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Electric Media lands eBay accounts

Edward — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:41:45 +0000

Ireland’s largest digital ad sales agency, Electric Media, has secured an exclusive deal to sell the combined eBay inventory for Ireland and the UK.
Irish eBay traffic stands at 800,000 unique users with 51 million page impressions per month being generated. The deal with eBay.co.uk means its Irish inventory can be offered to its clients, resulting in an additional 150,000 unique users and four million monthly page impressions.
“Electric Media can now offer its clients a figure of nearly one million unique users via eBay in Ireland and the UK,” says Dermot Hanrahan, CEO of Electric Media.

Blippar – QR codes on steroids – augmented reality advertising

Edward — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:45:58 +0000

We have been watching with interest how the new print/online technology Blippar is being used by brands to advertise creatively in print while also integrating direct response marketing. Blippar is an application you need to download to your smartphone or tablet. Once it is activated you can hover the camera function over a page (usually an advert in a paper/magazine or a piece of editorial with a colour image) to play with the message, link to web pages, enter competition details there and then and other really rich and quite funky experiences. It is one of a number of augmented reality (AR) technologies available to marketing professionals.

Barry O’Sullivan is a member of Irish Internationals growing digital team. The agency recently worked with Aer Lingus to deliver a print campaign integrated with the Blippar technology. Barry approached Digital Times with the case study and some results and the details are below. It is good to see Irish agencies and Irish brands looking to use AR technologies to deliver direct response campaigns across print and online as part of an integrated campaign, and not just stand alone pieces of advertising.

At Irish International we’re always looking for fresh ways to bring our clients’ brands to life.
It’s why we love digital technologies that build on more traditional media experiences. QR codes were a good start. But we found them limiting, and they weren’t the most pleasant to look at. AR magazines were interesting, for a short while – but it didn’t make sense to hold a magazine up to a webcam: users should be able to interact with the extra content while they’re reading. It was then that we discovered Blippar. An ‘image recognition’ app that could effortlessly transform a print ad (or any still image) into a rich interactive experience, right in front of the consumers’ eyes. A piece of technology that lets you direct people to whatever content you want. Whether that’s a simple 3D animation. A source of extra information, a money-off coupon, a video, anything.
We had to try out this new technology. Our client, Aer Lingus, was already using QR codes, so we showed it how it could make them work even harder, by not using them at all. Instead we offered the user a deeper, richer experience on their journey to purchase airline tickets – through the first ever ‘augmented reality’ print ad from a travel brand. In just three days in Metro’s AR edition (a world first), our ad received over 1,000 unique Blipps. So that’s a perfectly effective press ad in its own right – which also delivered more click-throughs than we’d get from 650,000 views of an average banner ad.

So will apps like Blippar revitalise print?
Combine newspapers with smartphones, and you have a new channel that is not only engaging, but also allows you to share content with friends in ways that until now, we had only ever seen in Minority Report. And newspapers are just one application – the possibilities for adding value to outdoor media, to packaging, even to shopfronts and window displays are staggering. Below you can watch a demo that shows how the Blippable Aer Lingus ad worked. You’ll also see the full print ad. To Blipp it, just download Blippar from your app store hold your phone over the ad and discover what the Blipp everyone’s been talking about.

Below is the advert if you want to play around with the application. Just click on the image for a larger view and then hover your device’s camera over it.

Ho ho ho app

Stephen — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:42:04 +0000

Here’s a fun little app created by digital ad agency Refresh in time for the Christmas gift-giving season. The Secret Santa app allows the person tasked with arranging the Secret Santa or Kris Kindle – either for family or work – to manage the entire process electronically.
“Normally with Secret Santa – or Kris Kindle as it is sometimes known – someone ends up tearing bits of paper up and drawing names out. The Secret Santa Selector takes care of all of that automatically. You simply enter the name and email addresses of everyone taking part and it works out who each person gets and lets them know by email,” says Ciarán O’Reilly, managing director of Refresh.
“What’s unique about the system is that everyone – including the organiser – has no idea who anyone else got. The App also allows you to avoid unwanted match-ups, so for example, if it is an extended family arrangement, you can make sure people who are already buying a main Christmas gift for avoid each other.”
The app can be downloaded at www.refresh.ie.

Blue Cube’s Lottery win

Stephen — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:17:43 +0000

(l-r) Jonathan Heron, Blue Cube; Ronan Hayes, National Lottery; Ronan Leech, National Lottery; Eric Sexton, National Lottery; Jenny Paetzold, Blue Cube and Sébastien Sicot, Blue Cube.

Blue Cube Interactive has won the digital strategy, project management, creative and design account for Lottery.ie after a competitive five way pitch.
The digital agency will assist in the strategic development of the lottery on web, mobile and social channels. It will also project manage all elements of the web site development and hosting and will build the National Lottery brand online – through web design, advertising banners, micro-sites, emails, mobile phones and tablets.
Lottery.ie recently re-launched with a transactional website where visitors can register an account and play National Lottery draw games (Lotto and EuroMillions) and instant win games online.
The website receives approximately 40,000 visitors a day and can reach up to 125,000 visitors on days where jackpots are high. The iPhone app has over 100,000 downloads.
“Play Online is a real growth opportunity for the National Lottery,” says Ronan Leech, National Lottery marketing development manager.
“The National Lottery’s connection with all its consumers is unique and we look forward to deepening that connection online,” says Sébastien Sicot, managing and creative director for Blue Cube Dublin.

New MD at Cawley Nea

Stephen — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:53:16 +0000

Chris Cawley, Deirdre Waldron & Brian Swords

Deirdre Waldron is the new managing director of the Cawley Nea\TBWA group of companies, replacing Brian Swords who is taking up a senior position with sister agency TBWA\Shanghai, the network’s agency in China.
Waldron was previously MD of Agency.com, the group’s digital agency.
Brian Swords first joined the advertising firm in 1993 and became managing director in 2004.
“This is huge opportunity for Brian and while we will certainly miss him as a colleague and friend, I’m delighted that he has agreed to remain with us as a non-executive director,” says executive chairman, Chris Cawley.
“I think that Deirdre’s appointment has come at exactly the right time in our strategic development,” adds Cawley. “This is the biggest opportunity for creative minds since the sixties. Today it’s insight, ideas and technology that will help us create not just great advertising – but also game changing business solutions for our clients.”

Real time digital ad network enters Irish market

Stephen — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:39:46 +0000

Keith O'Reilly, Flashpoint

The real-time digital advertising network Jemm Group is entering the Irish market. The company is to form a partnership with Flashpoint Ireland and will be headed by Elaine Bresnan who will act as Country Manager for Ireland.
Bresnan, who has extensive experience in the digital publishing sector, will work with Flashpoint’s commercial director and general manager Keith O’Reilly.
Bresnan previously worked with AD2ONE as a senior account manager and worked with leading publishers including Skype, LinkedIn, MTV, The Guardian, Disney and The Daily Mail.
“Jemm Group has already seen success as the first real time network in the UK and having recently launched in to the Australian market. I have no doubt that Keith and the team will be able to build on this in Ireland,” says Julia Smith, communications director at Jemm.
“It is an exciting proposition to present to the Irish digital market and I am looking forward to building the business and the team,” says Keith O’Reilly.

eType Ireland rebranded as Flashpoint

Stephen — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:32:14 +0000

Flashpoint (l-r): Jason Waters, account executive; Keith O’Reilly, commercial director; Gillian Quinn, account manager; Stephen Conlon, sales director; Sylvain Corre, head of technology and managing director, Ciaran FitzGerald

Digital media house eType Ireland is to be re-named and rebranded as Flashpoint. The company’s new identity follows the completion of a share purchase agreement with joint-venture founder Media Initiatives Group (MIG) in February 2011.
eType Ireland was co-founded by Ciaran Fitzgerald and Keith O’Reilly in 2008 to create and manage digital ad campaigns for advertisers in Ireland, the UK and Europe. It manages online display, video and social media advertising for a range of agencies and advertisers including Mediacom, Mindshare, Mediaworks, Carat, io and ICAN, and for brands such as Vodafone, 02, Renault, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Tourism Ireland, 3 mobile, Heineken and McDonalds.

Web: www.flashpoint.ie

Leo Burnett appoints new head of digital

Stephen — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 10:37:23 +0000

Emer McHugh, head of digital, Leo Burnett, Dublin

Leo Burnett, Dublin, has appointed Emer McHugh as its new head of digital. The agency, with close to 30 staff, says it now offers a fully-integrated digital business.
Previously, McHugh was Deputy MD of Initiative media and director of its digital division. She is a graduate of the DIT and has over 15 years experience in the ad business, including prior stints at Clear Channel and Mindshare. In 2007 she was appointed to the board of Initiative when she also set up and managed its digital division.
“We’ve won the accolades for our digital work, including gold at the eircom Spiders for the Best Online Marketing Campaign last year. However, we must keep moving forward and rethinking how best to connect people and brands, regardless of the medium,” says Shane McGonigle, MD, Leo Burnett.
“This business is not about print or TV ads, websites or media rich banners, it is about penetrating consumer insights and creating great ideas that move people, on or off-line. Digital must have a really clear role in the mix and if it’s not clear it should not be there. Once we have defined this, it leaves us open to developing digital strategies around consumer-centric thinking. Unfortunately this often gets lost in digital with many agencies, where they are keener to do the latest as opposed to the right thing,” says McHugh.
The new appointment is effective from 6th September 2011.

Typical, you wait for one recipe to come along and five appear

Emma — Mon, 30 May 2011 11:01:46 +0000

Laura Hendrick, Clear Channel; Karl Tyndall, Kraft Foods; Sarah Taylor, PHD ; and Albi Larkin, PML

Kraft has become the first company to run digital touch screen advertising on bus shelters.
A bus shelter on Charlotte Way/Harcourt Street allows those who interact with it to select and view ingredients for five different Philadelphia ‘Philly Heroes’ recipes. There’s also an option to email on all the details.
Another shelter on Leeson Street comprises a special large scale model of a Philadelphia tub on the roof and a contra-vision wrap.
The campaign was a collaboration between PML, PHD, Eclipse Media, Clear Channel and DDFH&B.

i-Believe appointed digital sales agency for UTV Radio

Edward — Mon, 30 May 2011 10:40:08 +0000

UTV Radio has chosen i-Believe as its digital sales agency. i-Believe will sell advertising across UTV Radio’s stable of websites and smartphone applications.
The UTV Radio sites that i-Believe will represent include FM104 & Q102 in Dublin, Cork’s 96FM and C103, Beat 102-103 in Waterford, Limerick’s Live 95FM and LMFM.
UTV Radio launched its ‘Urban Access’ proposition to advertisers in 2008. It already claims a 28% national reach among 25-44s as well as market leading positions in the Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick markets. Over 347,000 people nationwide visit UTV Radio sites every month.