Michael Cullen assesses the current mood in adland and looks back at some of the highs and lows from the year that was – including the best ads
A report by adland’s industry body on the year that was shows the economic tide seems to have turned and there is good reason to be cautiously optimistic about the coming year. The Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland (IAPI) now has 50 members with an estimated total of 1,486 employees.
Simply Zesty and Core Media signed up as new subscribers this year.
Events in 2015 events resulted in 1,575 attendances, up 44 per cent on 2014. IAPI events include the Doyenne award to honour talented and influential women in adland. This year’s winner was PHD’s Gemma Teeling. Despite cries of sexism from some quarters, advocates defend the award as a way of trying to right the gender balance among agency management.
IAPI signed up to the annual Cannes Lions Festival. A competition was held which saw four young people from agencies being jetted off to the French Riviera to experience the world’s top creative festival at close quarters. A record 59 delegates from Ireland attended and €25,000 was spent on a microsite. Tania Banotti filed reports for the Irish Independent.
Rothco brought home took a bronze Lion in the crisis communications and issues management category for its Shred of Decency campaign for the Yes side in the marriage equality referendum. Submissions for IAPI/AAI CopyClear were up by 19 per cent year on year. Events during the year included Inspire sessions, The Big Grill and Futureheads.
IAPI’s Rant Night has become a regular IAPI gig. Agency folk take to the stage in the Sugar Club to let off some steam and talk candidly about issues niggling them. Former Chemistry director Fintan Cooney, above, did well in articulating his new lease of life since swopping the frenetic world of advertising for a funeral director’s role with Fanagans.
Hearing adlanders rant came fourth in a list of top five IAPI events. Ping Pong agency wars got the biggest vote with a 28 per cent rating – 277 people attending, followed by a seminar on the value of advertising run jointly with TAM on 25 per cent, and Future Foundation in third spot with 22 per cent. Rant Night scored 14 per cent and Cannesalysis was on 11 points.
Boys and Girls got the prize as the agency whose people attended most events, followed by DDFH&B, Rothco, McCannBlue, Publicis, Radical, Chemistry, Javelin, In the Company of Huskies and Target McConnells. DDFH&B Group’s Reputations Agency handles IAPI’s PR. Based on last year’s coverage, the media value return was put at about €1 million.
In keeping with the growing mood of cautious optimism, Irish International reported that improved consumer sentiment and behaviour shows the country is coping better and easing off the breaks that were applied during the recession. There also appears to more reason to be upbeat about consumer welfare and a belief in better times ahead for 2016.
As Ireland’s economy recovers, jobless numbers are down while retail sales, consumer confidence and GDP are on the up. The agency’s latest ‘Mood & Momentum’ study shows an easing off in the effort Irish people feel they need to make in managing their personal finances and household budgets. While shoppers are still driven by discounts and deals, consumers don’t seem to be quite as anxious to chase value as they were in recent years.
Brand loyalty is on the rise, while consumer demand for private label is down – always a sign things are going up a gear. Coupled with that, big item purchases like cars and household furniture on back on shopping lists. A greater interest in buying clothes shows a return to more relaxed spending. Mental health and keeping fit are now high priorities.
Reports by Behaviour & Attitudes and Red C are broadly in line with the pervasive mood of cautious optimism. The macro economy continues to move along nicely as employment figures rise and Government surplus improves. With the Budget done and dusted, the Irish consumer is more upbeat about 2016 than at any time since the recession hit.
Happy New Year.
Best marketing campaign: Tourism Ireland’s Game of Thrones
Tourism Ireland linked up with HBO to use Game of Thrones themes in promoting the North as a holiday destination. The campaign caught the public imagination with its White Walkers in Belfast city centre and the giant footsteps on the beach at Portstewart. The campaign took the top prize in the best travel category at the International Content Marketing Awards in London, seeing off nine other nominees, including British Airways and Qantas.
Best TV ad: Eircom relaunch as Eir
Forget about the army of drones used to shoot the Skelligs’ scenes for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the imagery and music to roll out Eir captured TV viewers’ attention. Mind you, having a €5 million budget definitely helps. Composer John Walsh adapted the Fionnghuala Scots-Irish tune to produce ‘mouth music’. Hats off to the creatives at DDFH&B.
Most amusing TV ad: Aldi’s Fuss, Bye and Compliments series by Boys and Girls.
Top campaign: Rothco and Daintree Paper for its Shred of Decency campaign for the Yes side in the marriage equality referendum. Negative messages and “100 per cent recycled lies” which appeared in leaflets and flyers for the No side were turned into heart-shaped confetti.
Ireland’s most trusted corporate brand: RepTrak says it’s Bord Bia.
Best jingle: The soundtrack for Eir’s epic TV ad, created by DDFH&B. The music was the work of composer John Walsh, left, and his Symphonics crew.
Top broadcaster: Keelin Shanley
Shanley’s morning TV show may have been axed but in presenting The Consumer Show on RTE One, or as part of the Morning Ireland team on Radio 1, her talent shines. Her years working behind the scenes as a researcher/producer paid off.
Top media agency: Core Media
For its overall business performance last year and being voted one of Europe’s 100 best workplaces at the European Conference of the Great Place to Work Institute in Luxembourg the ever-expanding media group, led by Alan Cox, again assumes pole position.
Top creative agency: Rothco
Not only did Rothco win in Cannes, but the agency also did remarkably well in adding Tesco and Fáilte Ireland to the great work it does for AIB, Dublin Bus, Hailo, Heineken, Lyons Tea and Gas Networks Ireland, with safety warnings from the Ronnie Drew-sounding canary.
Top digital agency: Eightytwenty
The agency’s ‘Swiping Out Sex Trafficking’ campaign for the Immigrant Council of Ireland won at Eurobest. The campaign was reported as having notched up over 100,000 social shares and engagements globally, with earned media value of over €1.5 million.
Top PR agency: Thinkhouse
Jane McDaid, left, and her team of youth communications experts continue to make strides.
Best new launch: Orchard Thieves
Heineken Ireland’s move into Ireland’s €366 million cider market with Orchard Thieves saw Fiona Curtin among the Marketer of the Year finalists. The Dutch brewer claims to be spending €20m in chasing Bulmers and the growing number of new cider market entrants.
Top industry executive: Marie Therese Campbell
For her tireless work in making sure all the t’s are crossed and i’s dotted at the Marketing Institute, Marie Therese Campbell, right, deserves the honour.
Best deal: Brown Bag Films
Cathal Gaffney, 45, and Darragh O’Connell, 42, sold out to Canadian studio 9 Story for a reported €16 million, with the two animators bagging the spoils.
Best TV drama: Red Rock
TV3 was up against it with the arrival of UTV Ireland and the loss of Corrie. But fair play to the broadcaster, now part of Liberty Global’s Virgin Media, in pulling out all the stops and rolling out the soap set in a Garda station. The acting, script and production values make for an arresting experience. TV3 sold the rights for 80 episodes to Amazon Prime.
PR coup of the year: The Shelbourne on RTE One
Anyone who can get a top hotel profiled in a primetime RTE series deserves a medal. To all the team at the Shelbourne Renaissance – not least general manager Stephen Hanley, executive head chef Garry Hughes and HR boss Maebh Breathnach – take a bow. As for erecting such a life-like exterior wrap during the renovations, bouquets to AD Design.
Best PR idea: Lobbying control
Making sure all lobbying and public affairs activity is officially reported. Given the recent controversies surrounding some county councillors, the change is not before its time.
Sweetest idea: Bloom
For Lily O’Brien’s ‘Is chocolate better than sex?’ UK roadshow.
Best use of celebrity in ads: NDC
The hiring of rugby stars Rob and Dave Kearney to promote dairy takes some beating. Mind you, any brand still lucky enough to have boxer Katie Taylor in its corner is blessed.
Biggest surprise: TV3 and how well it tackled all 48 matches in the Rugby World Cup.
Biggest disappointment: UTV Ireland’s schedule.
Best actor in a mini-series: Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul.
Best supporting actor in a mini-series: Kirsten Dunst in Fargo, above with Jesse Plemons.
Book of the year: Paul Feldwick’s The Anatomy of Humbug, which was reviewed by John Fanning in the July/August issue.
Best agency party: The Publicis summer carnival with the Jerry Fish Electric Sideshow.
Quote of the year: “With about 1,545 people in adland, there are 17 different award shows with 944 gongs each year – the industry spends €3,200 per person on each award show” – MediaVest’s Michael Clancy, left, with a reminder on why advertising is a cosmetic exercise.
Absent friends: McCannBlue boss Orlaith Blaney exited adland – but do not be surprised if she resurfaces on the client side. PR man and sports presenter Bill O’Herlihy, broadcaster Derek Davis, Today FM’s Tony Fenton, Behaviour & Attitudes’ co-founder Graham Wilkinson and Ogilvy’s Hugh Mair died during the year. May they rest in peace.
Michael Cullen is editor of Marketing.ie
