Freerunning Takes to the High Seas

Freerunning takes to the high seas with Thomson Platinum Cruises

For the first time ever, freerunning has taken to the high seas as world renowned Parkour professionals are captured on film leaping over stairwells, jumping from balconies and even scaling the side of the ship.

The short film was created by record breaking freerunning team, 3RUN who’ve worked on Hollywood blockbusters like Casino Royale and Harry Potter and use awe inspiring stunts to give customers a unique look at the makeover on the Thomson Dream.

Filmed against the stunning backdrop of the Caribbean, the freerunners pushed their bodies to the limit as they were captured flipping over the pool, vaulting tables in the restaurants and even recreating the iconic ship’s flag 20 feet above deck.

The film ends with a glimpse of the 3RUN crew relaxing with cocktails on a nearby Caribbean beach, having left the newly renovated ship and swam ashore.

Fraser Ellacott, Managing Director of Thomson Cruises says: “To celebrate the launch of the two newly renovated ships to sea and with 64,000 people expected to travel on the new Platinum Cruise ships this summer, we wanted to do something completely different to showcase the renovations. Partnering with 3RUN gave us the opportunity to highlight the multi-million pound makeovers in a truly entertaining way. We’ve moved towards a more contemporary look and feel onboard both the Thomson Dream and Celebration with refurbished cabins, revamped restaurants and bars and a luxurious spa and wanted to show it off in an equally modern way.”

Chase Armitage, CEO of 3RUN says: “The new look Thomson Dream provided the ideal free running playground for us to create some never done before stunts that show off both the ship and the skills of our team. In true action film style we’ve tried to create content that will entertain every generation.”

Heineken's New TV Commercial

Heineken - The Kick

Heineken’s brand new TV ad launches tonight. It’s another great rugby themed ad which was filmed in the south of France (fitting, given both the HCup finalists are both French!) by Irish agency Rothco.

Today Heineken Ireland unveils a brand new TV commercial that is sure to excite rugby fans in the lead up to Europe’s most prestigious rugby competition, the Heineken Cup final. The all-French final culminates at Aviva Stadium, Dublin on 18th May and to whet fans’ appetites for the clash, Heineken, the tournament’s title sponsor, has come up with another engaging mini-movie to feast your eyes on. ‘The Kick’ is the next installment of a number of successful ads that continue Heineken’s theme of stepping up to the challenge and reaping the rewards.

‘The Kick’, a fun and lighthearted tale documents one man’s epic journey through an iconic French town v chasing the unpredictable bounce of a precious rugby ball. From a scrum with a rogue flock of sheep to a quick-reacting truck driver and a solid lineout lift in the ever-twisting and turning chase, the protagonist steps up to each challenge with imagination and reaps the final reward of a cold Heineken in the closing scene.

The ad was created by independent Irish creative agency Rothco and was shot over four days in the picturesque settings of three towns, St Paul de Vence, Frejus and Valbonne, in the south of France. The main cast is mostly made up of locals from the three towns; this gifted the TV commercial with an authenticity that Heineken seeks at every occasion. Renowned for his visual and emotive productions, Director, Steve Cope (Rattling Stick) worked seamlessly alongside Oscar- nominated Director of Photography, Barry Ackroyd (The Hurtlocker), to create the mini-movie which will air from this evening May 3rd. The music is ‘Sing Sing Sing’ by Benny Goodman.

Bushmills Live 2013

Bushmills Live 2013 ft Of Monsters and Men

Bushmills Live has announced the second wave of artists and the big news is that Jake Bugg has joined the line up with, Sons and Lovers, who have just finished touring the UK with Ellie Goulding and US artists, One Republic; Willy Mason and Bear’s Den, who have both toured heavily with Mumford & Sons earlier this year; and friends of the festival and successful Northern Irish singer songwriters, Iain Archer and Foy Vance.

Breakthrough act of the year, British singer-songwriter Jake Bugg has today been added to the bill for Bushmills Live 2013, alongside headliners Of Monsters and Men. Troubadour Jake Bugg will perform for an audience of just 500 at Bushmills Live in June, ahead of taking to the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury this summer.

Jake will be in good company at the festival, playing alongside Sons and Lovers, who have just finished touring the UK with Ellie Goulding and US artists, One Republic; Willy Mason and Bear’s Den, who have both toured heavily with Mumford & Sons earlier this year; and friends of the festival and successful Northern Irish singer songwriters, Iain Archer and Foy Vance.

Iain and Foy are set to make a triumphant return to Bushmills Live following electric performances in 2012. Since playing at the festival last year Foy has toured Europe and the US with Ed Sheeran and Iain has worked with headliner Jake Bugg to co-write and produce tracks for his number one debut album, earning them an Ivor Novello Award nomination*.

With just days to go until the draw for tickets closes, Iain reveals he is looking forward to playing at the festival in the Old Bushmills Distillery: “Bushmills Live is a unique experience: the line-up could rival some of the biggest festivals but with a much smaller crowd in a really cool setting. It’s really like a festival of friends hanging out and making some great music together. I’m really looking forward to seeing Jake playing live - although we’ve written and produced together, we’ve never actually been on the same live bill so this will be a first.”

“With last year’s festival being such a smash, it was always going to be a challenge to improve on the line up - that said, I think we’ve done it. One of the goals with the festival is to offer an event that is special for fans and performers alike. With the festival circuit in the UK growing annually, it’s a real challenge to create a day that stands out. We hope that Bushmills Live will be a festival that everyone looks forward to,” commented Graham Brown, festival curator. He continued: “I’m really pleased to be part of such an event that hosts internationally-renowned acts alongside critically-acclaimed emerging artists in such a unique setting. If you haven’t entered the draw for tickets yet enter now - don’t miss out!”

Tickets cannot be bought for the 500 person event which takes place on 19th and 20th June 2013 in the grounds of the historic Old Bushmills Distillery on Ireland’s stunning North Coast. Instead these can be won by entering a draw on the Bushmills Irish Whiskey Facebook page – facebook.com/bushmills1608* entry closes at 23:59 on 5th May 2013.

*To win tickets to Bushmills Live or to find out more, visit facebook.com/bushmills1608. Entry closes at 23:59GMT 5th May 2013. Winners will be notified by 9th May. Terms and conditions apply.

Samsung Galaxy S4

Three Unboxing Of The NEW Samsung Galaxy S4

This weekend, Three Ireland have released the Samsung Galaxy S4. As a preview to this much anticipated piece of technology, Three filmed the above ‘unboxing’ video of the handset to showcase its features and whet the appetite of fans. Three have also announced that the handset will retail for €99 on their Classic Flex Max plan.

About the Samsung Galaxy S4:
· Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 operating system, 5 inch screen.
· Lighter and thinner than its older brother the SIII, but still packs a battery that’s almost 25% larger
· More energy efficient processor and a new improved Super AMOLED display that requires less power
· Dual Camera take pictures with both cameras at the same time
· Dual Video Call allows user to show video chat companions what both views
· S Translator instantly translates voice or text, enabling foreign language phonecalls while travelling
· Smart Pause lets the user control the device with their eyeballs. Galaxy S 4 will know to pause the clip when no one is looking
· Smart Scroll recognizes where the user is looking and how they’re tilting the phone, and scrolls pages accordingly
· Air Gestures - scroll through items without even touching the screen, just have to wave a hand over the screen
· Air View - preview items by hovering your finger over items, such as emails, on the screen
· S Voice Drive - keep safe on the road by automatically converting text to voice when the phone connects to a car via Bluetooth
· S Health, along with the various sensors built into the Galaxy S 4, turns this smartphone into a fitness tracker
· EA Games have provided 16 optimized games on the Google Play store, including The Sims, Simpsons; Tapped Out and Need For Speed: Most Wanted

AIB Unveils Dedicated Digital Banking Store

Launch of The Lab AIB at Dundrum Town Centre

AIB have opened Ireland’s first digital banking store, The Lab (Learn about banking). Opened in Dundrum Town Centre and launched by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Mr Pat Rabbitte, The Lab is an innovative learning environment designed to help customers to maximise their use of existing and emerging technologies in banking services. Through dedicated and specially trained staff, The Lab showcases the best in class digital banking. The Lab is open to the public seven days a week during the centre’s opening hours.

AIB’s Director of Personal, Business and Corporate Banking, Bernard Byrne said "The Lab is a live research centre where customers will have one-on-one support and advice when learning about, and becoming familiar with, new banking technologies. Our mobile and online banking offerings are market-leading, yet almost half our customers have yet to embrace digital banking. Based in Dundrum Town Centre which has an annual footfall of 19 million people, The Lab will be accessible to a huge consumer base to demonstrate the range of technologies that allow their best use of banking services. It will give current - and potential- customers an insight into the benefits of marrying technology with banking."

The Lab provides an environment where customers can experiment with, and be guided through, self-service banking platforms in four zones:
(a) A Product Browsing Zone with an interactive learning wall where visitors can browse through products and services and video booths where visitors can video call financial advisors seven days a week for advice on home mortgages and other products.
(b) The SME area with dedicated meeting rooms for customer and bank meetings and an area where customers can learn more about digitising their business beyond banking.
(c) The Innovation Zone where customers will have first access to trialing innovations in mobile and online banking.
(d) A Self Service Banking Zone with mobile and online demonstration installations. A social media wall will also sit in this area with live streams from Facebook and Twitter.

Importantly, from a customer and commercial standpoint a majority of day to day transactions banking services will also be available in the Lab.

Over the coming months, The Lab will be used by AIB to unveil the next phase of banking innovations including Person to Person payments, a Personal Financial Management tool, a new SME online proposition and alerting functionality to allow customers more control of their finances.

SKY Launches €10 Million Marketing Campaign

Sky Ireland - Sky Broadband Has Arrived

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

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

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

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

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

MiWadi Brings Storytime to Life with MiBooks

MiWadi MiBook TV Ad

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

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