ours is the best.” (taken from the published book – A Widget’s Tale)


The science
The liquid nitrogen evaporates during the canning process, pressurising the can and forcing some beer into the small plastic device and compressing the nitrogen inside.

The widget floats on the surface of the beer, with a hole just slightly below the surface of the beer. When the can is opened, the pressure inside is immediately reduced, but the sphere acts like a blown up balloon that is suddenly released, and the contents jet out through the tiny hole and into the beer.

As the beer and gas rush through the tiny hole, this agitation causes the N2/C02 that is dissolved in the beer to form tiny bubbles that rise to the surface of the beer and form the head.


Award winning
The widget has been awarded Queen’s Award for Technology Advancement and has been named the *greatest invention of the last 40 years putting it ahead of mobile phones!

Sky Movies App for Android

Sky Movies app to launch on Android smartphones and tablets

Sky has announced that it is extending its Movies companion app to Android handsets. The app, which is available to download for free, offers a one-stop destination with trailers, synopses and cast list for hundreds of movies currently showing on Sky Movies and Sky Store. The app also offers information on movies currently showing at the cinema. In addition, if you are a Sky Movies Pack customer, you can enjoy movies within the app at no extra cost.

The app also doubles as a home planner by allowing users to record movies to their Sky+ HD box while on the move.

Ian Lewis, Director of Sky Movies said: “A must-have for film fans, the Sky Movies app helps customers explore the fantastic range of movies available for them to enjoy at home or on the move as part of their subscription. The app complements the UK & Ireland’s most popular film subscription service and forms part of our continued commitment to offer customers ways to discover and enjoy more of the year’s biggest blockbusters than any online film subscription service.”

For more information visit www.skymovies.com. The Sky Movies app is free to download from Google Play.