Eason Offers - Whatever You’re Into

Everyone loves a mystery and I had my own little mystery this week starting with the unexpected arrival of a package on Monday morning. Simply wrapped and baring no clue to the sender other than a small tag with the hashtag '#whateveryoureinto', my gift was a paint-by-numbers set. Odd perhaps, unusual certainly but none-the-less very happily received. Of course I'd no idea who it was from.

Tuesday came and another package arrived. This time it was a book: Kirstie Allsopp's 'Kirstie's Homemade Home'. Again the clue was a small tag with the hashtag '#whateveryoureinto'. A Google search of 'whatever you're into' revealed that this was Eason's brand tagline. Still no idea what Eason were doing, if it was indeed Eason. Wednesday I received a pack of batteries with the now familar note, Thursday saw a Meetings Folder arrive, and finally on Friday there was a copy of Neven Maguire's new book 'Neven's Food From The Sun'.

While I was pretty sure that I had cracked the #whateveryoureinto code, Friday revealed all as the book was accompanied by a note. All the gifts arriving over the previous week were indeed from Eason, to celebrate the launch of their brand new online daily offers website - www.easonoffers.com.

Easonoffers.com is a brand new site offering exclusive daily items from Eason, but with up to 75% discounts every day and free delivery anywhere in Ireland. These could be anything from the extensive range at Eason, including bestselling novels, cookbooks and lifestyle guides, as well as stationery, exclusive signed and limited edition books, computer accessories and arts and craft materials.

David Field, Head of Marketing and Retail Development, Eason, commented, “We’re delighted to be launching Easonoffers.com and providing such a great online service to our customers. Whatever your interest or hobby, we'll bring you an exclusive offer online on a daily basis, all at fantastic value and with free delivery anywhere in Ireland. So whatever you’re into, get into Easonoffers.com. Eason boasts such an extensive offering, not just books, so this is a great opportunity to make our Irish customers aware of our product range, available at heavily discounted prices, delivered direct to their door!”

Go have a browse and see what's happening today.

Google Says Happy Birthday

I would imagine that pretty much everyone is familiar with the Google Doodle. The Google Doodle is when Google swap out their regular logo on their homepage and show a special, stylised version to commemorate a historic event, a famous birth, a national holiday etc. The doodle can be different in different countries or they can be global doodles.

Some of the most recent ones are above: Father's Day, the Lunar Eclipse, Les Paul's 96th Birthday and Martha Graham's 117th Birthday.

My favourite, however, is the one that I can see today. I say 'I' as unless you happen to share the same birthday as me, you won't be seeing this. This is the Google Doodle that Google display to you on your birthday:


In my humble opinion, this is very cool.

Special Olympics Ireland launch iPhone App

---Press Release---

Special Olympics Ireland are delighted to launch their first iPhone app today enabling supporters to follow Team Ireland at the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games. 126 athletes will represent Team Ireland in 12 different sports at the Games in Athens which will run from 25th June – 4th July. The Team will be accompanied by 49 coaches, 200 volunteers, and hundreds of family members and supporters. The app will also provide information on the ongoing work undertaken by Special Olympics in more than 400 clubs throughout Ireland. The Special Olympics Ireland iPhone app is available to download for free from the Apple App store from today.

“The app is a fantastic communication tool for us. This is a unique app for Special Olympics globally and for the first time people will be able to follow the World Summer Games on their iPhone.” said Sahra O’Neill, Special Olympics Ireland Director of Fundraising and Marketing. “Throughout the 2011 World Games, our iPhone app will provide athletes, families, supporters and volunteers with up-to-date information on the progress of each individual member of Team Ireland on their iPhone. The app is fully integrated with Special Olympics Ireland social networks and provides live blogs, results and news from the Games, as well as information on the ongoing work of Special Olympics. We look forward to adding additional functionality and updates to the app in the near future and hope the app provides hours of use for all supporters of Team Ireland.”

The Special Olympics Ireland app was developed free of charge for the charity through the collective efforts of Alan Haverty (www.outlier.ie), Cian Pas (www.creamgraphics.ie) and Roland Gröpmair (www.mapps.ie). Alan, who’s brother Ian benefits hugely from his participation in Special Olympics, approached Cream Graphics with the idea of developing an iPhone app to follow the 126 members of Team Ireland at World Games, and together they brought onboard long term app developer Roland Gröpmair to assist with the build of the app.

“We’d like to thank Alan, Cian and Roland for their enthusiasm, creativity and perseverance in making this happen for Special Olympics Ireland,” said Ms O’Neill. “It’s fantastic for us to be able to reach out and connect with people via their mobile phones, and raise awareness of the fantastic endeavours of the 126 Sporting Heroes who are representing Ireland on the world stage in Athens”.

Cream Graphics
Cream Graphic Design is a professional graphic design consultancy based in Dublin Ireland. A boutique agency, we bring together professionals from disciplines including design, photography, video production, illustration and web development to deliver tailored design solutions from the ground up, which are realised on brief, on budget and on time. www.creamgraphics.ie

Roland Gröpmair
Roland is a freelance software developer, specializing on mobile apps for the iPhone and iPad. His website is www.mapps.ie. He is an experienced IT project manager and technology consultant with more than 15 years industry experience. He has worked with several Fortune 500 companies in Europe, US and Canada.

Alan Haverty – Outlier.ie
Alan Haverty holds close to a decade of experience in consumer focused marketing. He is currently developing a business collaboration forum through his own website www.outlier.ie. His current responsibilities at Blueface lie in the development of customer propositions as well as, the continuous updating of the customer's online experience. Before joining Blueface Alan was a brand ambassador for Microsoft (Australia). He also spent a year as a Rugby Development Officer in Asia, and is a Patron of the Lao Rugby Federation.

Meteor Launches Their iPhone Offering

Today, Tuesday 14th of June, Meteor announced a suite of new price plans and, more importantly, the availability of both iPhone 4's and 3GS's on the network (available in both black and white). The price plans, which include three different flavours, start at €40 and offer data, call and text combinations. The iPhone range is also available on Pre Pay from €469.

Commenting on the latest edition to the Meteor handset range, Kealan Donoghue Head of Devices and Product Operations said, “The introduction of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS means that customers now have even more choice and value with Meteor. We have already had more than 10,000 people pre-register for the iPhone on meteor.ie, so we are really delighted to be able to offer this fantastic handset to our customers and better still they can get an iPhone for Free. With the surge in Smartphone popularity and data consumption, customers are demanding more for their mobiles and are constantly using their mobile to update their status on Facebook, tweet and stay in touch with their family and friends on the go. We have invested heavily in our high speed data network and on creating real value, so customers get more for their money. The introduction of the iPhone further enhances an already extensive range of exciting devices - there is something for everyone, with Meteor”.

For more information log on to www.meteor.ie or call into one of Meteor's 42 stores nationwide.

Pizza Making Lesson at Milano

Last Tuesday I was invited to pop along to Milano Grand Canal Dock and bring three friends to experience something new that the restaurant has launched. It isn't a new dish, though I guess it could be if you like, but it is something really cool. Milano's Grand Canal Dock restaurant has introduced pizza making lessons!

This absolutely ingenious idea lets you and a group of friends take a private area in the restaurant and learn from Milano's seasoned staff exactly how to make seriously good food. What makes this even better is that the premise is simple - you just pay for whatever you eat just as normal. All the tuition and fun had putting your pizza's together doesn't cost a thing!

Now I'd be the first to admit that I am a Milano fan. I love the airy, casual atmosphere that the restaurants have; combined with great food, a good selection of wines and beers and brilliant staff and service. In this case I was especially happy to hear that it was Milano Grand Canal Dock that has introduced this new service as it's my local Milano, and my favourite of the Dublin branches.

We started off the evening with a few drinks and some starters, and then the fun got under way...

I really can't stress how much fun this was and I couldn't recommend it any higher. The four of us (@Juleser, @CurlyDena, @CloudSteph and I) had an absolute blast and being able to have a go at throwing our own dough was brilliant. If you have a birthday or a hen or just want to do something a little bit different with a group of friends then this should be it. Just give the restaurant a call and they can advise on dates and times.

As a bit of a foodie and someone who loves cooking this was an opportunity I jumped at, and wasn't one that I regretted. This was easily the best fun I've had in ages!

And finally...

Lyons Decaf - ‘Same Great Taste, Same Great Talk’

Lyons Tea has just launched its latest advertising campaign. ‘Same Great Taste, Same Great Talk’ supports Lyons Decaf tea and will run with targeted print, outdoor and online advertising and PR activity.

Decaf is the second fastest growing category within tea in Ireland at +6% (value) compared to the fastest growing, Green Tea at +11%. The Decaf market in the UK is worth £32.3m up 13.5% versus the previous year and Decaf is the fastest growing category in tea in the UK, pointing to the strong potential for growth for Lyons Decaf in the Republic of Ireland. Lyons Tea research has demonstrated that almost 90% of Irish people drink tea with the average Irish person drinking around four cups a day - an estimated 300 litres per person per year. However, Decaf tea household penetration is just 7%, half that of Decaff coffee in Ireland which has 14%.

Liz Finlay, Marketing Manager, Lyons Tea comments, “It is interesting that Irish people are more likely to buy Decaf coffee than tea… Given that so many Irish people love tea! Lyons Decaf is a great alternative for people trying to reduce their caffeine intake, with the same great taste as Lyons Tea is famous for!”

Digital Employment and Salary Survey 2011

Prosperity, Ireland's leading digital recruitment agency, have just released the results of a serious piece of research. Prosperity's Digital Employment & Salary Survey for 2011 covers all the digital sectors: Vendor/Portals, E-commerce, Digital Agency, Online Publisher, Gaming and Mobile/Telecoms.

The survey, while showing several very positive aspects of the digital sector, does highlight that there is a large shortfall in skills across the Irish digital environment. that need to be addressed if we are to be the digital colossus we aspire to be. The survey also draws comparisons between Irish salaries and those of The UK, Czech Republic, Israel and Singapore, and also includes a comparison of digital salaries today compared to those of two years ago.

For anyone involved in the sector, either as an employee or employer, I highly recommend taking a look.

ISPCC Advert - I Can’t Wait

The ISPCC recently completed a new advert. The ad has its origins in a series of conversations between Copywriter, Laurence O’Byrne, and Director, Richie Smyth. At it's core the ad is driven through a simple yet highly impactful physical and emotional impact on the viewer. Amazingly the ad was filmed and produced on a very small budget. In fact castings took place and a full crew was assembled to shoot the spot in one day in Dublin on 29th April.

The finished spot went online on at 11.00am, Tuesday, May 10th and immediately received a huge response from the public and media around the world. In three days it has become a national talking point on radio, in the press and garnered huge commentary around the world in online forums. All this helps raise awareness and much needed funds to protect Irish children from abuse.

Advertising Agency: Ogilvy
Creative Director: Colin Nimick
Art Director: Des Kavanagh
Copywriter: Laurence O’Byrne
Agency Producer: Derek Doyle
Director: Richie Smyth
Producer: Michael Duffy, Glen Collins
Production Company: Blinder

iCook With Neven

Neven Maguire has just launched a brand new app, iCook, for the iPhone & iPad. The app includes 60 of Neven's favourite recipes and allows people to easily browse the various categories to plan meals while at home or on the move. Not forgetting the basics, the app also has an additional section that has 8 recipes for stocks, sauces and other miscellaneous recipes.

Broken down into straightforward categories such as Breakfast/Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks/Party Foods and Desserts, there is something for everyone and all the recipes are in Neven’s familiar user-friendly style. The innovative ingredients page on each recipe allows users to amend the number of people they wish to feed and the quantity of ingredients automatically changes too.

The app utilises beautiful full colour photography for each recipe, with eleven of the recipes also offering full length video from Neven’s television series to download. There is also an advanced shopping list functionality allows users to easily plan what they want to cook, to set up a shopping list and to email it or text it to themselves, partners or a friend.

In the Kitchen section Neven guides users through the ingredients and utensils that you would find in his kitchen, offers advice with respect to the do’s and don't's of stocking your fridge, freezer and larder and discusses the utensils that are available today and should be in every aspiring Home Chef’s kitchen.

Finally, and most interestingly, the app also brings together a strong Social Media element, allowing users to post comments, photos or videos to their Facebook or Twitter account and to Neven’s at the same time.

iCook with Neven is compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad and is available to download from iTunes, price €4.99.

Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange: Buenos Aires To Belfast

Back at the beginning of April I wrote about the next step in Smirnoff's Nightlife Exchange Project, an evening of Argentinian fun at Kelly's Portrush.

Basically, tomorrow evening Smirnoff will transform Northern Ireland’s biggest nightclub into an evening of thrills and excitement with the best sights, sounds and flavours of South America. In what will essentially be an Argentinian carnival, the club will feature stilt walkers, tango dancers, fire-eaters and inspired theatrical acts. Club visitors will also be greeted at the door by Paka the fire-breathing horse.


The evening's music will also draw on the best of Argentinian culture. DJ David De Valera, who represented Ireland in Buenos Aires as part of the Nightlife Exchange last November, will bring a fusion of UK dance music mixed with the best beats from South America. David will also be joined by Lush's resident DJ Col Hamilton. Col will be bringing crowd-pleasing tunes with an Argentinian twist. Finally, completing the line up is one of Northern Ireland’s most popular DJ’s, Cool FM’s Connor Phillips.


David De Valera said: “I can’t wait to get to Kelly's, to play alongside Col Hamilton and Connor Phillips and to bring a flavour of Buenos Aires to Portrush. The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange creates one off, fantastic occasions and I am looking forward to being part of this one on 14th May." 

Carol McHugh, Smirnoff Brand Manager, Ireland said: “Smirnoff was recently voted number 30 in the Social Brands 100 report. 2 It was the highest ranking alcohol brand and the only spirit on the list that ranked brands on the basis of their social interaction with people. Campaigns such as the Nightlife Exchange Project only serve to reinforce the commitment of the Smirnoff Co. to consumers by creating dynamic, one off nightlife experiences. I am looking forward to going to Kelly's and witnessing the best of Argentinian nightlife come alive at what will be a must BE THERE event."


Admission is just £7 and the doors open at 10pm. For more info on the evening and the entire Nightlife Exchange Project just pop over to the Smirnoff Facebook Page.

To get you in the mood, here is an interview with Headline DJ David De Valera talking about the event...

Meteor Abolishes EU Roaming Charges

---Press Release---

From today (Thursday 5th July 2011), Meteor customers now pay the same for calls and texts while abroad in the EU, plus other destinations including Norway & Iceland, as they do at home in Ireland. Meteor customers will now have a saving of up to 47% versus EU regulated rates and over 60% versus Vodafone and O2 equivalent offers*.

Meteor is the first operator in Europe to offer customers the very best value roaming rates within the EU. To opt in for these great rates, customers simply Freetext ‘Europe’ to 50104. The new roaming rate charges apply for:

• Prepay customers - only pay 29c per minute rate to make a call and a 12c text rate (9c call set up fee)
• Bill Pay customers - will just pay 25c per minute to make call and 10c per text
• Meteor customers will no longer be charged to receive calls while roaming in the EU

Commenting on the operators ‘Pay the same as you would at home’ offer, Meteor’s Head of Consumer Marketing, Bill Blake, said, “ This is another market changing move for Meteor, as we are the first Irish operator to abolish roaming charges in the EU. Our customers will no longer have to worry about paying more for calls and texts while in the EU, with the added benefit of being able to receive calls from family and friends for FREE.

This reinforces our commitment to offer the best combination of innovation and value, just in time for the summer holiday period for our customers, who want to stay connected when abroad” he added.

Meteor’s No Roaming Charges in Europe option is available to new and existing customers and available to Prepay Anytime Choice and Current Bill pay tariffs.

For more information on these new rates, log on to www.meteor.ie/roaming

M&M’s and the Election of the Year

Today M&M’s have launched their latest international campaign, the M&M’s Election Campaign. For the campaign, M&M’s are calling on fans to vote for their favourite M&M character. By simply visiting the M&M’s website and voting, fans will be put into a draw for a chance to win an incredible trip to the exclusive Election Party of the winning M&M in New York!

This will be Ireland’s first electronic polling booth, and will provide polling for 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Before you go to vote, however, be sure to check out the brand new M&M’s Election TV ad (below) and M&M’s Facebook page. On Facebook each of the candidates outlines why you should vote for them. Outside of the grand prize there are also lots of other prizes to be won, so be sure to rally your friends to show their support too.

Sarah Keenaghan, M&M’s Brand Manager: “We are very excited to launch the M&M’s Election campaign and we look forward to seeing the characters battle it out on our dedicated new website, and our fabulous Facebook page. This campaign gives us a great chance to have some fun with the M&M’s characters and we can’t wait to see who comes out on top."

The candidates
Blue, a.k.a. Mr cool, confident and contemporary, is hoping that his charm with the ladies and varying degrees of coolness will help him to sway the public vote.

Red, a power colour by nature, was born to lead and as he is a pro at bossing people around, he’ll be forcing your hand for you vote.

Orange isn’t quite sure how he got sucked into this in the first place and is feeling somewhat nervous so is in desperate need of some support.

Yellow thinks all the nicest things in the world are yellow, like sunflowers, so feels he deserves to win.

Miss Green is out to prove that sister’s are doing it for themselves - she is not too happy with the lack of women voted into power in the recent election. A feisty lady, Miss Green is not afraid to use her female charms to get what she wants!

Lyons Gold Blend announces Ireland’s Top Storyteller

The storyteller from Dublin lived happily ever after…

Today, Lyons Gold Blend presented Dubliner Paul O’Brien with the title of Ireland’s Top Storyteller, following thier nationwide search. Paul was selected from a huge number of entrants by a judging panel of comedian Karl Spain, author and actress Claudia Carroll, and storyteller Clare Muireann Murphy. The trio rated Paul O’Brien the top of the talkers with the gift of the gab, and presented him with a €10,000 prize.

In total 120 budding story tellers entered the competition with stories ranging from, fact to fiction, from everyday life, to favourite childhood memories, some folk tales and some modern takes on classic children's stories. From the 120, 10 finalists were selected to compete at the National Final in Dublin where they completed a storytelling challenge for the judging panel to battle for the title of Ireland’s Top Storyteller. The final 10 were selected by public vote on www.lyonstea.ie/tellusyourstory (the top six) and through various regional radio competitions (remaining 4).

The competition called on entrants to use the famed Irish ability to exaggerate and colourfully enhance a story through words and phrases. This played directly into Lyons latest advertising campaign around talk being the ‘secret ingredient’ in Lyons Tea and ‘richer talk’ being added to the tea that gives Lyons Gold Blend its richer, full bodied taste.

Speaking at the National Final, Liz Finlay, Marketing Manager, Lyons Tea said, “Irish people all love a good story over a cuppa. Our Gold Blend richer tasting tea celebrates the telling of rich and colourful stories and our search for Ireland’s Top Storyteller highlighted how popular our storytelling tradition continues to be, with so many entries and budding storytellers eager to compete. Congratulations to Paul on winning the competition and I hope he keeps up the storytelling!”

Author and actress Claudia Carroll, said, “Simultaneously the best craic I’ve had in weeks, and the toughest decision I’ve had to make. We almost came to blows in the judging room, but I think we’re all agreed at the end of the day that the best person won - we’ve found Ireland’s Top Storyteller!"

Comedian Karl Spain said, “It was great to judge the competition, all the contestants were very different and very entertaining in their stories. Any of three second round finalists could have won. Pity we couldn’t share the cash amongst ourselves. We weren’t entirely in agreement in the judging panel, we probably would’ve been throwing drinks over each other, but it was Lyons tea so it was too hot! I really enjoyed myself, it’s always nice to judge people!”

"Good storytelling requires a lot of different skills and we saw a high standard today. It was difficult to choose and each of the finalists could easily go on to work with stories. Also, I was delighted to see such an excellent response from the younger demographic, it just shows storytelling is alive and well in Ireland today", said Clare Muireann Murphy, renowned Irish storyteller.


Lyons Tea

• Lyons Gold Blend tea is a blend of finest Kenyan, Assam and Ceylon teas.
• Lyons Tea employs expert master blenders and tasters to select the best blends and combination of some of the finest teas from Kenya, Assam from India and Ceylon from Sri Lanka to produce the highest quality tea. Lyons Tea is available from leading supermarkets and retailers nationwide.
• Lyons is Ireland’s number one tea brand with 43.1% market share***; Lyons is an iconic Irish brand with more than 100 years of tradition in Ireland, having started business in Dublin in 1902 near Christ Church Cathedral. It is now owned by Unilever Ireland.
• Lyons Tea is Ireland’s favourite tea. The Lyons Tea range includes Lyons Gold Blend, Lyons Original Blend, Lyons Gold Blend Reserve, Lyons Kenya Blend, and Lyons Decaffeinated Tea. Lyons Green Tea is available in original, with Lemon and with Mint. For further information on Lyons Tea visit www.lyonstea.ie
• Lyons tea is currently working with the Rainforest Alliance - independent experts in sustainability and by 2012 all our tea will only come from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms.
• For more information visit www.lyonstea.ie

Budweiser Ice Cold Index

The hotter the day the less you pay for your pint of Budweiser Ice Cold all summer...

Today sees the launch of Budweiser Ice Cold's latest marketing campaign, the Budweiser Ice Cold Index. The campaign is driven by the Budweiser Ice Cold Index mobile application (available on both iPhone and Android) and aims to create an unmissable summer experience by matching real Irish temperatures to real discounts off the price of your pint. Essentially, the hotter day the less you pay for a pint of Budweiser Ice Cold.

The Budweiser Ice Cold Index App gives these discounts directly through your handset. On days the temperature reaches 20°C and over, you'll enjoy a free pint, if it's 18°C or 19°C you'll get €2 off, and if it's 16°C or 17°C you'll get €1 off. There are a huge number of participating 'Index bars' and you can check the app for daily offers too. The App will allow you to get offers right up until 31st August and to celebrate the launch of Index everyone who downloads the App will enjoy their first pint of Budweiser Ice Cold free, regardless of the weather!

The App also boosts a pub finder to help you locate a nearby participating Index pub and other great features including bar reviews and special rewards for loyal Budweiser Ice Cold drinkers. The App is free and can be downloaded on most smart phones but for all other phones you can free text the word ‘INDEX’ to 50400.

To kick off the Index summer in style, Budweiser Ice Cold have also created a free pop up urban beach experience in Dublin City Centre. At lunchtime today an actual beach appeared at George’s Dock, IFSC. The pop up beach included deck chairs, a hog on a spit, an ice-cream van, a live acoustic performance by Sligo band Túcan and the Irish volleyball team even dropped by for an exhibition match.

Moon man Ken Ring, New Zealand’s famous weather predictor and astrologer, has shared his predictions for the Budweiser Ice Cold Index summer ahead and it seems that Munster and Leinster will be hotting up this summer enjoying more than 30 days from 1st May to 31st August of 20°C temperatures or over. Ulster is expected to be 20°C or more for approximately 17 days and while Connaught is the coolest province, Ken still expects the temperature in the West to hit at least 20°C for 9 days.

Speaking about the Budweiser Ice Cold Index Campaign, Christopher Wooff, Senior Brand Manager, Budweiser, commented, “This is a really exciting time for Budweiser as the brand goes from strength to strength in Ireland. Budweiser Ice Cold Index is an innovative concept, which we feel will excite consumers and we are thrilled to be the first brand to bring mobile vouchering to the Irish on-trade. We have had such a positive response from our on-trade customers with over 2,500 participating bars nationwide. Weather has always been a sore point for Irish people but if Ken Ring’s predictions are true, this really will be a summer to remember.”

Consumers can find full details on the Budweiser Ice Cold Index here and also on the Budweiser Ice Cold Ireland Facebook page where there will be regular competitions, Index updates from the Index weatherman Scott Campbell and invitations to the hottest events throughout the summer. You can also follow us on twitter @icecoldindex.

The Budweiser Ice Cold Index campaign is supported by ATL, POS, Digital, and PR and the following TV commercial, which was shot on location in South Africa featuring the Index weatherman Scott Campbell.

Notes:
* The temperature is taken from Met Éireann, the Irish National Meteorological Service, and fans will be notified of their region’s temperature at 1pm daily via the Index App.
* On an Index day, consumers can redeem their free or money off voucher between 1pm and 11.59pm (or closing time of a particular bar) on that day. It cannot be stored and redeemed at a later date.
* Once consumers have download the voucher, the participating Index bar will provide them with a pub code and they will then have two minutes to redeem their voucher before it expires.

Arthur Guinness Fund: Camara And Jamie Heaslip

Last week Camara made their 50th container shipment of computers to disadvantaged communities through the on-going support of The Arthur Guinness Fund.

Irish Rugby player Jamie Heaslip, who is an ambassador of the Arthur Guinness Fund, took time out of his busy schedule to lead a team of 8 people to help pack the 40ft container containing over 500 computers, including one of his own, for travel to Ethiopia.

Camara, one of the beneficiaries of the Arthur Guinness Fund, is dedicated to using technology to deliver education more effectively to disadvantaged communities in Ireland and Africa. The organisation takes in used computers from Irish companies and individuals and has a team of dedicated volunteers who prepare the computers to ensure they are in optimal condition for re-use. This rigorous process involves wiping each hard drive of data (in line with US Department of Defence standards), refurbishing and loading each computer with educational software, and finally setting them up as Learning Centres in Ireland and African communities.

Speaking about his involvement, Jamie Heaslip said “I am really proud to be an Ambassador for the Arthur Guinness Fund and to be able to support organisations such as Camara. I have donated an old computer of mine to include in this container and I am looking forward to tracking its journey and seeing the difference it will make when it is reused for education in a disadvantaged community. It has taken us over 2 hours and a lot of manpower to pack these computers today, but I had a strong team behind me and we had great fun doing it! Our container will leave in the morning and begin a 6 week journey to Ethiopia, where the computers will play a huge part in making a difference to the lives and education of local people. I look forward to sharing its progress on the Guinness Ireland Facebook page.”

Also speaking today John Fitzsimons, General Manager, Camara said “We are delighted to have the support of the Arthur Guinness Fund and their ambassador Jamie Heaslip. As a result of thousands of people just like Jamie, who have donated their computers to us, we are now in a position where we can begin to see the positive impact in disadvantages communities by providing working computers, software and training for educational purposes to thousands of people”.

Since receiving funding from the Arthur Guinness Fund, Camara has opened computer recycling centres in Belfast and Galway. Camara has to date received a total of 30,000 computers from Irish individuals and companies, including a donation of computers to the value of €70,000 from Diageo.

To follow the journey of Jamie’s computer as it travels from Ireland to Ethiopia and for other good news from the Arthur Guinness Fund log onto the Guinness Ireland Facebook Page.

New Liverpool 2011/12 Away Kit

On Saturday, Liverpool Football Club Football Club and adidas unveiled their new away shirt for the 2011/12 football season. The new adidas Liverpool away kit, which will go on sale on the 12th May and will be available in Lifestyle Sports Stores nationwide, takes its design inspiration from metallic elements. Solid grey in colour, the shirt is finished with metallic silver detailing on the iconic adidas 3 stripes across the shoulders, both sponsors logo’s and the laser cut woven crest.

Also new for 2011/12 season the kit includes a revolutionary sock design which features anatomically placed cushioning and an achilles protector.

On the field, the players’ kits will incorporate adidas’ cutting edge TechFit technology, to help improve speed, increased endurance capabilities and enhance awareness. This works by stabilising and focusing the muscles’ energy to generate explosive acceleration and deliver maximum power output.

The shirts also feature adidas ClimaCool technology, a mixture of heat and moisture controlling materials, ventilation channels and 3D fabrics which improve air flow to the skin in the key heat zones.

Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange: Buenos Aires To Belfast

Smirnoff have announced the next step in their Nightlife Exchange Project. Carrying on from their last event, which saw the Wright Venue turned into an Argentinian party night, Smirnoff have decided to bring the flavour of Buenos Aires to Northern Ireland. The event will take place at Kellys Portrush on Saturday, 14th May 2011.

Resident DJ at Kellys Portrush, Col Hamilton, who will play alongside David De Valera on 14th May, said: “The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange continues to break new ground in nightlife experiences. As Northern Ireland’s biggest nightclub we are pleased to host the latest phase of the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project. Our customers can expect the very best of Kellys and Lush! club culture mixed with Argentinean nightlife. I will be delivering the finest UK and European dance music that Lush! fans have got to know and love and the headline act, David De Valera, who played in Buenos Aires last year will bring some Argentinean dance sounds to Lush! It’s going to go down in Kellys Portush history as a legendary night – it’s a must BE THERE event.”

As well as a fusion of great Argentinean and European dance music, the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange project will also bring the many vibrant sights and tastes of Argentinean nightlife to Kellys Portrush. Visitors to the nightclub can expect delicious drinks including an Argentinean take on the signature Smirnoff® Mule, the best food from South America and Argentinean inspired theatrical acts including tango dancers and Paka the fire breathing horse.

Carol McHugh, Smirnoff Brand Manager, Ireland said: “I’m delighted that the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange is going on tour for the first time. Last November more than 18,000 people from six continents across 10 time zones swapped nights. This May, the best of Argentina will come alive in Kellys Portrush for what will be a one of a kind nightlife experience.”

Tickets for the event cost £7 and can be purchased at www.kellysportrush.com. Visit www.facebook.com/smirnoffireland for further information on the Nightlife Exchange Project and for the chance to win tickets to the event at Kellys Portush in May as well as other Smirnoff goodies.

blablabLAB - Be Your Own Souvenir!

This is a very cool piece of gorilla marketing produced by BlablabLAB earlier this year in Barcelona using open Kinect in a pretty brilliant way. Basically by utilising open Kinect's motion and inferred track functionality coupled with a 3D copier they were able to create a really engaging installation.

The aim was to connect street users with arts & science, linking them to their under-laying spaces and their own realities through a technological ritual where the audience is released from established roles in a perspective exchange: spectator-performer, artist-tourist, observer-object. The user becomes the producer as well as the consumer through a system that invites him/her to perform as a human statue, with a free personal souvenir as a reward.

Irish Consumer's Digital Behaviour

A nice infographic video from the chaps at Cybercom:

Saba To Go - Real Thai Food

As anyone who knows me would probably tell you, I'm a huge fan of Asian cooking especially Thai food. I cook a lot of wok dishes and curries, usually leaning towards the pretty spicy as more than one guest has found out. It was a no brainer then when I was invited by the guys at Saba to visit Saba To Go for a personal cookery lesson that I jumped at the chance. So last Tuesday evening saw me standing in the Saba To Go kitchen with Saba Executive Chef is Tweesak Trakoolwattana (known as Tao) wearing an apron and preparing to learn about my favourite food from a native and professional (Tao was born and trained in Bangkok).

Tao began by bringing me through the different ingredients that are key to good Thai food. Perhaps unsurprisingly at the core of this was fresh vegetables and the best cuts of meat. Saba To Go use nothing but the freshest vegetables and ingredients, prepared each day. Tao stressed that it was beyond important to use nothing but freshly prepared ingredients. From here he took me through the different types of Thai Curry Pastes and ways in which different Soy Sauces, Fish Sauce and Oyster Sauce are used.

So with prep all covered and a good understanding of the basics, it was now time to cook. The three dishes I would be cooking were Chicken Thai Green Curry, Beef Phad Nam Prik Pao and Prawn Phad Prik Sod. Of course as I prefer the spicy each of these was going to have a little extra chilli.


Chicken Thai Green Curry
1. Add oil to the wok and turn up the heat (it needs to be hot!).
2. Put a large tablespoon of Green Curry Paste in the oil and sauté until fragrant, then reduce the heat and gradually add 1 cup of thick Coconut Milk and a 1/4 cup of water.
3. Add the chicken and Kaffir Lime Leaves, continue cooking for 3 minutes until the chicken is almost cooked through. Season with 1/2 tablespoon Palm Sugar and 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce.
4. Add the vegetables (Aubergine, Chillies, Peppers, Bamboo Shoots, Green Beans and Onions) and cook for a further 2-3 minutes (you want the vegetables to still have a crunch).
5. Finally add Sweet Basil Leaves and turn off the heat.
6. Serve with Jasmine Rice.


Beef Phad Nam Prik Pao
1. Add oil, a large tablespoon of Chopped Garlic and a large tablespoon of Chopped Chillies to the wok and turn up the heat to high.
2. Put a large tablespoon of Red Chilli Paste in the oil and sauté until fragrant, then reduce the heat slightly.
3. Add the beef and continue cooking for 3 minutes (the beef can be cooked to your liking - rare to well).
4. Season with 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce, 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce and 1/2 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce.
5. Add the vegetables (Chillies, Mushrooms, Peppers, Baby Sweetcorn and Spring Onions) and cook for a further 2 minutes (again, you want the vegetables to still have a crunch).
6. Serve with Jasmine rice.


Prawn Phad Prik Sod
1. Add oil and a large tablespoon of Chopped Garlic to the wok and turn up the heat to high.
2. Add the prawns and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
3. Season with 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce, 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce and 1/2 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce.
4. Add the vegetables (Chillies, Woodear Mushrooms, Peppers and Onions) and cook for a further 2 minutes.
5. Finally add Sweet Basil Leaves and turn off the heat.
6. Serve with Jasmine rice.


Not only were each of these dishes easy to make but they were unbelievably tasty. I highly recommend trying them out yourself, and if you aren't eager to try out the cooking yourself then get on the phone to Saba To go and order some in. You won't be disappointed.

For more information on the cookery lessons that Tao does you can contact Fabulous Food Trails whom run the courses on Saba's behalf. Either call them on 01-4971245 or email info@fabfoodtrails.com. The lessons are run both for individuals and groups, and can be done onsite or in your own home.

My biggest thanks go out to Alan Cadden, Saba To Go's Owner, and Tao for the opportunity to do all of this. Much appreciated :)

Champion To Offer Facebook Deals

Well it looks like it's quite the day for Facebook Deals in Ireland. Just an hour ago I posted about Meteor's Facebook Deals and now I have a second bit of Deals news.

This afternoon Champion (Sport) announced that it is participating in Facebook Deals from today. Champion will be offering people special discounts when they check in to Champion stores across Ireland using Facebook Places.

To celebrate the launch of this new initiative by Champion, they will be offering the first 500 people to check into a Champion store through Facebook Places a top class football.

There are 23 Champion Sports stores around the country where people can check in and full details of the Facebook Deal are available on the Champion Facebook Page.

“Facebook is a great way for us to have conversations with our customers,” said Emily Barry of Champion. “So we are delighted to be participating in the launch of Facebook Deals, as it’s another opportunity for us to engage with our customers and give something back to them”

Meteor's Facebook Deals Offering

[Press Release]

Dublin, Ireland – 30th March 2011

Meteor today announced it’s participation in Facebook Deals, a new feature offering people special discounts when they check in using Facebook Places on their mobile in Ireland. To celebrate Meteor’s involvement in this new offering , Meteor will offer €5 free phone credit to the first 250 customers who check in at one of its 43 stores nationwide. The offer goes live this Friday, 1st of April.

Facebook Deals works by harnessing the power of your mobile phone by finding nearby deals using Facebook Places. This gives people another chance to get more value from businesses they visit or are near to.

Meteor’s, Dee Currid, marketing communications manager said, “Meteor, your social network, has always embraced online and we are lucky to have a fantastic community of Meteor customers on our Facebook page. Having just reached the 40,000 active Facebook fan mark in Ireland, we are glad to be able to give something back to our loyal community and hope that as many people as possible will avail of Meteor’s ongoing special deals. As always, it is important for Meteor to continue providing the best blend of technology and value for our customers.“

Meteor has enjoyed much success on Facebook and was one of the first companies in Ireland to launch an online shop as well as offering its customers the chance to top up on the social networking site. In 2010 Meteor was also awarded the Irish web award for the category of “Best Facebook page” for a business in Ireland.

Meteor now has over 40,255 fans on Facebook www.facebook.com/meteor since it’s launch last April.

2011 ESB Electric Ireland Feis Ceoil Launch

Today saw the launch of the 2011 ESB Electric Ireland Feis Ceoil. On hand were eleven year-old twins Emily Jane and Isabel Doyle who will be competing in the piano and violin categories of the Festival and seven year-old Edward Brown who plays the piano and is the youngest competitor.

Ireland’s biggest classical music festival will be taking place in the RDS from the 4th to 15th April with day tickets costing just €5.

Over 4,000 musicians from all over Ireland are set to perform in the competition, which now boasts over 185 individual classical music competitions including voice, piano, strings, wind, brass and orchestra. In addition to the prestige of winning at the ESB Electric Ireland Feis Ceoil, successful competitors will also enjoy over €50,000 worth of prizes.

Laura Gilsenan, CEO, Feis Ceoil, said “We are delighted to be launching the programme for this year’s ESB Electric Ireland Feis Ceoil, and that some of our young competitors could be here to celebrate with us. We are extremely grateful to our sponsors ESB Electric Ireland and thanks to their support, the competition continues to grow with a very high standard of classical music performance.”

Brid Horan, Executive Director, ESB Electric Ireland said, “ESB Electric Ireland is proud to support the Feis Ceoil, Ireland’s biggest classical music festival, which plays a vital role in the development of young musicians in Ireland. From next week the RDS will be home to some of Ireland’s most talented young classical musicians. We wish them every success in their competitions and their ongoing musical pursuits.”

Some of the most outstanding competitors from the 2011 ESB Electric Ireland Feis Ceoil will be showcased at a special Gala Concert in the Dublin Convention Centre on April 16th 2011. The concert will feature The Celtic Tenors, and will be attended by the Patron of Feis Ceoil Association, President of Ireland, Mary McAleese.

Galaxy Ace ‘Slowdance’

This is the latest video from The Viral Factory for Samsung. The brief was to delivery a contemporary and trendy video for Samsung's latest model. This phone in question, the Galaxy Ace, is the latest smartphone powered by Android which is aimed at being one of the most competitive mid-range smartphones in the business today.

Personally I think it's a cool video and definitely an interesting way of showing off the phone's features in an unusual and compelling way.


Video Details
Agency: The Viral Factory
Creative: The Viral Factory
Production Company: The Viral Factory
Spanish Production Co: Icon International
Director: Jake Lunt with The Viral Factory
Producer: Jon Stopp
Spanish Producer: Nick Bolger
Editor: Owen Oppenheimer / The Viral Factory
Edit House: The Quarry London
Grade: Ricky Gausis
Online: Frasier Celland
Post Production: MPC London
Audio Design & Mix: Tristin Norwell

adidas is all in

Last Monday adidas launched their latest campaign, 'all adidas'. The campaign represents the first time in the brand’s history that a campaign has leveraged the three divisions that make up the brand – Sport Performance, adidas Originals and Sport Style, in a single commercial that shows the unique breadth and depth of the brand.

The campaign focuses on the adidas brand ambassadors, including football stars Lionel Messi and David Beckham, NBA star Derrick Rose, pop icon Katy Perry and the adidas skateboarding team, in their own surroundings doing what they love to do most. The main aim here is to showcase the brand’s distinctive presence across and into different sports, cultures and lifestyles, fusing the worlds of sport, music and fashion.

To celebrate the launch of the new campaign, adidas have had Irish International Rugby star Cian Healy produce a series of artwork depicting the Game Face theme of the campaign. Game Face is the visceral culmination of all that goes into the game, from the preparation, to the glory goal (or defeat), and features Cian's fellow international rugby stars Brian O’Driscoll, Paul O’Connell, Johnny Sexton and Ronan O’Gara. The artwork will be auctioned off for selected charities.

The commercial is supported with a brand new soundtrack from Justice called Civilization (official release date 4th April 2011). Directed by Romain Gavras, famous for directing Justice and M.I.A, the campaign is built around a 30 and 60-second version of the commercial for TV and Cinema as well as an extended 2-minute version for Online.

The campaign will also have a social media side through Facebook and twitter, where adidas are posting daily, in-depth exclusive content from the various parts of the brand – from new product releases to competitions for Katy Perry tickets and much more.

“In the past ten years we have successfully extended the adidas brand into three powerful sub-brands with adidas Sport Performance, adidas Originals and adidas Sport Style. Now we are proud to be able to show the breadth and depth of the adidas brand in one global brand campaign,” explains Erich Stamminger, member of the Executive Board responsible for Global Brands.

"’all adidas’ is the biggest campaign we have ever executed. Its creative concept brings together the diversity of the brand under one strong roof. From the court to the catwalk, the stadium to the street, we are giving an authentic statement with credibility only adidas has.”

Montreal-based agency Sid Lee created and produced the global campaign. Sid Lee was hired as the global advertising agency for lifestyle label adidas Originals at the start of 2008 and developed the global campaigns for Originals in 2009 and 2010 including ‘House Party’. In 2010, Sid Lee was announced as the global lead-agency for the entire adidas brand.

The “all adidas” campaign takes place throughout 2011 in a mix of environments from sport to music, lifestyle to fashion with different elements rolling out over the year. The ad will air on RTE 1, RTE 2, TV3, 3e, Universal, MTV, E!, E4, E4+1, Sky Sports 1 & 2, Sky Living, Sky Atlantic and Sky 1 through to 10th April. The ad will also feature in Cinema from 25th March to 28th April.

Lyons Tea - Fans Vote On Favourite Ending

Lyons has been putting the talk into tea very successfully for some time now but the next TV ad is being handed over to the fans. Never-before seen endings to the current Gold Blend TV ad are now available to view on the Lyons Tea Facebook page and fans are being asked to vote for their favourite clip in a bid to help Lyons Tea decide which ad to air next on television.

The current Gold Blend TV ad opens on the magical Lyons tea factory where the Master Blender and his young apprentice ponder the richer taste and richer stories of Lyons Gold Blend. The current ad then ends with Dad, Mum and their 3 year old boy sitting on the couch and Dad is recounting the age-old fairytale ‘there was an old woman who lived in a shoe’ to his son. However in true Irish style, Dad throws in a few exaggerations and a bit of colour for good measure.

However, this was just one of four potential endings for the Lyons Gold Blend ad. Storytelling is at the heart of each alternate version but we hear the story of Goldilocks in one, while the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs takes on some interesting twists and turns in the other versions. However it is always Dad recounting the tales in a rather exaggerated fashion so that the joke is always on Mum.

Lyons is calling on its Facebook fans to vote for their favourite ending to help them decide which ad to air next. Whichever ending is voted the favourite by Lyons Tea fans, the overarching message will remain unchanged, revealing that a richer talk’ added to the tea is what gives Lyons Gold Blend its richer, full bodied taste.