Broadcasting your message
Generating awareness and consumer loyalty for your brand portfolio is crucial. Here, we deliver a comprehensive ‘who’s who’ guide of Ireland’s leading PR and marketing agencies, and give them the opportunity to explain more about the services they can provide
Print2 June 2016
FACTFILE
PR agency
Notorious PSG
Established
October 2014
Angie Grant, Notorious PSG
Contact name
Angie Grant
Phone
01 661 4055
Email
angie.grant@notoriouspsg.ie
Client list
Unilever
Reckitt Benckiser
Keogh’s
Bayer
Website
www.notoriouspsg.ie
Skills and expertise: Outlined by Angie Grant
As an award-winning creative brand communications agency, we have a wealth of expertise in the FMCG sector within notorious PSG, working with a suite of household consumer brands for clients such as Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser, Keogh’s and Bayer.
Notorious does everything from brand strategy and development, through to PR and media relations, ambassador campaigns, influencer relations, experiential campaigns, events and stunts, that play out both in the physical and digital realms.
Our team of creative communications professionals pride themselves on consistently delivering stand-out campaigns. We don’t believe in being creative for the sake of it, we believe in creativity that drives tangible results, and for us it’s about finding uncharted territory for clients that makes them stand out from the crowd.
Any Notorious PSG client we work with knows of our absolute focus on insight led campaigns that have a real impact on their business. At the beginning of any campaign, we hone in on identifying key insights around the target market which shape our strategy and our creative approach. It’s this insight led focus and understanding of the audience that allows us to develop those ‘stand out’ moments that brands are looking for, whether that’s an amazing experiential event that lights up social media or a piece of compelling content which drives talkability for the brand.
As part of the wider PSG Communications Group, we can also draw on expertise from our corporate, digital and sponsorship agencies as and when needed which proves invaluable.
FACTFILE
PR agency
Drury | Porter Novelli
Established
1989
Anne-Marie Curran, managing director, Drury | Porter Novelli
Contact name
Anne-Marie Curran
Phone
01 260 5000
Email
frontdesk@drurypn.ie
Client list
Tesco, McDonald’s, Tourism Ireland, Littlewoods Ireland, CRH, HP, Paddy Power, Alexion, The Westbury, InterTrade Ireland, Aurivo, OCF, Science Foundation Ireland, Beaumont Hospital, Popchips, Nivea, Interxion, Tallaght Hospital, Love Irish Food, Vita Coco, SEAI.
Website
www.drurypn.ie
Skills and expertise: Outlined by Anne-Marie Curran
At Drury | Porter Novelli we are thought leaders in communication, developing campaigns that can influence, inspire and create change. By embracing new technologies and pushing creative boundaries, we help our clients to adapt and win in a dynamic consumer environment. We offer an engaged, expert and collaborative team to deliver active, hands-on and results-oriented execution.
For us our clients are our partners, we work with big and small organisations using our unrivalled knowledge of the media landscape together with strategic insight to develop innovative campaigns. We develop messages which resonate with the target audience; our goal is not just to generate immediate impact but also to build brand awareness and consideration in the longer term, converting customers into brand ambassadors.
We take a bespoke approach to each campaign and client, identifying the most appropriate media outlets and creating a comprehensive strategy across traditional media, online outlets and social channels.
When it comes to PR for FMCG, it’s essential to develop a communications strategy which highlights the brand’s USP and mission, creates competitive differentiation and wins the battle for share of voice. For the companies we work with, we create unique campaigns to deliver key messages and build customer loyalty for the future.
Fiona O’Connor, client director, Drury | Porter Novelli
Q & A with… Fiona O’Connor, client director, Drury | Porter Novelli
Q: What do you believe makes your company stand out from rivals in the PR and marketing sector?
A: An agency is only as good as its people and at Drury | Porter Novelli we have a great team of talented, creative individuals who are willing to go the extra mile for a client. Our consultants have a wide range of industry expertise and skillsets; we pick our client teams to offer an engaged, expert and genuinely collaborative relationship.
We are a full-service agency; offering consumer, corporate and public affairs communications, meaning our clients have a one-stop shop for all their PR needs. That is a huge advantage to clients as it means we can have a 360º view of all their key stakeholders and develop a plan that engages with each relevant audience while ensuring that brand messaging is consistent.
We deep dive into a client’s business to understand their commercial objectives and then develop a communications strategy that can support those objectives. Strategic insight is key to creating campaigns that will deliver brand awareness and consideration.
Having been based in Dublin since 1989, we have excellent local knowledge, experience and understanding; however we also have the benefit of a global outlook as part of the Porter Novelli network of agencies with 90 offices in 60 countries worldwide. We work with our colleagues across Porter Novelli on campaigns for international clients such as Nivea, HP and the Canary Islands Tourism Board.
Q: Who are some of the FMCG clients you recently worked with and how did you manage to get people talking about their brand?
A: We work with a range of food brands including Pop Chips and Vita Coco, as well as the Love Irish Food campaign, beauty brands such as Nivea and Bioderma and fashion retailer, Littlewoods. We also work with big brands such as McDonald’s and Tesco.
For each client and every campaign we utilise insights around the brand to develop a communications approach which will reach their target audience across traditional and online media. We engage with key opinion leaders who will resonate with the target audience, from media to health spokespersons to social influencers generating conversation and awareness around the brand. There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to PR for FMCG brands, which is why we tailor and refine our strategy allowing us to deliver on communications objectives for all of our clients, from big international brands to artisan suppliers.
Our work with Vita Coco demonstrates this approach well. For their target audience, fitness and food bloggers as well as social influencers were identified as key opinion leaders. We created a campaign to launch the brand in Ireland and have worked with them since to engage these influencers thereby increasing brand visibility. In a crowded and changing environment Vita Coco continues to be the number one branded coconut oil in Ireland.
Q: If a brand has a problem such as a recall or reputational issue, how will you help the company manage media interest? What is the best policy going forwards?
A: Crisis communications and issue management is at the heart of what we provide at Drury | Porter Novelli for many of our clients – big and small, public and private. A crisis, if not managed effectively and in particular if it is not perceived to have been managed well, can be detrimental to corporate reputation. However the way in which an organisation handles a crisis, such as a recall, can sometimes enhance their reputation rather than damage it. In the time of a crisis, there will be a demand for information from many audiences including the media. It is imperative that there is control over the flow of information to ensure that there is effective and consistent communication to all audiences.
While we hope that a crisis will never happen, the old adage runs true; fail to prepare, prepare to fail. We have worked with brands from many different sectors to manage the communications around their crisis, from product recalls to reputation challenges. We have the knowledge and expertise to guide them through this tricky time and protect their brand in the long-term. When it comes to crisis communications the principles are clear, an organisation must have a clear strategy in place where there is a clear communication channel and each member of the team knows the role they must play. In a crisis, you need an agency that is willing to get into the trenches with their client; having the right mind-set matters as much as the method and we bring both to the table.
Emma Kelly, managing director, Elevate PR
FACTFILE
PR Agency
Elevate PR
Established
2001
Contact Name
Emma Kelly, Managing Director
Phone
01 6625652
Email
emma@elevate.ie
Client List
Retained clients include Moet Hennessy, Microsoft, Design and Crafts Council of Ireland, The Westin, Saorview, Mint Velvet, Propercorn and Peroni
Website
www.elevate.ie
Skills and expertise: Outlined by Emma Kelly
Elevate is an independent, creative and hardworking PR and social media agency. We create big ideas, insight led consumer campaigns that are fresh and forward thinking and have a strong digital focus. We believe in a proactive and energetic approach, working in partnership with clients to execute results driven campaigns on budget. Honesty and effectiveness are hallmarks of our work.
Aideen McGrath, director, H+A Marketing + PR
FACTFILE
PR Agency: H+A Marketing + PR
Established: 1999
Contact Name: Aideen McGrath, director
Phone contacts:
Dublin: 01-6766380 / 083 4301595
Cork: 021-4666200 / 087 9273698
Galway: 091-387800 / 087 7687787
E-mail: amcgrath@hamarketingpr.ie
Client list:
We’re proud to work for a wide mix of brands and clients; from energetic start-up brands to major multinational organisations who work with us to deliver long-term brand campaigns. Some of our FMCG and foodsector/retail clients include: Linwoods, Deliveroo, Jagermeister, Arrabawn Dairies, Unilever Food Solutions, Kenco, Tassimo, Calpol and Benylin. If you’d like to join our roster of incredible clients, please give us a shout at 087 9273698.
Website: www.hamarketingpr.ie
Skills and expertise: Outlined by Aideen McGrath
H+A is an award-winning PR and marketing agency with offices in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway. We challenge the norm by delivering PR and marketing solutions that not only are original and creative, but measurably improve business performance.
With a passionate and experienced team of 38, we’re one of the largest full-service agencies in Ireland with the capability to execute advertising, PR, design, web, digital, research/insights and social media all under the one roof.
H+A has built an excellent reputation as a dynamic, highly creative agency that delivers results. We’re known for delivering integrated brand campaigns that are rooted in real consumer insights to maximise engagement. We have been tasked by the big brands, and the small ones too, to deliver high-impact ideas that generate buzz, boost awareness, shift perceptions, generate belief and ultimately drive sales.
We specialise in consumer brand building, events and consumer launches that engage and excite. We have worked on campaigns for a wide mix of clients across industry sectors including FMCG, energy, healthcare, sports, telecoms, luxury lifestyle, retail, travel and tourism.
If you’d like to hear more, give us a call or drop us an email.
FACTFILE
PR agency
Murray
Established
1974
Contact name
Pat Walsh
Phone
01 498 0300
Email
pr@murrayconsultants.ie
Sheena Horgan, associate director, Murray Brand
Client list
Kellogg’s
Britvic
Heineken
L’Oreal Active Cosmetics
Volkswagen
Swizzels
Three
Glanbia
Calor
Ulster Bank
Website
http://www.murrayconsult.ie/
Skills and expertise: Outlined by Sheena Horgan
Having been in business for over 40 years, there isn’t a sector in which we don’t have experience but our expertise goes deeper than that: our key to winning business is our single minded focus on quality – the quality of our team, and therefore the quality of our advice, and ultimately the quality of the results we deliver.
Success for our clients differs from awareness and a shift in consumers’ attitude and consideration of the brand, to creating cut through and differentiation, to building meaningful conversation and engagement with key audiences. But whatever the end goal, all of our clients demand insight and advice that they can trust, and executions that are effective and delivers. When we succeed, our clients succeed. We offer both strategic and tactical capabilities from launching and re-positioning brands, to negotiating sponsorships and event activations. We’ve provided full service internal and external communications. Our new digital and creative team has expanded our offering to include complimentary services around digital, design and social, enabling the ‘always on’ position that many of our clients require.
The consumer and media landscape has changed irrevocably so we also help clients to move with that change – often to understand, and always to maximise, the opportunities that the new landscape offers. There are challenges in this new and dynamic market – evolving trends and attitudes, new technologies, increased competition. Supporting clients in addressing and countering the obstacles in this new consumer environment is a core part of our day-to-day business.
Brand successes
In the past year as the brand and consumer division of Murray, we’ve successfully pitched for and won Three, Ulster Bank and Center Parcs, strengthening our consumer offering alongside clients like Vichy, La Roche-Posay, Calor, Kellogg’s, Volkswagen and confectioner Swizzels.
2015 was a good year for us and for our clients, and one on which we plan to learn and build. And as with the Olympics and Euros generating such great consumer excitement so far, 2016 is look set to be another great year of opportunities for consumers and brands.
Q & A with… Sheena Horgan, associate director, Murray Brand
Q: What do you believe makes your company stand out from rivals in the PR and marketing sector?
A: The stand out at Murray is quite simply our people, the calibre of which means clients benefit from good judgement, an exemplary work ethic and a dogged focus on producing a quality result. For consumer and brand work, our appreciation of the full marcomms spectrum having worked with and across many brands’ agencies ensures heightened efficiency and efficacy that our clients appreciate and value highly.
Q: Who are some of the FMCG clients you recently worked with and how did you manage to get people talking about their brand?
A: Kellogg’s, Ballygowan, MiWadi, Fruit Shoot, Pringles, Swizzels are some of the brands we’ve recently worked with. Each had their own bespoke programme of activity based around a specific brief – seasons, new products, Olympic sponsorship, etc. But, common to all is our approach that is to generate meaningful ‘brand noise’ that cuts through the omnipresent clutter in the FMCG landscape. The execution may be in-store, online or on air, but whatever channel, the PR activity must tie in with other marketing plans, amplify them where possible, and always add value in terms of heightening consumer engagement, conversation and ultimately purchase.
Q: How important are social media influencers nowadays?
A: Consumer media coverage occurs across a multitude of platforms and often simultaneously. The purchase decision making process and those who influence the consumer journey and judgement, have multiple touch points, of which social media is a key one. But the caveat to brands is to be clever in their pursuit of SM influencers: it’s not about the volume of followers but the fit and depth of the influencer’s engagement with their followers. The dynamic of this space is constantly changing and indeed evolving almost daily. Brands need to make sure they employ robust listening tools to successfully leverage the influence of social influencers.
Q: How can a brand with a smaller budget maximise their media impact?
A: By employing the same strategic rigor as a bigger brand would. Creative and clever PR is not the sole remit of large budgets and brands. In fact it’s arguable that a restrictive budget can produce more creative solutions. That said the important point is to view budgets in value not monetary terms – think ROI, reach, KPI delivery etc.
Q: If a brand has a problem such as a recall or reputational issue, how will you help the company manage media interest? What is the best policy going forwards?
A: Each situation is different and bespoke strategies are required so it’s impossible to give a short answer here. The ideal situation is to have done the planning before the issue arises: that means different scenarios have been pre-empted, protocols are in place, logistics discussed, spokespeople trained, and all staff are aware of the hierarchical process involved if a crisis occurs. If an event arises where there’s been no preparation, get a trusted experienced expert in immediately to assess the situation and get you on track. It takes years to earn a reputation but it can be damaged in an instant, or even 140 characters.
FACTFILE
PR agency
Bannerton PR
Established
2010
Contact name
Sharon Bannerton
Bannerton PR, Leeson Street Upper, Dublin 2
Phone
015311000
Email
sharon@bannerton.ie
Client list
CityJet
FujiFilms
KayMed
Davys
Flormar
M2Beaute
Meagher’s Pharmacy
Flawless
Zeminar
The Derma Clinic
Weight Watchers
Amour Design
Arthur Cox
Column McCormack Crowe
B&Q
Website
www.bannerton.com
Skills and expertise: Outlined by Sharon Bannerton
Results-focused and driven to maximise budget and market reach, Bannerton prides itself on original, impactful communication that supports both brand values and commercial objectives.
Bannerton is a leading Dublin boutique agency, where the managing director and chief copywriter each has over 20 years’ PR and marketing experience, and have worked for some of Ireland’s leading retail and FMCG brands.
We manage cost-effective consumer, financial, public information and corporate campaigns, tailored precisely to the client’s market, budget, and communications brief.
Bannerton has superb media contacts on an ‘All-Ireland’ basis, who work with us to deliver original editorial, interviews and endorsement. We deliver 24/7 flexible PR; always pro-active and always available to exploit opportunity and advise on issues. Clients deal directly with the managing director, and have back-up from a team of hard working executives. The Bannerton client base ranges from major national and international brands and corporates, to boutique businesses; all committed service providers and quality business operators. We ‘cross-pollinate’ suitable clients, maximising opportunity to complement brands, events, commercial and media activity. Events, social media management, sponsorship, promotions, creative copywriting and website input are all areas of expertise.
Bannerton’s simple proposition is impactful consumer and corporate PR that is cost-effective, efficient and seamlessly activated.
Recently shortlisted for the 2016 Business & Finance Business2Business Awards for PR/Advertising Agency of the Year, the essential Bannerton advantage is that we are big enough to deliver on your brand objectives, and small enough to really care about your business.
Mari O’Leary
FACTFILE
PR agency
O’Leary PR & Marketing
Established
1994
Contact name
Mari O’Leary
Phone
01-6789888
Email
marioleary@olearypr.ie
Client list
Celtic Whiskey Shop
Irish Whiskey Awards / Whiskey Live
Campbells Soup
V8
essence cosmetics
Fitzers Catering
McGettigan’s Cookhouse & Bar
Killashee Hotel
Opel
Electronic Arts (EA)
HMV
Mattel
Website
www.olearypr.ie
Skills and expertise: Outlined by Mari O’Leary
As a boutique PR company, O’Leary PR offers creativity, flexiblity, and very importantly a personal, cost effective and results orientated service.
O’Leary PR is a full service agency with extensive experience and proven expertise across brand building, reputation management, product promotion, media relations services, digital and social media management. This is complemented with marketing service including event management, promotional and experiential activity.
Since the company was established 21 years ago, O’Leary PR has continuously work with companies ranging from start-up entrepreneurs to international global brands who are entering or repositioning in the market.
The relationship is integral and O’Leary positions itself as an extension of the client’s marketing team or as its actual marketing team depending on the size of the client. We have found that this creates a strong synergy between agency and client. The company always works collaboratively with clients tailoring and developing plans to the company’s specific requirements in terms of the goals to be achieved and the available budget to work with, to ensure the highest return on investment.
As a member of the PRCA with the Consultancy Management Standard (CMS) clients are always ensured a professional and results oriented service.
Caroline Heywood, MD, Walsh PR
FACTFILE
PR agency
Walsh:PR
Established
1984
Contact name
Caroline Heywood
Phone
+ 353 1 6613515
Email
caroline@walshpr.ie
Client list
Our client list is wide ranging across diverse sectors and includes FMCG companies such as Flahavan’s, Dr. Oetker, Jack Ryan Whiskey, Glanbia; OTC health brands such as Zantac and XLS-Medical as well as companies in the consumer lifestyle space such as United Airlines and Banaghan’s toys. For more information visit our website www.walshpr.ie or feel free to call us.
Website
www.walshpr.ie
Skills and expertise: Outlined by Caroline Heywood
At Walsh:PR we devise innovative and targeted media campaigns with specific KPIs and quantifiable results. We have excellent, long-term relationships with journalists, editors, researchers and bloggers. We deliver because we know how the media operate and we keep on top of trends.
When approaching lifestyle and consumer media we bring full-package solutions, we make sure that our pitch is fully rounded so that the journalist can visualise how it might look on the page and demonstrate that it’s not just one-dimensional. The media are not there to promote our brands, that’s selling and it’s the job of advertising. Our role is to bring the brand alive, make it relevant to the consumer and increase the potential ‘eating or drinking’ occasions of the product.
Our team of young talented executives and experienced consultants are experts at creating social content that will engage, entertain and stimulate online conversations about your brand or business.
Using video, graphics, apps, photography, infographics, surveys, recipes, product shots, events and much more, we create stand-alone social media campaigns or integrate social seamlessly into a wider communications plan. We also offer a full social media management service, including management of social media accounts, online reputation management, audience growth, training, content matrix development, online audits, blogger outreach programmes and internal and external social media policy creation.
In the past year Walsh:PR has undergone a rebrand itself, and we can safely say that nothing focuses the mind more than going through that process in understanding what our clients are dealing with all the time. We learned a lot from the experience and we continue to learn, which is what makes our job so exciting!
Maeve Governey, Walsh: PR
Q & A with… Maeve Governey, Walsh:PR
Q: What do you believe makes your company stand out from rivals in the PR and marketing sector?
A: At Walsh:PR when it comes to achieving results for our clients we are like the proverbial dog with a bone we don’t give up until the job is done – and that’s not always easy.
When your role in a company is guardian of a brand as is the case of brand manager, or if you’ve built your brand from scratch and you’re an enthusiastic start-up where every penny spent must deliver, you live, eat and breathe your brand, therefore your expectations as to the newsworthiness of your brand are always going to be high. At Walsh:PR we understand that, we want your brand to be a success too, so we live, eat and breathe it with you. Our reputation is based on making yours a success and because so much of our business comes from referrals, everything we do counts.
Q: Who are some of the FMCG clients you recently worked with and how did you manage to get people talking about their brand?
A: We are very proud to be working with some notable FMCG brands at Walsh:PR. One of those is Flahavan’s. In our experience Flahavan’s really is a brand that people love to love, however that doesn’t remove the challenge of keeping it alive and fresh in the eyes of the consumer. In order to highlight Flahavan’s Quick Oats brand we recently ran a campaign entitled Two Minutes Energy for Life – and in keeping with the theme of a healthy nutritious breakfast in just two minutes, we brought together three experts to demonstrate how else we can incorporate health and wellbeing into our day in just two minutes. Karl Henry, brought us two minute exercises, Roz Purcell developed two minute nutritious recipes incorporating Flahavan’s Oats and Mindfulness coach, Suzanne Donohoe, provided two minute breathing exercises to help keep the mind focused for the day ahead. The campaign was a great success on social media as well as in print and on TV.
Another quality international brand we work with is Dr. Oetker. We recently launched their delicious Surprise Insides Cupcake Centres designed for those who want to bring the wow factor to their baking without the stress, we call them the nervous bakers. To launch a commercial product into a busy marketplace is a challenge, and to gain share of voice you really have to look at every angle. In this case we developed a theme around the product and created a layered approach to our target media. We split the campaign into four distinct layers ensuring we would offer something unique and attention-grabbing for each. The strategy worked and the conversation online and offline was extensive.
Q: How important are social media influencers nowadays?
A: Social media influencers are important in a general sense for driving brand awareness. Driving brand advocacy is a different level. There is no getting away from the fact that advocacy comes from real life customer experiences. Tripadvisor is an example of regular consumers telling regular consumers exactly how it is, albeit warts and all. If we are confident enough about the brand experience and can capture this data from our loyal customers then it’s liquid gold.
Q: How can a brand with a smaller budget maximise their media impact?
A: In many respects there are more opportunities now for brands with small budgets to gain share of voice than ever before. We have a vast array of communications channels at our disposal from which to tell our brand story, and most of them are free.
In addition to that advances in technology make creating media assets such as video and photography a lot less expensive and accessible too. The challenge then is to build a story around the brand, make it relevant, interesting, fun, or both, and tell it well. That’s why it is worth investing in PR, because essentially we’ve always been storytellers and creators of content we just didn’t call it that!
Walsh:PR also brings the expertise in how to make the best use of these channels and recommends the ones that are most appropriate to the brand.
Q: If a brand has a problem such as a recall or reputational issue, how will you help the company manage media interest? What is the best policy going forwards?
A: Without doubt honesty is the best policy. But being honest is possibly the easiest decision to make when and if the time comes and you have an issue. What you can’t do “in hindsight” is be prepared. Every brand, big or small, needs to have a crisis plan in place and must ensure that everybody along the chain is familiar with the plan and knows what their role is in it.
Sonia Harris, managing director, Harris PR Ltd
FACTFILE
PR agency
Harris Public Relations Ltd
Established
July 2009
Contact name
Sonia Harris
Phone
01 637 1774 / 087 797 9703
Email
sonia@harrispr.ie
Client list
Retainer clients include:
Adam’s Cloud
Buck’s Townhouse VIP
Bushmills
David Gillick
Domino’s Pizza
Fulfil
Jose Cuervo
Kraken
Mothercare
Oolong
WaterWipes
In addition to regular project and event work.
Website
www.harrispr.ie
SUBHEAD: Skills and expertise: Outlined by Sonia Harris
Consumers demand more from their brands now than they ever have and we understand that and can respond across multiple channels to push key messages hard seven days a week. We have worked with many household brand names over the last decade and consistently delivered results with coverage in key media when it matters most. We understand traditional media and have an always up-to-date contact list to allow us match specific stories with key journalists but we also understand all the emerging social channels and have consistently leveraged them to get the best for our brands. We know we work in a results-driven business but we get a buzz from the pressure and bring a passion and a commitment to our work that is unrivalled.
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