Planning, Creativity & Planning For Creative Campaigns

A really great presentation given by Heidi Hackemer for the Account Planning Group.

hat tip to Neil Perkin for sharing this :)

Smirnoff Celebrates Madonna's MDNA With New VIP Limited Edition Pack

To celebrate the start of Madonna’s 2012 World Tour and her 12th studio album ‘MDNA’, Smirnoff today announced the launch of a new Limited Edition pack that offers fans the opportunity to experience Madonna like never before.

The first part of the Limited Edition pack is a VIP access card. This gives fans the ability to unlock never-seen-before backstage content and grants access to an exclusive download of Madonna’s latest remix track ‘Give Me All Your Luvin’ – Just Blaze Bionic Dub’.

Secondly, fans have the chance to win exclusive tickets to see Mags in one of her upcoming gigs. Finally the whole thing is presented in an eye-catching nightlife-inspired pack.

The pack is available from all major high street retailers.

Rocky Road to Poland

Today, Thursday 3rd May, Three announced they are teaming up with a host of Irish music talent and Today FM’s Ray D’Arcy to release the eagerly awaited Official Republic of Ireland Song for Euro 2012.

‘The Rocky Road to Poland’ has been recorded by Damien Dempsey, Danny O’Reilly (Coronas), Bressie and The Dubliners (John Sheehan, Barney McKenna, Eamonn Campbell and Patsy Watchhorn), and was written by the Today FM Show’s listeners. Also, all proceeds are going to the John Giles Foundation and Today FM’s Shave or Dye campaign for the Irish Cancer Society.

The Irish Euro 2012 Squad and Ray D’Arcy Show listeners also feature on the track which was produced by the legendary John Reynolds. Costing just €3, the song will be available to buy in all Three Stores nationwide, 3Spots, all major music retailers, and available to download on iTunes and from the 3Music Store.

Bressie, The Ray D’Arcy Show and Three Ireland are calling all fans to Go Green with Pride and support the Official Republic of Ireland Song for Euro 2012 “The Rocky Road to Poland” in the aim to scale the charts showing that #SupportWorks. In a fitting tribute and support towards one of the artists involved, the single will also be a tribute to The Dubliners’, Barney McKenna who sadly passed away recently after the recording.

Commenting on the launch, Sales and Marketing director, Elaine Carey at Three, said: “As proud sponsors of the Republic of Ireland football team, we’re delighted to be launching the Rocky Road to Poland, with Ray D’Arcy and Bressie, and supporting two very worthy causes. The song was created by real Republic of Ireland supporters and we’re calling on all the fans to support it in the run up to Poland. We will be announcing a host of additional activities in the coming weeks to give Republic of Ireland fans the chance to go green with pride, and show “Support Works” for the team this summer.”

Commenting on the launch Bressie said: “I vividly remember Euro ’88 and it was the start of my love affair with sport. To be performing on the official Irish song for Euro 2012 is emotional!”

Commenting on the launch, Ray D’Arcy from the Ray D’Arcy Show said: “We’re very proud of the song and hope lots of people buy the single to support the Irish team this summer and help two great charities.”

Richard Dunne launches Three Ireland Samsung Supporters Kit

This week, Three announced their partnership with Republic of Ireland defender, Richard Dunne for the launch of their Samsung Supporters Kit. The kit, which includes a limited edition Samsung Galaxy Mini, is available from Monday 7th May and is priced at €89.

The Kit includes; a limited edition Samsung Galaxy Mini featuring a branded FAI supporters mobile handset cover, a watch, a ‘Support Works’ car sticker and Republic of Ireland football supporter’s pin. The kit will be available from all 3Stores and stockists nationwide and online at Three.ie, while stocks last.

The limited edition Samsung Galaxy Mini comes preloaded with two great football Apps for Republic of Ireland supporters; the 3Football App and Three Football Flick Kick game.

The 3Football App features regular newsfeeds on all of the action in Poland, squad announcements, fixtures, live match commentary, results and tables. It will also feature a Fanzone that will incorporate all the details of additional exciting initiatives from Three to support the Republic of Ireland Team as they’re announced, competitions to win lots of goodies, and a special Club Offer.

Commenting on the launch Richard Dunne said: “I am delighted to be in Dublin today to announce the launch of the Three Ireland Samsung Supporters Kit. As we get closer to June, we need our supporters to get behind the team and show their support! The 3Football App will give fans the chance to have all the updates on the squad, live commentary on the matches and the chance to win lots of football prizes at the touch of a button.”

Commenting on the launch, Sales and Marketing director, Elaine Carey at Three, said: “As proud sponsors of the Republic of Ireland football team, we’re delighted to be launching the Three Ireland Samsung Supporters Kit, marking the first step in our campaign to support the team in the run-up to Poland in June. The limited edition Samsung Galaxy Mini handset is preloaded with the fantastic new 3Football App - a must have for all Footie fans to show their support for the team and keep close to what’s happening on the ground in Poland. We will be announcing a host of additional activities in the coming weeks to give Republic of Ireland fans the chance to go green with pride, and show “Support Works” for the team this summer.”

For further information on Three Football visit www.3football.ie

Guinness Mid-Strength Taste Test Tour

As you may have heard, Guinness is rolling out its Mid-Strength 2.8% brew across the country, and to celebrate the roll-out they have announced details of a taste test tour to Dublin, Cork, Mayo and Belfast. The tour will be kicking off in The Leopardstown Inn, Brewery Road, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin from 7:30pm tomorrow, Thursday 26th April.

Hosted by Guinness Master Brewer Fergal Murray and former Irish rugby international and Guinness Mid-Strength ambassador Mick Galwey, the free events are an opportunity for Guinness lovers to do the Guinness Mid-Strength taste test and get a fascinating insight into the brewing process and history behind the iconic Irish stout. Fergal and Mick will also teach people on the night how to pour the perfect pint and award prizes for the best attempts.

Murray said, “I’m really looking forward to visiting The Leopardstown Inn as I know they are passionate about Guinness too in that part of Dublin. I’m interested to get feedback on Guinness Mid-Strength. We invested a lot of time in developing this product so that there is no compromise on taste. I am always delighted to share the history, stories and heritage of the brand with people. It’s also great to have Mick Galwey with me on tour. I admired him as a sportsman and he is a friend of ours for a long time.”

As a Guinness Master Brewer and a global Guinness ambassador, Fergal Murray has poured pints for a huge number of important and famous people including the Queen of England. Murray has also taste tested Guinness in almost every country where it is served and is the international spokesperson for the brand.

Tour events will take place as follows:
Cork - 9th May - Fox & Hound, Ballyvolane, Cork City
Mayo - 17th May - Matt Molloy's, Westport, Co Mayo
Belfast - 23rd May - TBC

To register for the free Taste Test tour events and for a list of Guinness Mid-Strength sampling events and bars serving the stout, go to facebook.com/GuinnessIreland.

In other exciting Mid-Strength news, from mid-April you can walk into any pub nationwide stocking Guinness Mid-Strength and ask the bar tender to do the Guinness Mid-Strength Taste Test. This is a cool pub activity where you can blind taste a complimentary Guinness and Guinness Mid-Strength to see if you can taste the difference.

Guinness Mid-Strength is currently available in 750 pub outlets across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Three Expands Free Bitbuzz Wi-Fi To All Smartphones

Pippa O’Connor revealing Ireland’s biggest Wi-Fi hotspots this spring

Today, Three announced that they will be expanding their partnership with Bitbuzz to provide free Wi-Fi to all their Smartphone customers. Since July 2010, all Three’s iPhone customers have been able to avail of free Wi-Fi through Bitbuzz, but today's news means that Three’s Android users can also avail of Bitbuzz Wi-Fi. The agreement marks the most significant data offload deal to-date in Ireland.

Elaine Carey, Sales and Marketing Director at Three commented: “Three are delighted to expand our partnership with Bitbuzz, offering free Wi-Fi connectivity to all our smartphone customers. Three is committed to leading the smartphone marketplace forward and see this enhanced offering as not only offering our customers more choice but also continuing to deliver on this promise.”

“Following our success with the initial offering for iPhones, we are confident that the demand for free Wi-Fi will increase with our expansion across Three’s other smartphone customers,” said Shane Deasy, Managing Director, Bitbuzz. “It is very clear that Three has a real belief in Wi-Fi, and this agreement underscores that. It is also a fact that handhelds are a significant force in the explosion in demand for Wi-Fi.”

The partnership, which features hotspots nationwide, including all Three’s thirty retail stores, is open to both Three prepay and bill pay customers. This also means that on top of Three’s iPhone Bitbuzz Wi-Fi App, Three will now also offer a Bitbuzz App in the Android Marketplace. Both these developments represent a significant strengthening of the strategic partnership between Three Ireland and Bitbuzz.

Click here for a full list of Bitbuzz hotspots in the Republic of Ireland.

Ballygowan Launches 'Drink It In' Campaign

Ballygowan has just launched a brand new campaign, "Drink It In", celebrating the brand's new look and design and driving uptake within the 20 to 30 year old market. The campaign not only features a TV ad, but also utilises radio, PR and social media.

Speaking today at the official launch of the new campaign, Head of Marketing for Ballygowan, Leonie Doyle said “Water boasts so many benefits to both body and mind that help you to feel your best inside and out, and we wanted to celebrate this power and brilliance with a whole new look for Ballygowan, encouraging the nation to drink it in."

She continued: “Our ‘Drink It In’ campaign brings this celebration to life. We wanted to create something that would resonate with our target consumer and the result is a really uplifting, positive and engaging production that we are really excited about sharing. It shows water doing some amazing things and people having fun with it.”

Meeting House Square in Dublin’s Temple Bar was selected as the location for the ad for its fresh new look, offering an undeniably Irish contemporary backdrop. The advert dives into the everyday lives of modern Irish people who have been delighted and captivated by the power and brilliance of water using an innovative water display mechanism called “Aquagraphics”. The technology creates aqua visuals which tell the story of Ballygowan’s journey from rainclouds to the bottle.

Speaking about the making of the ad, Director, Gavin Kelly of Piranha Bar said “Ballygowan set us an exciting challenge and we are thrilled with how the piece has come together. We searched for something that would allow us to use water in an impactful way and decided to let water do the talking. Using Aquagraphics are telling the powerful story of a great Irish brand – the clouds coming in from the Atlantic, filtering through limestone for centuries and flowing into Ballygowan, the pure mineral water as we find it today. The end result is an outdoor water spectacle that celebrates both Ballygowan and water itself, and is the centrepiece of the ad that we believe will draw viewers in.”

The chosen track to accompany the ad titled “Outdoors” by up-and-coming County Down band Kowalski, was selected for its “sense of vibrancy and flow that works in perfect harmony with the movement and energy of the water”.

The Ballygowan campaign was developed by Irish advertising agency Cawley Nea TBWA and post produced by Piranha Bar, a Dublin based Creative Content Studio and Production Facility.

“Drink It In” will air on television screens for the first time tomorrow, Thursday, 12th April 2012.

For more details and behind the scenes footage log onto Facebook.com/BallygowanIrishWater.


Making of the ad FACTS:

• It was filmed over a 15 hour shoot day. It required two days transcoding, 4 days editing and several days compositing and grading, together with several days animation time also.
• It is a sophisticated blend of high end digital film with green screen compositing, computer generated assets, relighting tools and skilled retouching.
• The final look of the film is created with Lustre - a film grading tool regularly used on blockbuster films like Lord of the Rings and King Kong!
• The ad would not have worked using CGI along - which augmented the real thing, so when people get wet in the ad – they really do get wet!
• The Aquagraphics installation consists of two layers made up of 380 separate nozzles per metre (the main screen was 9 metres long!) which are linked to a computer which then triggers the action of the nozzles by scanning the lines of a computer image. The nozzles trigger on and off in a fraction of a second, creating 'water pixels' which cascade downwards in the pattern of the original image.
• The Aquagraphic screen recycles all of the water it uses from a small reservoir making it completely sustainable.