Three launches ‘S’Up’ Campaign

Three have just launched their latest campaign with everyone's favourite music and reality crazy kids, Jedward. The campaign, which announces Three's new “All you can eat” data on Prepay, will hit TV screens tomorrow evening (5th August) and run for five weeks until 11th September 2011. The campaign uses 30 second placements on RTE, TV3, 3E, Sky packages, Comedy Central, MTV E!, Living and E4. Aside from the TV slots, the campaign will also run online rich media banners on yahoo, MSN, Ryanair, Facebook, and Skype. Finally, the campaign will also use targeted press advertising and special builds in Dublin’s city centre.

The campaign was developed by McCann Erickson and the TV ad was directed by Damien O’Donnell, who has directed the films; ‘East is East’, ‘Heartlands’, and ‘Inside I’m Dancing’, and produced by Russ Russell of Russell Curran Productions.

The TV ad features Jedward calling, texting and tweeting each other all day long. This may not appear unusual given the close bond the twins share, but what is different about Jedward is that they call text and tweet each other even when they’re in the same room, because it costs them nothing on Three Prepay. They can call each other to say hello or in Jedward’s case ‘S’Up?’ and make sure they don’t miss what’s going on even for a minute.

So we have TV, online and press so far, but the most interesting part of the campaign is the in-store POS and PR activity, which will focus on recruiting a third member of Jedward via on-street and social media auditions to spend a day with Jedward at a secret Three Ireland Jedward gig on 16th September. Lucky Three Prepay customers will receive a special Jedmail inviting them!

Commenting on the launch, Sales and Marketing director, Elaine Carey at Three, said: “We at Three are very excited to be launching ‘All you can eat’ data for our Prepay customers, marking another important first in the Irish market for Three. From Friday the 5th of August, Three Prepay customers can avail of the exclusive ‘All you can eat’ data price plan for the first time, giving unlimited mobile internet access, free any network texts, and free Three to Three calls, all for just €20 a month minimum top up. To celebrate this we are offering the Samsung Galaxy Europa on Prepay for just €49, an amazing price for a great Smartphone, with the ‘All you can eat’ data plan allowing Three Prepay customers to make the most of its enhanced social media functionality.”

Commenting on the launch, Emma Sharkey, McCann Erickson, said: “Jedward’s star power and their ubiquitous popularity will help Three to reach a larger prepay audience. Jedward’s youthful energy and innate sociability are a natural fit with the brand’s Prepay proposition. Three understands that people want the ability to stay in constant contact with their closest friends through texts, social sites and calls, without fear of burning through credit.”

For further information on Three, the new offer or the handset, just visit www.three.ie and be sure to follow Three on Twitter and Facebook.

Scott Campbell Backs Bahrain Storm For Galway Plate

Unless you don’t own a TV or a smartphone you’ll know who Scott Campbell is. Well, Ireland’s new fresh face of weather and frontman to Budweiser’s current campaign - The Ice Cold Index - is down in Galway for the Races. Scott, a wealth of information and insight, has turned his weather foresighting skills to the horses for the day and named Bahrain Storm as his pony to win the Galway Plate race this afternoon at 3pm.

Being the generous man that he is, Scott has promised that all his fans can avail of a free pint of Budweiser Ice Cold if Bahrain Storm finishes in the top three of the Galway Plate. Nifty!

Speaking about his visit to Galway, Budweiser Ice Cold Index weatherman, Scott Campbell, said, “It’s all happening this week in Galway. I’ve been doing my research and I’ve heard great things about Bahrain Storm so I’m really hoping he comes through for me – my Budweiser Ice Cold fans deserve a free pint!”

Scott will be hanging out at the Budweiser tent at the Ballybrit race course to cheer on Bahrain Storm but he’ll also be delivering an update as part of the TV3 evening news weather report live from the Galway Races on Ladies Day tomorrow (Thursday, 28th July).

Scott has also extended an open invitation to join him for a special Galway Races Budweiser Ice Cold Index party in The Skeffington Arms Hotel, Eyre Square, Galway city on Saturday, 30th July from 4-7pm. Rugby star Cian Healy and his DJ partner Gordon Johnston will provide music and acting as MC will be RTE’s Jennifer Maguire.

As part of the party, Scott and his crew will be holding auditions to search for Scott’s co-star. Galway is the second of three heats in the search for Scott’s co-star. Scott will finish his search in Cork next month. Each finalist selected from the three heats will win €1,000 on the night and go through to the final heat to win the overall prize which includes starring alongside Scott on national TV and winning the ultimate holiday to Los Angeles. You can pre-register for auditions on www.facebook.com/budicecoldireland.

To check out Scott and keep up-to-date with the search for his co-star, visit the Facebook page where there will also be regular competitions, updates from Scott and invitations to the hottest events throughout the summer. You can also follow Scott on Twitter.

Dublin To Paris With The Irish Hospice Foundation

Yesterday saw the start of the annual Irish Hospice Foundation cycle from Dublin to Paris. The gruelling 600km journey by 17 cyclists is the charity’s annual campaign to raise funds to support the development of Children’s Hospice Home Care.

In order to take part in the 5 day event each cyclist raised €3,500, equating to €720,000 over the past two years (2009 and 2010). The cycle takes them from Dublin down to Rosslare, across to Cherbourg, and then on up through the beautiful and historic Normandy countryside to finally arrive in the French capital.

The event has been so successful, both in raising funds and drawing participation, that a second cycle has been organised where 44 riders will cycle from Geneva to Nice from Sunday 24th July. It is hoped that around €220,000 will be raised between the two cycling events this year.

Sharon Foley, Chief Executive Officer of the Irish Hospice Foundation, stated: “We hope that the participating cyclists enjoy their experience. To fulfil this feat, they have undertaken many hours of training over several months. Their families have also been fully behind their efforts. We appreciate their support for one of our most important programmes. Their fundraising efforts will be used to support a new service for some of the most vulnerable children in society.”

You can follow all the action on the Irish Hospice Foundation Twitter account and through the hashtag #ihfcycles, or over on their Facebook Page.


Dublin-Paris cycle itinerary
Sunday17th July
Depart from the southside of Dublin and cycle to Arklow -93kms.

Monday 18th July
Cycle from Arklow to Rosslare-85kms.The group will take the 3.30pm overnight Irish Ferries to Cherbourg from Rosslare.

Tuesday 19thJuly
The cyclists arrive in Cherbourg at 11am and cycle from Cherbourg to Bayeux-108kms.

Wednesday 20th July
This is the longest stage of the event a massive 168kms taking the group from Bayeux to Evreux.

Thursday21st July
Last day of cycling: This sees the riders enter Paris -105kms.

Friday22nd July
The cyclists can enjoy the sights of Paris before catching a flight back to Dublin.


Additional Information
On a national level, an estimated 1,400 children are living with life-limiting conditions in Ireland. There are about 350 child deaths every year – the majority in the first year of life. The Irish Hospice Foundation has committed €2.5 million to the implementation of the national policy Palliative Care for Children with Life-limiting Conditions in Ireland. The Irish Hospice Foundation funds the role of Dr Mary Devins who in June was appointed Ireland’s first Consultant in Children’s Palliative Care. The Irish Hospice Foundation has also agreed to fund five out of eight outreach nurses, who will support families caring for their children at home. Since 2007 the Irish Hospice Foundation has funded courses in children’s palliative care for nurses and healthcare professionals where over 1,500 have been trained.

Leading Irish sustainable products manufacturer Kingspan Group is the overall title sponsor for both of the Kingspan Irish Hospice Foundation Cycle Challenges.

Arthur Guinness Fund: 10 Social Entrepreneurs Awarded €650,000

Ten Irish social entrepreneurs are set to help the unemployed, save lives, improve skills and create a more dynamic, innovative Ireland with the help of a €650,000 investment from the Arthur Guinness Fund. Last Tuesday the ten entrepreneurs were announced as the recipients of the 2011 Arthur Guinness Fund with each of their unique projects receiving financial support and professional business mentoring over the next two years.

The 2011 Arthur Guinness Fund awardees are:
* Jamie Regan - Hand on Heart Enterprises: As a former accountant for St Joseph’s Centre for the Blind in Drumcondra, Jamie saw how difficult it is for blind or low vision people to find meaningful work and has developed a model for supportive enterprise that helps them get into the workplace;

* John Evoy - Irish Men’s Sheds Association: John and his colleagues are helping to create unique environments all over the country where men, particularly those hit by unemployment, can recover their self-esteem through a unique mix of education, up-skilling and health promotion;

* Robin Blandford - Decisions for Heroes: Robin has combined a background in digital media engineering with his work as a volunteer cliff rescuer to create a unique software application that enables rescue workers to spot trends and patterns in accidents and thus target their missions more effectively;

* George Boyle - The Fumbally Exchange (FEx): when the news came that her employer’s company had been liquidated, George moved fast to establish FEx, a new design hub in the heart of Dublin’s Liberties in which entrepreneurs, the unemployed, sole traders and small businesses can come together to share not just office space but ideas, energy and innovation.

* Michael Hallissy and John Hurley, H2 Learning: building on years of experience in the e-learning field, Michael Hallissy and John Hurley have set up H2 Learning and a new virtual learning platform called AdultMaths, which helps those who may be uncomfortable about returning to traditional adult education to up-skill in this critical field;

* Oisin Scollard Turn2Me - driven by the many challenges within the Irish mental health system, and prompted by a personal experience, Oisin founded Turn2Me, an online interactive community comprising of 3,500 people who help and support each other in a peer-to-peer environment.

* Stephen Plunkett - U-Casadh: A former prison officer, Stephen established U-Casadh to help former prisoners re-integrate into the workplace. The programme provides sheltered training and employment to build structure, confidence and self-esteem;

* Stuart McLaughlin:Fundit – keenly aware of the enormous challenges around employment opportunities in the creative sector, Stuart has developed a new web platform that gives the public an opportunity to ‘fund’ ideas they like in return for creative rewards;

* John Kearney - West Cork Rapid Response: by more efficiently using local voluntary resources, John and his colleagues bring to rural areas the same standard of intensive care drugs, monitoring equipment, diagnostics and skills found in the best hospital resuscitation rooms in Europe;

* Denis Roche - Vivartes – recognising the problem of anxiety and depression in care facilities, Denis has designed a web platform which enables patients to remain connected with their families, friends and the outside world.

Speaking at the announcement, Tanya Clarke, Marketing Director, Diageo Ireland said, “Arthur Guinness, the original philanthropist, provided the inspiration for the Arthur Guinness Fund and the Guinness brand is delighted to be in a position to continue his philanthropic legacy today through the Arthur Guinness Fund. Through the fund, we have encountered some amazing people who possess a business head and a social heart. In the face of a tough economic environment, they are pushing ahead and playing their part to help bring about positive social change in the communities in which they operate.”

The Arthur Guinness Fund received 450 applicants from social entrepreneurs all over Ireland. The thorough assessment process was conducted by Diageo employees, a representative from Social Entrepreneurs Ireland and a panel of external judges from the Irish social enterprise and business sectors.

Sean Coughlan, Chief Executive, Social Entrepreneurs Ireland commented: “The quality and diversity of applicants is a testament to the value of the initiative and also an indication of the strong will that is out there to come up with innovative, impactful and sustainable initiatives that the benefit communities right across Ireland.”

For further information see here or visit www.guinness.com or www.facebook.com/GuinnessIreland

Kildare Village Summer Festival

For anyone yet to experience the Kildare Village Summer Festival, I’d suggest that you look to this weekend as the perfect time to get down there. The four-week long festival brings together entertainment, shopping and Irish artisan food all within the comfortable and relaxed setting of Kildare Village. The festival, which launched on July 1st with the arrival of star guest Whitney Port, designer of Whitney Eve, may be nearly two weeks in but it isn’t losing any momentum and in my opinion is getting better and better with each passing day.

One of this years highlights for me is taking place this Friday from a specially constructed stage in the piazza. As part of the festival and to celebrate Kildare Village’s fifth anniversary there will be a free gig from Choice Music Prize nominee Cathy Davy. The free gig is on at 8pm and all you need to do is register on the site and become a VIP member of Kildare Village. Easy peasy!

Another part of the festival that I think is particularly cool is something from their star guest, Whitney Eve. Whitney has created an exclusive canvas bag for Barretstown, which is exclusively available in Kildare Village for the duration of Summertime Festival, priced at €15. Best of all, all profits go to Barretstown.

Whitney Port commented, ‘I am so excited to be the face of the Summertime Festival @ Kildare Village especially as I get to take part in my two favourite pastimes shopping and designing. I’ve created the perfect summer bag which will be sold at Kildare Village to raise money for Barretstown children’s charity. This will be my first visit to Ireland and The Summertime Festival makes Kildare Village the perfect stop for me to enjoy performances, food and entertainment this July. ‘

Dee Ahearn, CEO of Barretstown commented, 'We are delighted Kildare Village has chosen to support Barretstown in their Summertime Festival campaign with the launch of the canvas bag by Whitney Port. This year as Kildare Village celebrates their fifth anniversary, Barretstown will pass the milestone of welcoming 20,000 children and their families from Ireland and across Europe since being founded in 1994. Childhood cancer affects so many families in Ireland each year, and through the support of Kildare Village, we can continue to welcome as many campers as possible each year.’

This is really just a snapshot of everything going on and I would strongly recommend that you pop over to www.kildarevillage.com/summertimefestival for full details.

Get Your Giggle on for ReachOut.com

Having been lucky enough to work with the good people at Reachout.com before this is something a little close to my heart. On 26th July 2011 Reachout.com is hosting a comedy night at The Sugar Club. Basically this is an awesome opportunity to help raise money for ReachOut.com and have an excellent evening of comedy.

The MC for the evening is an old friend of mine and an absolutely hilarious gent, the magnificent Fred Cooke. Fred is joined by Jack Wise, Eric Lalor and Shazwanda.

Fresh from his performance at this year’s Street Performance World Championship, Jack Wise is sure to mesmerise the audience with his speciality cocktail of comedy and magic all served up with a solid slice of sarcasm. Meanwhile, the warm and energetic Lalor will leave the audience with a warm fuzzy feeling that only a belly laugh can, showing why he goes down such a treat with comedy gig goers across the land.

Keeping the boys in check with her razor sharp North Dublin wit is the disarmingly demure Shazwanda. With hair extensions and high heels galore, Shazwanda is a shining example of why the Dublin sense of humour is so side splittingly special.

For those of you not familiar with ReachOut.com I'd urge you to click through to their site and check them out. They're a service dedicated to taking the mystery out of mental health, removing the taboos and bringing mental health issues out into the open. With this event all proceeds from the sales of tickets will go to helping ReachOut.com deliver the best service it can to young people with something on their minds.

This event is kindly supported by the Macquarie Group Foundation and its Dublin staff.

Tickets cost €20, available through entertainment.ie. The event starts at 8pm and is strictly over 18s.

Guinness - The Power To Lift Us All

Today, Monday 11th July, Guinness launched a new advertising campaign in support of its GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship sponsorship. Entitled “The Power to Lift Us All” the campaign brings to life the way the game of hurling and its players inspire and thrill a nation through the unique place the game holds in our hearts. For many Irish people Hurling is more than a sport. It instils a sense of cultural and national pride.

The campaign was created by Irish International and photographed by Kevin Griffin, with photographic retouching by Taylor James.

Speaking about the campaign, Guinness Brand Manager, Barry Fitzpatrick said, “With this campaign, we wanted to recognize Hurling as a uniquely Irish icon and an inspiration for people across the country. The 2010 Hurling Final drew the biggest audience for RTE of any sporting event last year, highlighting just how highly regarded it is as the national game. Hurling is a part of what we are and has a unique ability to inspire, not only fans of the game, or of a winning county, but the whole country.”

The overall campaign will also include PR and digital activity, and a media partnership with Newtalk, which includes the Guinness Hurling Greats series of recordings with players, managers, referees and fans that bring to life iconic and game changing moments in the sport.

Stay tuned and as soon as I have more details on these additional elements I'll get them straight up, of course in the mean time make sure to check out the above graphic in it's full glory.

PhotoIreland VAI Professional Development Programme

Following an extremely successful 2010, PhotoIreland Festival is back for 2011. On top of a great lineup of exhibitions there are loads of workshops and seminars on, and the most interesting in my opinion is the PhotoIreland VAI Professional Development Programme. Visual Artists Ireland (VAI) in partnership with PhotoIreland Festival are running a limited series of professional development seminars aimed at emerging and established photographers to help in four key business areas: Professional Practice, Money Matters, Negotiation and Experience.

The four sessions take place over the closing weekend of PhotoIreland Festival on 23rd and 24th of July in La Catedral Studios off Thomas Street. While this is primarily aimed at Photographers it may be of interest to all artistic practices but places are limited so advance booking is essential. Prices are €20 for non-members and €15 for VAI members or €60 for all 4 sessions.

Professional Practice: Online marketing with Mary Carty
23/07/11 10:00 – 13:00
This session will teach you how to grow your profile, build your network and promote your work online. By using social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Flickr effectively, you can grow your audience and position yourself as an expert in your field. I will use case studies and practical walk throughs to help you get the most from your time online.

Money Matters: Preparing Proposals & Grant Applications with Eilis Lavelle & Sarah Searson
23/07/11 14:00 – 17:00
This session will look at the proposal and application preparation process in detail exploring the strategic skills required to ensure that you submission is seriously considered. The session will include information on writing and preparing, documentation or visual packages, application forms etc. It is aimed at artists who wish to apply for resources and opportunities such as: funding; residencies; exhibitions and commissions.

Negotiation: Dealing with Public/ Private Galleries with Jerome O’ Drisceoil & Karen Downey
24/07/11 10:00 – 13:00
This training session is designed to give artists the confidence and knowledge to build strong relationships with curators and to get the most out of their experience when working with a private or public gallery. It will look at: Do’s and don’ts in approaching or presenting work to galleries. Being clear on why you want to exhibit; clarity of the artist’s intention for the artwork; clarity of ambition and expected outcomes for an exhibition. It will also examine roles and responsibilities for both the artists and the gallery. Understanding element of planning an exhibition, time-line, budget and production value. The expectations and motivations for an exhibition from both the gallery’s and artist’s perspectives.

Experience: Career Options with Anthony Luvera; Dragana Jurisic; Liam Campbell & Stephanie Joy
24/07/11 14:00 – 17:00
This session is aimed at emerging photographers and is designed to show them the variety of career options available to them. Our panelists have a variety of careers and availed of numerous and varied opportunities all within the umbrella of photography. From commercial photography to book publishing and from teaching to collaborating, each of our panelists will explain how they came to be in their current position and the opportunities and decisions that accompany them.


For more information and booking go to www.visualartists.ie/education or contact Donna on +353 (0)86 3505 722 or donna.kiernan@gmail.com

Be a Budweiser Ice Cold Index Weatherman

By now I’m sure you’re well aware of the Buweiser Ice Cold Index and its spokesman, Ireland’s newest weather man Scott Campbell. In an exciting development of the campaign, Scott has landed in Ireland and has announced that he’s here to search for his weather presenting co-star. Scott is looking for one lucky individual to star alongside him and present a weather bulletin that will be broadcast on national television.

Speaking about his visit, Scott said, “I’m excited to finally arrive in Ireland and begin the search for my co-star. I’m guessing it’s going to be tough competition as I’ve heard the Irish really have the gift of the gab and combined with that great Irish charm, these are the key ingredients I’m looking for.”

As the face of Budweiser Ice Cold Index, Scott is recognisable for his slick weather presenting style both on TV and on outdoor ads all over Ireland for the last couple of months. Scott’s co-star will need to be just as effortlessly cool, and exude a instant likeability, as well as bringing buckets of charisma and charm. Essentially, Scott wants someone who can inject that Index excitement into their weather bulletin and really help to make this summer in Ireland a whole lot more interesting.

To kick off the search and to celebrate the USA’s biggest holiday, Scott is hosting a 4th July party from 6pm in DTwo, Harcourt Street, Dublin 2 on Thursday 30th June. With help MC’ing from Today FM’s Ray Foley and music from Fourplay DJs (98FM’s Steven Cooper, Rory Lynam, FM104’s Killian O’Sullivan and Q102’s Ray Shah), this is your chance to put yourself forward.

Dublin is the first of three heats in the search for Scott’s co-star. Scott will continue his search at the Galway Races and also in Cork later in the summer. Each finalist selected from the three heats will win €1,000 and go through to the final heat to win the overall prize which includes starring alongside Scott on national TV and winning the ultimate holiday to Los Angeles.

To check out Scott and keep up-to-date with the search for his co-star, visit the Facebook page where there will also be regular competitions, updates from Scott and invitations to the hottest events throughout the summer. You can also follow Scott on Twitter.

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.