Cullen Communications PR Agency Ireland work in literature and graphic design services

Advertising

Ford Mondeo launch 2007 Client: Ford Ireland

Background

The launch of a new Ford Mondeo in 2007 was of huge strategic importance to Ford Ireland. The new Mondeo would be a key model in a marketplace moving towards premium brands, enabling Ford to compete on an equal footing with Toyota and VW.

Objectives

Genererate widespread awareness of the all new Ford Mondeo through national advertising.

Communicate key product characteristics, in particular the new Mondeo’s stylish re-design.

Help to put new Mondeo in a strong position to win the 2008 Irish Car of the Year award, and also start the new year as Ireland’s best-selling car in its class.

Strategy

We devised an Italian 'al fresco' theme for the national dealer launch, supported by a broad press and radio advertising campaign.

The campaign highlighted the possibility of winning a 'test drive in Tuscany' – anyone who test-drove the new Mondeo at their local Ford dealer would be in with a chance of winning a holiday in Florence.

Adopting an Italian theme was a bold move for Ford, a brand not generally associated with Italy. However, by linking the new Mondeo to Italy in all advertising activity, we were able to establish and highlight the car’s style credentials.

Evaluation

The launch campaign was a success, with Ford dealers nationwide reporting widespread interest in test-driving the new Mondeo.

Style was a recurring theme in the press coverage associated with the new Mondeo.

Mondeo went on to become Ireland’s best-selling car in the crucial January/February sales market, reflecting a strong level of product awareness.

Mondeo also won the 2008 Irish Car of the Year award.

"The new Mondeo was one of the most important product launches we've ever devised with our agency. We had a number of key objectives to achieve, chief of which was generating public interest in the car at a time of year (summer) when not many people are thinking about new cars. On all fronts, we were successful."
Eddie Murphy, Chairman & Managing Director, Ford Ireland

Newspaper recycling campaign Client: National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI)

Background

In 2006, National Newspapers of Ireland conducted a comprehensive study of newsprint waste and recycling trends in the Republic of Ireland.

The study found that 63% of all newspapers and magazines were recycled – an increase of 35% since 2002 – while more than half of all newsprint used by Irish publishers was made up of recycled paper.

As well as spearheading a range of initiatives designed to improve the efficiency of the newspaper supply chain, NNI also pledged to target newspaper readers with the recycling message.

Objectives

Raise awareness of the need to recycle old newspapers.

Maximise the amount of newsprint that goes to recycling.

Strategy

We developed a newspaper advertising campaign based on the key message arising from our 2006 study: that thanks to the efforts of Irish newspaper readers, the amount of newsprint being recycled had risen by 35% in four years.

We also developed a dedicated newspaper logo which, like the ad campaign, highlighted a simple ‘Keep recycling newspapers’ message.

We secured the agreement of all NNI member titles to carry at least one (if not both) of the two ads in the campaign. In most cases, the newspapers also agreed to give the ad a prominent position.

Most NNI titles also committed to carrying the 'Recycling' logo on their front or inside-front page.

Evaluation

As always, the key indicator is: how much newsprint is being recycled?

In a further study in 2007, NNI found that recycling had risen to 73.7% since the ad campaign was published. That’s an increase of 16.5% in just one year.

NNI received an award from the European Recovered Paper Council in recognition of its efforts in promoting newspaper recycling.

NNI’s recycling ad campaign was widely praised by the European Newspaper Publisher Association, and several national newspaper associations (including Canada) have singled out the NNI campaign as a good example of how to raise awareness of the issue.

Promotions

‘Drive to Fitness’ Client: Ford Ireland

Background

Like every car-maker, our client Ford relies heavily on the fleet market. Indeed, more than 30% of all the cars and vans sold in Ireland by Ford are driven by ‘professional’ drivers – company reps, small business owners etc.

What do we know about the men and women who drive Ford vehicles for a living? We know who they work for and, roughly, what type of driving they do – whether they’re inspecting beer taps, delivering building supplies or running a catering company.

These people, and their jobs, are vital to the Irish economy. It’s in the national interest that they keep fit, keep healthy – and keep driving. But how healthy are they? What sort of lifestyle do they have? And how does their driving affect their health?

Objectives

• Raise awareness of lifestyle issues for people who drive for a living.
• Make available a range of information designed to help drivers achieve a healthier lifestyle.
• Position Ford as a positive influence and authority on motoring issues.

Strategy

We teamed up with Fleet Transport magazine to conduct some research about the eating and exercising habits of company car and van drivers – and the results were not good.

74% of drivers admitted to being overweight. (Even allowing for those who, ahem, stretched the truth slightly, that’s still a massive 18% more than the general adult population.)

41% regularly eat lunch in their vehicles – of these, 46% eat a packed lunch while 24% get a takeaway lunch, e.g. from a service station.

30% of drivers smoke. (Compared with less than 25% of the general adult population.) Of these, 95% smoke more than 30 cigarettes per day.

Despite all this, 57% of drivers maintain that they are fit and healthy! (Which is just as well – 92% say their employers do not provide any type of medical screening.)

In the face of this rather damning evidence, Ford decided to launch an initiative that would encourage and help drivers to attain a healthier lifestyle.

We called the programme ‘Drive to Fitness’. The strategy was simple – get the relevant information into the hands of long-haul drivers, explaining the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle and providing them with some ‘easy’ tips on how to be healthier.

To give the initiative authority, however, we needed some high-profile endorsement. Our proposal went to both the Irish Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the Health and Safety Authority (HAS) and, to our delight, both authorities agreed to support ‘Drive to Fitness’.

With Fleet Transport already on board, we knew we had access to a database of fleet managers who might pass on the information to their drivers. But this was far from certain. How, then, to target the thousands of ordinary drivers going about their business?

We contacted Applegreen, a fuel company with a network of 33 retail outlets strategically placed around Ireland. They instantly recognised the good intentions and potential benefits of the programme, and agreed to let us use their service stations to spread the word.

With an excellent level of support in place, we moved on to the execution stage.

Website, leaflet, recognisable face

With such an excellent retail network available, we quickly decided on a two-channel approach: a brochure carrying some basic information and advice; and a website where drivers could follow up for more detailed information.

When it came to the content of both brochure and website, however, we encountered a problem. Ford may be an excellent car-maker but the company is not a recognised authority on issues like health, nutrition and exercise.

We arranged a meeting with Elsa Jones, one of Ireland’s leading ‘celebrity’ nutritional therapists and an instantly recognisable face with a high-profile newspaper column and regular guest TV appearances. Elsa too understood what we were trying to achieve and she agreed not only to front the campaign but to provide us with the specific content we needed.

Full steam ahead with both brochure and website, then, and we broke down the brochure content into the basics: the statistics about driver health; the do’s and don’t of healthy eating on the road; and how to include regular bursts of exercise in a day spent mostly behind the wheel.

The tone was light but intelligent, no admonishment but a serious issue presented in an easy-to-grasp (and easy to take away) format.

The brochure was also included in the July issue of Fleet Transport.

The website went deeper into the issues of health versus driving: more information about healthy eating and regular exercise; what companies like Ford are doing to ensure their cars provide more comfort and support; what the HAS is doing in the area of vehicle safety, and a feedback section inviting queries from drivers.

We launched ‘Drive to Fitness’ in July 2011, inviting the motoring press as well as selected other media – food, lifestyle correspondents – to a press briefing followed by special ‘healthy’ lunch prepared in front of guests as a demonstration of how easy it is to prepare meals that are delicious and nutritional.

“Spending a large part of your working day behind the wheel can often lead to a stressful and potentually unhealthy lifestyle, but it doesn’t have to be that way,” said Ford Ireland chief Eddie Murphy at the launch of ‘Drive to Fitness’, where he was pictured with Elsa Jones.

“Our campaign tries to highlight simple steps that these drivers can take in order to redress the balance.”

Evaluation

The campaign was launched less than a month ago, so it will take some time to assess its impact on our primary target – company car and van drivers. However, we aim to conduct some follow-up research with Fleet Transport to see if our efforts have been successful.

Driver Courtesy Code Client: Semperit Tyres

Background

We’re always on the lookout for an opportunity to make some positive noise on behalf of our client, the tyre company Semperit Ireland.

In the tyre business, however, new products come along relatively infrequently. Even then, the arrival of a new tyre – all dense technical detail – has limited news appeal.

For a company like Semperit Ireland, then, connecting with the consumer means going beyond the realm of the rubber. We must try and position the company as an authority on driving, not just tyres.

That means broadening our scope to talk about safety issues, economic issues, global issues and other topics.

But of course, lots of other stakeholders, many with larger budgets than Semperit, are talking about these issues as well. The only way to be heard clearly is to identify a topic that the others are not talking about.

In 2010, we identified one such issue: courtesy among drivers.

Objectives

• Connect with the Semperit target audience in a soft way, and position the brand as one that really understands (Irish) motorists.
• Establish Semperit as a thought leader in the area of road courtesy, and all the safety, societal and indeed psychological benefits that come with ‘good’ driving.
• Ensure the Semperit/Maxol Road Courtesy Code is distributed as widely as possible, and in the right environment.
• Secure as much earned coverage as possible for the initiative.

Strategy

“Driving in Ireland is not as laid-back as it used to be. There’s a lot of stress out there. One of the main causes of stress is the behaviour of other drivers. When people drive selfishly or aggressively… it makes other people more likely to drive badly themselves.

“On the other hand, when people drive ‘well’ it makes others drive better. That’s what this [leaflet] is about. Trying to create a better sense of courtesy and understanding between drivers. So pass it on – and let’s make driving more relaxed and enjoyable for everyone.”

The theme of road courtesy was something that Semperit could take ownership of. But with limited distribution opportunities (and a limited budget), the main challenge was: how to spread the word?

Getting the creative right was our first step. Mmotorists are generally time-poor, not keen to be delayed, so the product had to be snappy and easy to engage with.

We settled on a format that would be easy for drivers to take away – a DL sized leaflet – with 10 simple tips encouraging drivers to treat other motorists as they would like to be treated themselves.

Distributing the code was the next challenge, and clearly the Semperit Ireland retail platform of 45 dealerships around Ireland was not adequate for the task of getting the leaflet into as many motorists’ hands as possible.

We approached the petrol company Maxol and agreed a deal to distribute the code through their network of 218 service stations. In addition to the printed leaflet, we also developed a range of p.o.s. material including posters and a branded leaflet dispenser

The tone of the Road Courtesy Code was casual and conversational, positioning Semperit as a brand that ‘gets’ what motorists have to go through every day.

We carried this tone through to the supporting communications (press release, website) so that coverage would reflect a sense of leadership on the part of our client. Partnering with Maxol – one of the most respected names in Irish motoring – enhanced the leadership feel.

We launched the Semperit Road Courtesy Code in spring 2010, with a photocall involving Paddy Murphy of Semperit Ireland and Ben Donaldson of Maxol Ireland.

The launch took place at a Maxol forecourt (as the vast majority of leaflets would be picked up by Maxol customers) while the photoshoot also featured two ‘aspiring motorists’ – children playing nicely together on toy vehicles.

Evaluation

PR activity around the launch of the Semperit Courtesy Code resulted in 34 articles in a mixture of national newspapers, magazines and regional titles. The code also received coverage on a wide number of online outlets including discussion forums.

The Irish Independent (Ireland’s best-selling daily title) devoted a quarter of a page to the issue, while other national newspaper coverage included articles in the Sunday World and Irish Daily Star.

The General Manager of Semperit Ireland was interviewed for five radio stations including a 10-minute piece on RTE Radio 1’s ‘Drivetime’ programme – one of the country’s most listened-to shows. Interviews were also conducted for Dublin’s CountryFM, Q102, OceanFM and LMFM.

The Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) amount for the press coverage (excluding online and radio coverage) came to €62,540.

We carried out an analysis of the main press coverage and, with a result of 15 articles out of the total of 34 appearing in the main news section, the initiative successful in reaching out to a broad swathe of consumers beyond the traditional motoring page readers.

Three months after launch, we managed to extend the life of the initiative by carrying out some ‘on-street’ research into courtesy among Dublin’s motorists. Observing traffic from two key road-side locations, one on the northside and one on the southside of the city, we concluded that Southside motorists were more courteous drivers – an extra angle for news coverage.

‘Press Builds Brands’ 2007 Client: National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI)

Background

In 2006, concerned that newspapers were being reserved for the ‘retail and detail’ while most of the brand-led advertising went to radio and TV, NNI asked a range of leading Irish ad agencies for their view. One of the ‘problems with press’ cited by agencies was a lack of concrete effectiveness information…

Objectives

Assert NNI’s credentials as a powerful brand-building channel with tangible ‘proof’ of the medium′s effectiveness.

Foster closer links between the newspaper industry and the advertising agency community.

Transform the fortunes of three small Irish food companies.

Strategy

We took 22 small, indigenous and advertising-inactive food companies from the Bord Bia range, and assigned each one to an ad agency. Each agency was invited to create a brand-led press advertising campaign on behalf of their ‘client’.

An independent judging panel selected three winners from the 22 campaigns: Glenisk (organic dairy products); the LifeFibre Company (speciality health breads) and Brady Family Ham (hand-crafted deli hams).

The winning brands were each awarded a substantial press advertising budget, to be spent publishing their campaigns throughout the 18 NNI titles.

We commissioned a research company to establish a base awareness level for each of the three brands, and then to track awareness levels during, and after, publication of the ad campaigns.

Evaluation

In most cases, the research showed remarkable results.

Awareness of Glenisk rose by 33% among all adults while total sales rose by more than 20% year on year. Awareness of LifeFibre more than doubled, while sales of the speciality bread grew by a spectacular 35%. Even Brady Family Ham, operating in an intensely crowded market, grew its total brand awareness by 3%.

This was a success story – solid proof of the effectiveness of the newspaper medium – and we knew it would be a powerful tool in the hands of our ad agency customers.

We developed three ‘Press Builds Brands’ case studies based on the experiences of the three brands, and packaged the information in a glossy, colourful folder which was distributed to all agency chiefs, creatives, planners and buyers, as well as NNI advertising departments.

‘Press Builds Brands’ was welcomed as an important breakthrough in the quest for more accountable ad planning by the Irish agency community, and was widely praised by newspaper associations in other countries.

Promotions Client: CMC Markets

Background

CMC Markets, a global leader in online trading, opened its Irish office in 2008. To launch its financial spread bet offering, the company was providing a free mobile phone installed with dedicated software through which account holders could trade the markets ‘on the move’.

Objectives

Heighten accessibility of the product to the young ABC1 target audience; Maximise new accounts, either directly or via CMC’s training workshops.

Strategy

The need for prospects to directly experience the product was critical, given its novelty and relative complexity. Therefore, mainstream launch advertising was supported by teams of promotional staff engaging with young ABC1 prospects in urban centres across the country.

The use of technology in the promotion required careful selection and comprehensive training of staff in the product and software before the campaign began. The staff, of similar age to the target audience, were smartly attired in CMC-branded wear and armed with specially produced leaflets linked to upcoming training workshops.

Interaction with potential customers took place at morning and lunchtime over a 5-week period. The uniqueness of the mobile phone software created a genuine live ‘buzz’, leading to strong sign-up for workshops and subsequent account openings.

To this busy and tech-savvy audience, the technology enlivened what would otherwise have been a dry, unengaging sell of a financial product. Prospects were invited to trade their favourite shares there and then, helping to capture the fun of the trading process.

Evaluation

The success of the promotion – targets for the launch period were exceeded significantly – helped to give CMC an important momentum boost, just a few months after the company had commenced its Irish operation.

Sponsorships

NNI Press Ad of the Month awards Client: National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI)

Background

Spring 2010, and Ireland’s advertising market is showing the battle scars of recession. Ad revenue figures are falling across every media sector, including newspapers. Something new is needed...

Objectives

Get ad agencies talking about the press advertising medium.

Remind agencies and advertisers of the unique creative strengths of newspapers.

Establish a year-round advertising initiative that injects some positivity into the market.

Strategy

At a time when finance – the tangible – was dominating every conversation in town, we presented an idea designed to highlight the great intangible, and the greatest strength, of newspaper advertising: creativity.

It was agreed to launch ‘Press Ad of the Month’, a competition open to any ad that appeared in the pages of a national (NNI) newspaper, and designed to put the best ads on a pedestal to be admired by agency creators and chiefs, advertisers and potential advertisers, and the almost 3 million newspaper readers in Ireland.

Each month, ad agencies and direct advertisers could submit work that had appeared in an NNI title that month.

We assembled a rotating judging panel, consisting of a senior ad agency creative and a senior media specialist, to select one winner and a shortlist of runners-up, usually 4-5 ads, each month.

For the monthly winners, we promised recognition. Each victorious ad would be re-published, with credits for the copywriter, art director and media buyer, in at least three national newspapers, as well as appearing on the NNI website.

We set up a dedicated website to handle entries and issued teaser-style invitations to the ad agency community (‘Having a good month?’). We also placed a launch ad across all NNI titles and issued a press release announcing the competition.

In April 2010 we launched the NNI ‘Press Ad of the Month’ competition, back-dating the entry criteria to January to ensure it would be a calendar-year initiative.

We set up a Facebook page and gathered email addresses from the ad agency community, establishing an e-zine mechanism that would allow us to communicate directly with not only the creatives and agency chiefs, but everyone else connected with the work.

End-of-year awards event

With the competition in full swing, and entries beginning to flow into the website, we revealed the next phase of the initiative: an end-of-year awards spectacular, contested by all monthly winners and runners-up, to be held in Dublin in spring 2011.

At a time of severely tightened budgets, the announcement sent out a hugely positive signal about the strength and unity of Ireland’s national newspapers. It also showed that we were serious about our desire to reward creativity – not just talking about it but doing something tangible.

The monthly awards scheme was already underlining the importance of quality judging, and we knew that securing a high-profile international guest judge for the end-of-year event would be key to its success and credibility.

We targeted Julian Borra, Creative Director of Team Saatchi (London), one of the most respected creatives in the ad industry, whose resume included a who’s-who of big brand names. We wrote Julian a very nice letter and it worked – we had our judge.

Maintaining contact with ad-land through a series of announcements and updates on Facebook and via our e-zine mechanism, we heightened anticipation ahead of the deadline. When the December competition was judged, a total of 43 ads/campaigns were in the running for Press Ad of the Year.

We issued invitations, asking invitees to “add a great night” to their diaries: Thursday, 10 March 2011 at the Four Seasons Hotel, Dublin. Even with a room capacity of 400+, demand for places quickly outstripped availability. The phone hopped. Emails arrived by the dozen. Everyone wanted to come.

Evaluation

When guests arrived at the Four Seasons, they were invited to take a glass of something cold and browse an exhibition of the 43 pieces of work in contention for the awards. A team of photographers swarmed through the crowds, selecting creative and agency teams for publicity shots.

Frank Cullen – MC for the night – introduced NNI chairman Paul Cooke, who welcomed guests before presenting awards to the 12 monthly winning agency teams. Dinner was served, followed by a 30-minute performance by Mario Rosenstock, one of Ireland’s foremost comedians.

Julian Borra then made a short presentation, focussing on the power of creativity in tough economic times, before announcing the winners: best copy; best art; best regional ad; and the 2010 NNI Press Ad of the Year: ‘Seven Signatures’ by Publicis QMP.

The following day, all NNI newspapers devoted extensive coverage to the awards – full pages in broadsheet titles; double page spreads in the compacts. Another stunning show of strength and colour by the country’s national newspapers.

A further surprise was revealed two days after the awards with the publication of a sleek, 32-page special edition awards newspaper: all the ads plus a range of content and commentary.

Feedback from ad-land was overwhelmingly positive.

“We were struck by the scale of the event,” blogged the Chemistry agency. “The ballroom was filled to capacity with agency and media types, all genuinely happy to be taking part in this exravagant ceremony.”

“Thank you for a wonderful evening, the organisation was seamless,” emailed the Grand Canal Theatre.

“Thank you. What a night!” emailed Martin Wright, creative head of Gospel TM.

The greatest indicator of success, however, has been the year-on-year increase in entries to the awards scheme (now in its second year).

In the first six months of 2010, we received a total of 47 entries. In the first six months of 2011, we received 131 entries – with more arriving every day.

Continental Irish Car of the Year Award Client: Continental Tyres

Background

The Continental Irish Car of the Year Award (formerly Semperit Irish Car of the Year) is Ireland’s most prestigious automotive accolade. Designed to recognise the best new car / van launched in Ireland annually, the awards are voted for by the Irish Motoring Writers Association (IMWA).

The event takes place over lunch in late November each year and is attended by more than 200 key personnel from the Irish automotive industry and the motoring press.

The Irish Car of the Year Award was first held in 1978; Cullen Communications has been managing the sponsorship since 1999; the 2010 awards event marked the changeover of sponsorship from Semperit to Continental.

Objectives

Oversee a change of sponsor and ensure a sense of freshness with a successful, long-running awards format.

Generate positive media coverage for the Awards and for Continental as main sponsor; generate associated publicity for the award-winners and for the IMWA.

Position the awards as a must-attend event on the Irish automotive calendar.

Provide an enjoyable and valuable networking opportunity for Continental with two key audiences: the automotive industry (a mix of existing and potential customers) and the motoring media.

Strategy

A new communications strategy featuring the new trophy – on all pre-event literature and at the venue – was designed to reinforce the change of branding.

The awards ceremony took place at the Crowne Plaza, Santry; MC for the event was Michael Sheridan, a member of the IMWA; all speeches were carefully prepared to convey the change of sponsorship.

A big-bang reveal of the winning car was central to the format, with suspense maintained right up to the last moment. Photocall with guest speaker and top model – this was the shot that we then circulated to media.

Evaluation

The event received widespread TV, radio and press coverage, with more than 200 articles featuring the awards or mentions of the winning vehicles.

The tone of the coverage was overwhelmingly positive.

All winners of the main car and van awards, and the associated category awards, integrated the award logo (which includes the Continental logo) into their advertising and PR activity for the model year 2008.

“Car of the Year is a hugely important reflection of the Continental brand in Ireland and so we require that the event is professionally run and enjoyable for the attendees. Consistently over the last 10 years, Cullen Communications has managed and organised the awards event with a huge amount of professionalism, imagination and attention to detail, ensuring the event is an absolute ‘must’ for the key personnel from the motor industry and the motoring journalists”. - - Continental Tyres

Event Management

Green Power Forum 2008 Client: Continental Tyres

Background

Wishing to generate positive awareness of Continental Tyres as a motor industry authority, the agency organised a Green Power Forum in autumn 2008.

Objectives

Maximise coverage for the event sponsor, and strengthen its association with a contemporary mobility issue.

Counter the negative publicity surrounding biofuels, and promote the development of the sector in Ireland.

Strategy

The agency proposed a lunchtime event in the Radisson Hotel in Stillorgan, to which all parties interested in biofuels – farming, energy, regulatory, political – were invited. The speaker was Anders Frederiksson, a director of the Swedish consortium SEKAB, who are technology leaders in the development of new generation biofuels.

To lend balance to the debate, a panel of experts comprising NGOs, fuel providers and science bodies, was assembled and chaired by RTE’s Rodney Rice.

The debate centred around the issue of whether biofuels could provide a sustainable transport solution.

Evaluation

The event attracted over 80 industry figures from the alternative energy sector, including central and local government.

The Forum was featured in 43 articles, all of which credited the event sponsor and 60% of which carried a picture of the sponsor. Return on Investment was very positive, with the Advertising Value Equivalent coming to €125,000 (the cost of the event was €9,000).

Many drew on the relevance of tyres to the debate, in stating the incremental emissions of under-inflated tyres, achieving a key objective for our client, event sponsor, Continental Tyres.

The tone of all articles was supportive of biofuels including those in the Irish Times and Irish Independent. The event was viewed by all concerned as boosting the biofuel agenda.

World Newspaper Congress Client: National Newspapers of Ireland

Background

The annual World Newspaper Congress is the most important event in the global newspaper calendar.

‘Owned’ by the World Association of Newspapers (WAN), the Congress takes place in a different country each year.

National Newspapers of Ireland won the pitch to host the 2003 World Newspaper Congress in Dublin.

Objectives

Attract as many WAN members from around the world as possible to Dublin for the three-day event.

Manage the logistics of hosting up to a thousand delegates (the previous year’s Congress in Bruges attracted 900 people).

Secure a main venue and organise a comprehensive programme of business and social events.

Secure adequate sponsorship to cover the cost of the event.

Strategy

NNI began its marketing drive at the Bruges Congress, distributing chocolates and shamrock pins a full year before the Dublin event. A ‘Dublin 2003’ website was set up and emails were sent regularly to WAN’s database of members positioning Ireland as friendly and rich in culture.

Abbey Tours were brought on board as NNI’s logistics partner, tasked with handling all transport arrangements – in particular transfers to and from Dublin airport, the many hotels at which delegates were staying, and the various host venues in the city centre.

A comprehensive action plan covering every single aspect of the Congress – down to the last detail – was drawn up and distributed to all suppliers, partners, members of the WAN and NNI on-site teams and everyone involved in the Congress.

The official opening ceremony took place at the National Concert Hall, where the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, welcomed delegates before a special concert by the Corrs.

The RDS was booked as the main Congress venue; the opening morning featured a performance by the Riverdance Flying Squad and guest addresses by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and U2 singer Bono.

Evaluation

The 2003 World Newspaper Congress attracted more than 1300 delegates, making it the most successful Congress ever.

Dublin 2003 was, by general consensus, the most enjoyable and memorable in the 60-year history of the event:

"The feedback from participants has been spectacularly positive – we’ve never encountered anything quite like it. That’s because you did a truly magnificent job in every way. Your planning was absolutely perfect, the logistics worked like a dream, the social events were fantastic, your fund-raising hugely successful. The combination of great professionalism and great attitude made it a joy to work with you from start to finish." – Timothy Balding, Director General, World Association of Newspapers

It was also the most profitable World Newspaper Congress ever, generating sponsorship income of some €1.6 million, and injecting an estimated €7 million directly into the Irish economy.

Cullen Communications was awarded the 2004 Certificate for Excellence in Communications by the PRCA for its organisation of WAN / Dublin 2003.

Lobbying

Launch of Ford Focus FFV, Ireland’s first biofuel car Client: Ford

Background

The Focus FlexiFuel Vehicle (FFV) was billed as an ‘everyday’ car which could deliver 70% fewer CO2 emissions, run seamlessly on any mixture of renewable bioethanol or conventional petrol – and all at a marginal cost over the equivalent petrol car.

Already the country’s best-selling car, the Focus FFV arrived in Ireland with a new USP of particular relevance to an agricultural community in need of future outlets for their products.

Objectives

The primary brand objective for the Focus FFV was to recover, through awareness, ground lost to its biggest single competitor (Toyota), which was already occupying the environmental high ground. The farming community was also a key target.

A secondary brand objective for the Agency was to create, through awareness, a platform for the commercial introduction of an entirely different kind of car to the Irish marketplace.

A commercial objective was to achieve an attractive price for the Focus FFV, if the car was to succeed. Budget 2005 was only three months away, and some tax incentive by Government would be needed.

Strategy

The Focus FFV was an essential ingredient of a three-stranded partnership programme comprising (1) a car that could run on biofuels, (2) a retail network that could provide the fuel, and (3) a source of fuel.

Maxol, an independent petrol retailer with which Ford had a longstanding relationship, was a partner which could both source and sell the fuel. A joint Ford/Maxol launch event was designed to raise awareness and also put pressure on Government to grant favourable tax treatment for the car.

Environment Minister Dick Roche was invited, along with around 70 others including fleet customers from local authorities, Department officials and agri-science interests. The biofuel was made from a milk derivative in Cork, so a photoshoot was set up with the Minister holding a jug of milk – it was used widely.

Motoring journalists would be key drivers of publicity, primarily through a test drive programme. Given the proximity of the budget, an all-out effort of chauffeuring the one test model available to journalists for short periods was initiated. The task was accentuated by the need to display the same car at relevant conferences (ICOS, IFA) within the same period.

Political lobbying was essential but challenging, given that there was no precedent in Europe for positive discrimination by Government of the Focus FFV. However, it was decided to seek a 50% VRT rebate, similar to the tax break the Government had introduced for the Toyota Prius Hybrid.

(As the Focus FFV was not a dedicated hybrid, however – it could be driven entirely on petrol if the customer wished – most commentators felt the car would not be granted the rebate.)

Starting with the presence of the Minister for the Environment at the Focus FFV launch, the lobbying effort included the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, the Minister for Finance, various opposition spokespersons as well as a meeting with the Department of Finance immediately prior to the Budget.

Evaluation

Lobbying – to the surprise of most motoring commentators, on Budget day the Minister for Finance duly announced that the tax rebate would be extended to Flexi-Fuel Vehicles. This represented a saving of some €2,500 and made the Focus FFV an attractive commercial proposition.

Media coverage – the media value of the programme was spectacular, with print media alone delivering in excess of €150,000. RTE main evening news carried the story on two separate occasions, with TV3 News and Sky News Ireland also featuring it. 5-7 Live was among the many national radio programmes to cover the Focus FFV.

The future is green – in the three years since the launch, Volvo, Saab and Citroen have introduced FFV models and there are now over 30 fuel outlets. Over 1,000 vehicles have been sold and bioethanol is increasingly recognised as a part solution to future transport needs.

Launching the Press Council of Ireland Client: National Newspapers of Ireland

Background

For more than 20 years the Irish newspaper industry had been calling for reformation of Ireland’s out-dated libel laws.

The legislation, dating back to 1961, had become a gravy train for the rich and well-connected – a way both of making money and of ‘gagging’ newspapers with the threat of legal action.

In 1986, National Newspapers of Ireland began lobbying for a change in Irish libel law.

Objectives

Engage the Irish Government in a dialogue about libel/defamation and the need for law reform.

Bring that dialogue into the public domain and position libel law reform as a matter of national importance: not just for the ‘rich and famous’ but for all citizens.

Help to bring about much-needed law reform.

Strategy

NNI commissioned a report on Irish libel law, on the basis of which (in 1988) all NNI titles appointed an in-house readers’ representative to handle complaints.

Encouraged by the Law Reform Commission’s 1991 recommendation that Irish libel law needed to be reformed, NNI commissioned solicitor Marcus Burke to draft a new Defamation Bill (published in 1994).

NNI commissioned a second Boyle/McGonagle report (1994) entitled ‘Media Accountability’ designed to keep the spotlight on libel… and the pressure on Government.

In 1998 NNI offered to set up and pay for an independent press complaints mechanism, return for Defamation Law reform.

In 2003 NNI submitted a proposal to Government for the establishment of an independent Press Council to handle Press Complaints. A new Code of Practice for newspapers was also drawn up.

In response to calls for a statutory Press Council, NNI set up an independent steering committee comprising national and regional newspapers, magazines and the NUJ.

The steering committee agreed, in tandem with the Department of Justice, the establishment of an independent Press Council and Ombudsman.

Evaluation

On January 9th 2008 the inaugural Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman were formally launched, in the presence of the Minister for Justice, Brian Lenihan TD.

The new Press Council consisted of 13 members, with a lay majority. All appointments were made by an independent committee; there were also a code committee and an admin committee.

The launch of an independent Press Council and Ombudsman represented the culmination of years of patient lobbying and dogged persuasion on the part of NNI. Thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, on man-hours were invested in the project.

"We spent more than 20 years lobbying successive Governments and Ministers for a change in the way press law and press standards are treated. As of January 2008, we can finally say that our campaign was a success." - Frank Cullen, Coordinating director, National Newspapers of Ireland

Footnote: the Defamation Bill (2006) was signed by the President of Ireland on 22 July 2009, and is scheduled to commence operation later this year.

Printed Literature and Graphic Design Services

Social Media

‘Litter Twitter’ Client: Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL)

Background

Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) is a lobby group of blue chip companies in Ireland which share a belief that a clean environment is critical to the country’s economic success.

Most importantly, IBAL believes that it is not through public awareness campaigns, but through the direct actions of Government and local councils in enforcing the litter laws and committing to cleaning schedules, that the country can be kept clean.

Objectives

IBAL has enjoyed great success in mobilising local councils into making greater efforts to keep their localities clean, not least through a nationwide ‘name and shame ‘campaign, which sees the 50 most populous towns and cities in Ireland ranked bi-annually according to their litter levels.

However, for reasons of cost, the monitoring of these towns by IBAL can only be done sporadically, and can not cover all areas. IBAL was seeking a way to ensure councils are under pressure to keep their areas free of litter at all times.

This would mean engaging the public in the campaign.

Strategy

Although it has national ramifications, for most people litter is local. To engage people in the subject matter, therefore, we would need to develop a programme that would deliver a local benefit.

The social media platform Twitter, allied to the mobile phone, provided members of the public with an easily accessible route to draw attention to litter in their own community.

Citizens would be asked to look out for litter blackspots in their area, take a photo of the offending area on their mobile phone and send it to a twitter site (via a specific twitpic account). In keeping with its remit, IBAL would ensure that the submitted posts would be brought to the attention of the local council who would be pressurised to ‘clean up the mess’!

Given the awareness within councils of IBAL’s strong track record of publicly exposing councils who under-perform on cleaning up litter, they would be sure to take heed of the threat. (Indeed, it was hoped that many councils would actively follow the twitter feed.)

In this way a new level of communication and accountability could be established between citizens and their local government, with ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures illustrating directly the positive impact of the initiative.

In essence this was not B2B, or B2C but more C2B – getting consumers to force business (in this case government) into action, rather than the other way around – an ideal use of social media.

‘Litter Twitter’

To grab the public’s attention, the initiative needed a brand name that would easily capture its function. Thus ‘Litter Twitter’ was born (see @litterspotter). Litter is not a sexy topic, but the simplicity of the idea – as emphasised by the name – would be important in ensuring its appeal to media.

A photocall took place in Dublin City – one of the worst areas for litter in the country – with two young people holding a giant iPhone depicting a litter blackspot. Press releases were targeted for different local council areas, calling on local citizens to keep their community clean by reporting via Twitter on any blackspots they came across.

Evaluation

The appeal of the Litter Twitter name was instrumental in garnering much of the press coverage that followed the launch of the programme in August 2010. All the main print dailies covered the story, along with the main news programme on state radio, which interviewed the IBAL Chairman on the subject on two occasions. More than 50 regional titles carried it, as did almost 20 radio stations.

Local authorities embraced the initiative to a surprising extent, with one quarter of them signing up to actively follow the twitter feeds. Rather than fearing the technology, they viewed it as helping them in their job to keep the locality free of litter. Among the followers were also a number of politicians.

The twitter site was intended not for the inquisitive twitter browser, but as a tool for people looking for an area near them to be cleaned up, so pure follower numbers were not a Key Performance Indicator of success. Nonetheless in all several hundred people have submitted posts to date, and local authorities have all been swift in addressing the problem areas highlighted.

An IBAL survey of 53 towns and cities at the end of 2010 showed unprecedented levels of cleanliness, with 74% of all areas deemed ‘litter free’. Litter Twitter was among the initiatives that had brought about an improvement which would serve both the country’s economy and the quality of life of its citizens.

As the client afterwards commented:

“Many businesses dabble with social media technology without unlocking a real commercial value. Litter Twitter was about delivering concrete results for all to see. I can’t think of a more purposeful use of the Twitter tool.”

The agency was subsequently contacted by the Keep Australia Beautiful National Association, who are considering replicating the programme down under.

Green PR

Green Press Partnership Client: National Newspapers of Ireland

Background

Less than a decade ago, Ireland’s rate of newsprint recycling stood at just 28%. This was down to a combination of factors: lack of public awareness of the need to recycle; lack of communication between paper industry stakeholders; lack of cooperation along the paper supply chain.

Facing the threat of a Government-imposed ‘environmental tax’ (or similar), National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI) resolved to take action – and turn Ireland into one of the world’s best paper recyclers.

Objectives

With a dedicated Environmental Officer (the first of his kind anywhere) and a joint industry taskforce of newspaper publishers, wholesale distributors and retailers on board, objectives included:

• getting everyone involved in the ‘paper chain’ working together
• making the paper supply chain more efficient
• buying and using more green/sustainable products
• shrinking our carbon footprint and develop a long-term carbon policy
• increasing the amount of paper we recycled
• persuading more people to recycle their newspapers and magazines

Strategy

This project did not happen with a creative flourish or a stroke of genius; rather, it was (and continues to be) driven by long, sometimes difficult, negotiation and compromise between parties who had never previously worked together – indeed who previously had opposing agendas.

At the heart of the environmental effort was the development of a new environmental protocol for all those involved in the paper supply chain: in 2009, a total of 10 associations representing newsprint publishers, wholesalers and retailers signed off on the new Environment Standards for the Press Industry (ESPI).

This was ‘the breakthrough’, a new set of standards committing the industry to a series of targets designed to bring greater consistency, cooperation and efficiency to the supply chain. All stakeholders signed up, and the new protocols ensure that the highest possible environmental standards are being implemented in key areas like supply management, unsold newspapers/magazines, IT etc.

Suppliers have bought into the new environmental spirit, investing heavily in new processing systems designed to reduce waste and optimise sales. A new ‘wholecopy returns’ initiative – whereby publishers retrieve full unsold newspapers – has helped to divert more than 60,000 tonnes of old newsprint from landfill since 2007.

The group has also made enormous progress in the field of education and awareness, with regular high-profile advertising campaigns running across all NNI national newspapers and a dedicated press industry recycling logo and strapline appearing on all national titles. NNI has also provided substantial free advertising space to the Department of the Environment to help promote recycling, as well as introducing an annual recycling survey with all data audited and verified by RPS.

The group’s progress is monitored every quarter by Supply Management System (SMS) data; we also conduct annual newsprint recycling research which is independently audited. Any element of the supply chain that is underperforming is named and shamed – in our experience, the most effective way of dealing with any issue.

Evaluation

The main result of the Green Press Partnership can be summarised in a single line:

In just seven years, Ireland’s rate of newspaper/magazine recycling has more than trebled)

Our national recycling rate now stands at more than 78%, putting Ireland among the elite of European countries for newsprint recycling. We have also achieved a collection level of unsold newspapers of more than 85%.

It’s difficult to precisely evaluate the impact of our environmental initiatives on customers, although the increase in newspaper recycling levels suggests that our advertising campaigns have definitely raised awareness of the need to recycle. Even in difficult economic times for the newspaper industry, all member titles are fully committed to these campaigns.

By securing the commitment of all supply chain stakeholders to the new Environment Standards for the Press Industry (ESPI), we have stitched the green agenda into the daily activities of all employees.

Our strategy is long-term and sustainable; we have changed the paper supply chain in Ireland for good – for everyone’s good.