Communicating your core message
In a world that’s cluttered with content, working in partnership with the right PR agency will enable your brand to cut through all the noise and truly connect with your target audience. Here, Ireland’s leading agencies highlight their USPs and demonstrate their prowess in securing results across a spectrum of clients. Read on to find out more about the right fit for your needs
Print1 June 2023
Communicating your brand’s core values with the public is essential, but generating awareness and consumer loyalty can be challenging. That’s why reliable PR and marketing are essential to help a brand achieve its goals. From learning how to position themselves in their local community, to leveraging social media to gain access to new markets, retail marketing as a tool can help brands improve customer engagement and increase sales in the long run. Over the next few pages, we outline a comprehensive guide to the reputable and knowledgeable PR and marketing agencies operating in Ireland today.
Writing in Forbes, Lisa Arledge Powell highlights six metrics to ensure your brand chooses a PR agency wisely. These include, firstly, that “they can find your best stories: An agency first needs to find your amazing stories or nobody will ever know about your brand’s narrative,” Powell advises. “The most valuable PR firms are experts at story finding — the step that comes before the storytelling begins. A content-savvy PR firm will have a proven process for finding the most newsworthy hook to allow your company’s story to stand out from the rest.”
The other key signs to look out for according to Powell are that “there’s alignment with your big picture strategy”; “they are multi-channel content gurus”; “they have expertise in content distribution”; “analytics and results drive their campaigns” and “they’re trustworthy”. On the latter point, Powell recommends looking into a firm’s track record and client retention rate. “Have they had clients for many years and continue to work with them? Or do they rotate clients in and out?” she asks. “Find agencies with long-lasting partners, which notates a strong relationship between a brand and an agency that is sometimes uncommon in this dynamic.”
Presence Communications: Working closely with clients to ensure we deliver
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PR agency: Presence Communications
Established: 2003
Contact name: Joanne Byrne
Phone: 01 6761062
Email: joannebyrne@presence.ie
Website: www.presence.ie
Social media: @presencepr
Client list: Amara Clinic, Avene, Barretstown, Biggest Disco, Cool Hand Coffee Roasters, Cosentino, Currys, Decathlon, Donegal Catch, Dr. Bronner, Early Table, Emerald Park, Flyefit, Gino’s Gelato, Glenhaven Foods, Great Lengths, Green Isle, Husqvarna, Irish Food Writing Awards, Jervis S.C., Klorane, Lindt, New Dimensions Active, Nomadic, Odeon Cinemas, Polly & Andy, Premier Foods, Seabody, Teeling Whiskey, The Morrison Hotel, The Natural Bakery, Wildlands
Q: In the past year, how has your company demonstrated your expertise in enabling FMCG brands to get their message across to their target audience?
A: We have worked in the FMCG sector since the start – our very first client was Nestlé Cereals. We work closely with our clients to ensure we deliver. Since Covid, strategic press drops have become an important tool for companies to get their message across. This year we have worked with everything from chicken to chocolate, fish to fruit snacks and everything in between. We work with clients to get their message across in an engaging way, constantly trying to find new ways to work with media and those who have an online presence. We’ve launched everything from a new way to enjoy pasta from Green Isle, a new yogurt SKU from Nomadic to a new Gelato flavour from Gino’s Gelato and every time, we try to bring a newness to how we work with FMCG brands. To quote one of our clients – we spend his money like it’s our own, so we try to be clever in all activities.
By Joanne Byrne; a director of Presence Communications. along with Sinead Ryan
Q&A with… Joanne Byrne, director, Presence Communications
Joanne Byrne
Q: Congratulations on celebrating your 20th anniversary this year! What have been the key milestones in the evolution and growth of Presence Communications throughout the past 20 years?
A: When we started up Presence PR, it was just the two of us. A significant milestone would have been taking on our first employee about six months later. We both feel the responsibility of being an employer and being responsible for someone’s livelihood. Equally, when we first had an employee move on to another company, you realise the importance of your role in helping every employee develop their potential, and realise their ambitions, even if it’s not with you. We’re very proud of having nurtured some really creative and talented people, who have worked with us for many years.
We’ve moved office a few times too, as we needed more space as we grew and while the business can grow organically almost without you noticing, setting up in a new and bigger office brings home to you that you might actually be doing well!
In terms of milestones, we have won some very big accounts over the years, after very competitive pitches, which gives the entire team a real sense of achievement. And as each challenge is faced and handled successfully, your experience grows alongside your learnings. The PR landscape has changed beyond all recognition – from faxing press releases to news desks and couriering printed photos to picture desks, to these days, creating and managing multi-media communications across a range of platforms, and managing large amounts of data to ensure the best of targeting. It’s been a rollercoaster, but we see every new development as an opportunity to be explored and exploited for the benefit of our clients. Covid certainly brought a unique set of challenges for a business that benefits hugely from being in the same room as others bouncing ideas – there’s no hiding from the good and indeed the bad ideas and the fact that we got through that time was a testament to the business we have created. Aislinn O’Toole has played a big part in our success and is ten years with us this year!
Q: Could you explain more about how you implement strategic planning with clients to deliver on your shared vision for the brand and the steps involved?
A: We have, deliberately, a very broad client portfolio but can honestly say that we find each and every one of them interesting and we enjoy working with them. With every new client, we ensure that we have an in-depth understanding of their business, its history, challenges and ambitions. We’re conscious that we’ll never know their business as well as they do, but equally, we’re aware that very often, a fresh take can help them to step back and relook at their own strategy. We take a lot of time to plan, consult, research and brainstorm before coming up with what is doubtless the first of many draft plans. That said, while we are strategic, we never shy away from being reactive when an opportunity can be maximised. Adhering too strictly to a plan can sometimes hinder a brand. We believe strongly in being creative, flexible and fast moving, and it is often the ad hoc implementations that can really over-deliver. A fun example was persuading The Natural Bakery to create skull shaped loaves of bread for Halloween. Not in their plans, but a huge success, sales and coverage wise.
Q: How do you ensure your events generate strong press coverage?
A: There will always be a place for events in the PR ‘toolbox’. But a major learning of lockdown is that coverage can be achieved in a vacuum of social contact. We found many creative ways to deliver for our clients, without seeing our colleagues or clients in person for months. We are not an agency that defaults to suggesting events for clients. We’re budget conscious so an event has to really deliver on every possible level. As one of our longstanding clients has said more than once, we treat his money like it’s our own! And often that can be as much, if not more, about the interaction at the event, than any resulting coverage. For example, the invite should serve to inform every recipient of the brand’s messages and merits regardless of attendance. Every aspect of the event needs to evoke the brand and its ethos, and above all, it should be enjoyable. To ensure the best possible chance of coverage, we work hard to have the best and most relevant guests, a beautifully staged and appropriate venue, and above all – a strong rationale for the event. We do also have excellent relationships with media, so we know how best to deliver content that makes for the strongest coverage. Joanne represents a large number of people so her black book as she calls it is a powerful tool when brought out of the drawer!
Q: What achievements are the team at Presence Communications most proud of already in 2023?
A: We’re already having a great year. We’ve expanded our team, kept our clients and won new accounts including Decathlon, FLYEfit, Amara Clinic, Glenhaven, Wildlands and Nomadic. As usual it’s a great mix of clients, which we enjoy, as we strongly believe in creating synergy between our clients, and it makes us a one stop shop for media and influencers – no matter the topic, we have a client to fit the bill. Our Talent Management arm of the business is also thriving and again, greatly adds value for our clients. The launch of Emerald Park in March was very challenging, but so enjoyable. A multi-faceted project with many moving parts. A literal rollercoaster of a PR campaign, and a huge success. We are also very proud of highlighting some great Irish businesses, products and brands that are batting way above their weight and all of them recognising the importance of PR in telling their story and getting across their message.
Q: How do you tailor brand communications to suit the journalistic ‘angle’ of different publications/media outlets?
A: We are very familiar with the media landscape, and have many very strong and long lasting professional relationships with various journalists. Basically, we know what they want, how they want it, and when. It’s another advantage of our diverse client portfolio, as we regularly have to dig deep to find the perfect match for a story pitch for anything from staycations, to sportswear, to gardening tools, to hair extensions, to frozen fish. It’s a challenge that we enjoy! Communications that are not tailored are wasted, and waste time. We prefer to work smarter. We love the example of food loving Marie Claire Digby of The Irish Times following the Ginos Gelato story from cow to cone. Literally visiting the farm and following her own gelato concoction to the store where it was served.
Q: What are the key advantages/supports that Presence Communications can provide for brands during a period of crisis management?
A: Crisis management has become a key pillar of the service we can provide for existing clients. Very often, we can identify potential issues, before they arise. Which is obviously the ideal scenario. But, if the worst happens, we have the skill set and experience to guide our clients through their response, and eventually, recovery. More often now, we are sought out by ad hoc clients who are experiencing a crisis and need that specific service. We bring a number of key skills to the table, to the advantage of our clients. Experience, strong leadership, wide ranging contacts, and communication skills. We have handled almost every type of crisis and you learn from each experience, whether it relates to people, property or reputation.
Harris PR: Stellar media relationships and creative approach leads to superb results
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PR agency: Harris PR Ltd
Established: July 2009
Contact name: Sonia Harris Pope, founder and managing director
Phone: 0877979703
Email: sonia@harrispr.ie
Website: www.harrispr.ie
Social media: @harris_pr on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok, and Harris Public Relations on LinkedIn
Client list: Boulder Media, Capitalflow, Dingle Distillery (whiskey, gin and vodka), Domino’s Pizza, Fáilte Ireland’s Púca Festival, Fresh Cuts, Holland & Barrett, iDonate.ie, Irish Haemochromatosis Association, Kärcher, My Expert Midwife, Odeon, Petmania, Porterhouse Brew Co, ReMark, The Bump Room, The Purty Kitchen
Q: In the past year, how has your company demonstrated your expertise in enabling FMCG brands to get their message across to their target audience?
Sonia Harris Pope
A: Harris PR is a member of the PRCA and a full-service agency, led by founder Sonia Harris Pope working with a team of dedicated PR specialists delivering impactful communications campaigns for brands in the FMCG, health & wellness, food & beverage, retail, hospitality, tourism, parenting, and charity sectors.
We understand what makes consumers tick and our stellar media relationships and creative approach has led to fruitful relationships and superb results for many household brands over the years, including Domino’s Pizza, Dingle Distillery, Holland & Barrett, NUK, AYA Supplements, and many more.
We are passionate storytellers, equipped to manage all aspects of client briefs from creative ideation, media and influencer relations, and social to corporate, recruitment, and ESG initiatives, operating as an extension of our client’s teams. Aligning with global best practice in the PR industry, we use the Barcelona Principles to measure and evaluate campaigns so that clients see the impact of our work on their business, not just the outputs in coverage terms.
Harris PR was recently highly commended at the annual PRCA Awards for Excellence in PR for our work with Domino’s, NUK and The Wicklow Escape, and is shortlisted across seven categories for four campaigns in 2023. Recently we have executed impactful campaigns for Domino’s Maynooth store opening launching the ‘short shorts’ uniform, Fresh Cuts new season collection of sustainable apparel, an experiential approach for Dingle Distillery’s Bealtaine Single Pot Still Whiskey, the Irish Heart Foundations ‘Her Heart Matters’ campaign with Glenda Gilson, and a domestic and international campaign for Fáilte Ireland’s Púca Festival. Recent client wins include Boulder Media, Petmania, ReMark, The Odeon and The Purty Kitchen.
2023 is set to be our most exciting year yet and we look forward to welcoming more brands to the Harris PR stable.
By Sonia Harris Pope, founder and managing director, Harris PR
Walsh: PR: Experts in telling a brand’s story
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PR agency: Walsh:PR
Established: 1984
Contact name: Maeve Governey
Phone: 086 805 7884
Email: maeve@walshpr.ie
Website: www.walshpr.ie
Social media: @walshpr
Client list: Current FMCG clients include: Flahavan’s, Mash Direct, Linwoods, Tirlán (formerly Glanbia) and Golden Bake
Q: In the past year, how has your company demonstrated your expertise in enabling FMCG brands to get their message across to their target audience?
Maeve Governey
A: At Walsh:PR we say: the beauty of PR is that it’s contextual rather than mass media, so you can decide on your messaging depending on the target audience and choose the channel that best suits them. The good news for FMCG brands is that whether you are a start-up or a well-established brand looking to re-launch or re-focus we can help you as we become an extension of your marketing team, assisting you in developing your strategy. Currently that constitutes a lot of the work we do with our portfolio of clients at Walsh:PR.
Consumers are often interested in the story behind the products they buy so by sharing the history and values of our client’s brand, as well as any unique or interesting aspects of their production process or ingredients, we tell that story.
In all of this, relationships are key. We engage with journalists and other influencers regularly to build on those relationships and get our client’s brand featured. We provide them with unique content they can share with their audiences.
We’ve been at the forefront of responding to issues or crisis on behalf of clients, where success is often about staying out of the spotlight. We do this well and that’s why you’d never know!
Overall, effective PR for FMCG brands requires a combination of smart strategy, engaging content, strategic partnerships and transparent communication. At Walsh:PR we do all of that and more, that’s why our clients trust us, stay with us and recommend us to others.
By Maeve Governey, deputy managing director and food PR strategist, Walsh:PR
Sustainable PR: Achieving impressive media reach
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PR agency: Sustainable PR
Established: 2019
Contact name: Fiona Donnellan
Phone: 0852262789
Email: fiona@sustainablepr.ie
Website: sustainablepr.ie
Social media: www.instagram.com/sustainablepr.ie
Client list: Volvo Ireland, Minor Figures, reuzi, Jiminy, Nunaïa, V-Face, Foam Cafe, Shells Cafe, Etsy Ireland, Thanks Plants, Common Knowledge and Cairde Sligo Arts Festival
Q: In the past year, how has your company demonstrated your expertise in enabling FMCG brands to get their message across to their target audience?
Fiona Donnellan
A: Sustainable PR helped Minor Figures launch its expanded range with the addition of Everyday Oat and Everyday Oat Light. Focusing on traditional media, a free Oat M*lk coffees activation and influencer gifting strategy, we achieved impressive media reach.
We also worked with Irish beauty brand Nunaïa – in the last year, Sustainable PR helped the brand announce its partnership with Aer Lingus and also helped with PR when Nunaïa won big at the Cosmoprof Awards 2023, the “Oscars of the Cosmetics Industry”. Sustainable PR secured a whole host of regional, national and international press for the brand.
By Fiona Donnellan, founder, Sustainable PR
Murray: Navigating the most complex of issues to build the brightest reputations
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PR agency: Murray
Established: 1974
Contact name: Joanne O’Sullivan
Phone: 01 498 0300
Email: josullivan@murraygroup.ie
Website: www.murrayconsultants.ie
Social media: www.linkedin.com/company/murray-consultants
Client list: Bord Bia, Origin Green, Britvic Plc, Ballygowan, MiWadi, Ornua, Kerrygold, Dawn Meats, Liffey Meats, Meat Industry Ireland, Heineken Ireland, Irish Distillers, Kellogg’s
Joanne O’Sullivan
Q: In the past year, how has your company demonstrated your expertise in enabling FMCG brands to get their message across to their target audience?
A: We have one of the deepest portfolios of agribusiness, food, and beverage in Irish PR: a combination of leading home-grown companies and leading international brands and exporters.
Our supply chain and stakeholder perspective is literally, farm to fork. This means we add real value with a depth of knowledge on policy and regulatory issues across the sector from Brexit to international trade tariffs and the lasting effects of the pandemic to climate impact.
We navigate the most complex of issues and build the brightest reputations.
By Joanne O’Sullivan, account director, Murray
Rob Kenny PR: A noticeably creative approach to answering client PR briefs
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PR agency: Rob Kenny PR
Established: 2020
Contact name: Rob Kenny
Phone: 0851555746
Email: rob@robkennypr.ie
Website: robkennypr.ie
Social media: @robkennypr
Client list: The Handmade Soap Company, Hendrick’s Gin, Virgin Media Ireland, The Pygmalion Group, Miss Jones, Neurolinks, Lisboa, Pair Mobile, Theatre of Light, Virgin Media Television, Aperitivo, Tullamore Dew, Tapped, Audrey Hamilton Art, Audrey Hamilton Apparel, Skinmade, Brickyard, Eavanna Breen Skin & Laser Clinic
Q: In the past year, how has your company demonstrated your expertise in enabling FMCG brands to get their message across to their target audience?
Rob Kenny
A: Rob Kenny and his team at RKPR take a very creative and modern approach to consumer PR. Today PR campaigns need to be wholly different to the traditional approach that was taken by almost all, not so long ago, in order to really seize on all opportunities available to us today.
Having left a position as head of PR for one of Ireland’s biggest creative agencies before going solo, Kenny always takes a noticeably creative approach to answering client PR briefs. It is this, combined with unbeatable press and influencer relationships, that has led the agency to grow so rapidly, in terms of both client list and reputation, in such a short period of time.
The power of influencers to really move the dial for brands continues to amaze, but only when it is planned and executed correctly. And so many continue to get it wrong. Rob Kenny and his team will always present a carefully considered influencer element to compliment nearly all campaigns, both paid and unpaid. It is Kenny’s insider knowledge here on what really works, combined with his personally close influencer relationships to so many, that allow these creator elements to flourish and drive real results. Particularly when planned to perfectly compliment all other communications. All retainer and project clients RKPR have ever worked with have all come directly to them, due to word of mouth and reputation. And reputation speaks for itself.
ShelfLife spoke to Rob Kenny, founder, Kenny PR
Masonry PR: Ensuring products are seen by the right media
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PR agency: Masonry PR
Established: 2011
Contact name: Kathryn Mason
Phone: 01-9065331
Email: km@MASONRY.ie
Website: www.masonry.ie
Social media: @MASONRYdotie
Client list: The Powerscourt Distillery, Irish Podcast Awards, IMRO Radio Awards, MCD Productions, Connick Ski and Sharon Shannon
Kathryn Mason
Q: In the past year, how has your company demonstrated your expertise in enabling FMCG brands to get their message across to their target audience?
A: In 2022 we were able to elevate the awareness and recognition plus reach brand goals for our client, The Powerscourt Distillery. Earned media coverage was estimated to reach over 645,000 views and we landed over 130 pieces of coverage.
We understand our clients want to see value for their spend, we become their partners in reaching their business goals by ensuring their products are seen by the right media.
By Kathryn Mason, managing director, Masonry PR
Legacy Communications: Experiment and challenge the world of “same”
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PR agency: Legacy Communications
Established: 2013
Contact name: Kevin Moore
Phone: (01) 525 2544
Email: kevin@legacycommunications.ie
Website: legacycommunications.com
Social media: @Legacy_Comms
Client list: Aldi Ireland, AIG, Amgen, Asics, Active Iron, Aviva, Break Through Cancer Research, Carr Golf, Dash, Dubarry, Dogs Trust, Energia, Exertis, Fastway Couriers, Glenisk, Hidden Hearing, Indeed, Krispy Kreme, Laya Healthcare, Lenovo, Lifestyle Sports, Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Spirits, Mater Private Network, Molson Coors, NAOS, NUK, Peptalk, Permanent TSB, Pieta, Polestar, San Pellegrino, Screwfix, Summize, Teamwork, Tony’s Chocolonely, Total Processing, United Drug, Ubiquitous
Q: In the past year, how has your company demonstrated your expertise in enabling FMCG brands to get their message across to their target audience?
The team at Legacy Communications
A: Legacy Communications consists of a multidisciplinary team of storytellers employed across three dynamic divisions: Communications, Brand and Sponsorship, and SEO. Together we create impactful PR campaigns for our ambitious FMCG clients, harnessing consumer insights to understand the pulse of Irish consumers and leveraging the power of data to sell their stories and deliver results.
Over the past 10 years, and indeed over the past 12 months, Legacy has been at the forefront of driving consumer communications strategies for an impressive collection of FMCG brands. Our current roster of clients includes leading supermarket Aldi Ireland, Krispy Kreme, several brands within the Stafford Lynch family, plus multinational drinks company Molson Coors.
From strategic consultation on the challenges facing Irish consumers to creative campaign ideation, Legacy is a trusted partner to our clients. Our work with Aldi Ireland is a great example of this, from end-to-end campaign management and ownership of the national consumer press office, to creating dynamic brand partnerships across radio, TV and digital, plus our specialist work on influencer marketing, brand ambassadors, events and so much more. We explore everything because the most important campaigns are born from a willingness to take calculated risk; experiment and challenge the world of “same”.
Legacy’s work was celebrated by industry peers at the 2022 PRCA Awards as ‘Best Consumer Public Relations Campaign’ for the launch of Aldi Ireland’s cookbook in collaboration with IRFU. Our SEO Division was awarded a European Search Award 2022 for ‘Best Use of Search B2B’ for our client Teamwork.
By Aisling Newton, communications account director, Legacy Communications
Jailbird Communications: Hardworking, creative communications solutions with heart and passion
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PR agency: Jailbird Communications
Established: 2019
Contact name: Julie Blakeney
Phone: 0863420794
Email: team@hellojailbird.com
Website: jailbird.ie
Social media: @hellojailbird
Client list: HelloFresh, Insomnia Coffee, Tullamore D.E.W., Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, Ballet Ireland, Other Voices
Q: In the past year, how has your company demonstrated your expertise in enabling FMCG brands to get their message across to their target audience?
Julie Blakeney
A: Jailbird is a communications company that delivers PR and social communications without faff or marketing jargon. We’re here to offer clients hardworking, creative communications solutions with heart and passion behind our ideas. We work with clients to break free from boring marketing campaigns – using creativity and culture to solve business problems.
Within the past year, Jailbird has collaborated with both global heavyweights like HelloFresh, beloved Irish brands like Insomnia Coffee, and cultural institutions like Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. We work with each client to create creative, disruptive, content-driven marketing campaigns that truly make an impact.
By Julie Blakeney, founder, Jailbird Communications
Hunter Communications: Expertise is demonstrated by campaign success
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PR agency: Hunter Communications
Established: 2009
Contact name: Lynn Hunter
Phone: +353 (0)1 905 6350
Email: hello@huntercommunications.ie
Website: www.huntercommunications.ie
Social media: Instagram: @huntercomms Facebook: Hunter Communications TikTok: @huntercomms LinkedIn: HunterCommunications
Client list: Clonakilty, Frank & Honest, Hunky Dorys, O’Donnells, Popchips, Tayto, The Happy Pear, 67 Spritz, Bonne Maman, Boyne Valley, Bread 41, Bulmers, Coole Swan, Golden Bake, Kinetica, KP Nuts, Lakeshore, McDonnells, White Claw
Q: In the past year, how has your company demonstrated your expertise in enabling FMCG brands to get their message across to their target audience?
Lynn Hunter
A: Hunter has worked closely with our clients to create conversations around their brand and to produce creative campaigns. Our team consists of experts in creative and innovative PR campaigns, content creation, social media marketing and event planning. We understand the importance of listening to our clients and making each campaign unique. Our sister agency, The Collaborations Agency is the first Irish full-service agency that connects brands with Ireland’s top creators, maximising the reach and efficacy of campaigns. This unique position as trailblazers in the industry has pushed us to continue innovating and learning, in order to deliver the best results for our clients.
Our expertise is demonstrated by the success of our campaigns. Over the past year our work has been recognised: the PR campaign we created for Tayto Fizzy Cola Limited Edition Flavour has been shortlisted for an All-Ireland Marketing Award. We have continued to see huge growth for our clients on social media, with the Instagram account we created for Popchips in 2021 reaching over 20,000 followers. We have perfectly matched clients such as Clonakilty with creators, namely award-winning chefs Lilly Higgins and Nathan Anthony (Bored of Lunch). Our innovative approach is evidenced by our eye for match-making, partnering brands that we work with to create and innovate, an example of this was bringing Bread 41 and Bonne Maman together to produce a new limited edition product.
We always keep an eye on new trends and developments in the industry, never settling for less than perfection.
By Lynn Hunter, founder, Hunter Communications
Conjure Communications: Consumers don’t buy products, they connect with stories
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PR agency: Conjure Communications
Established: 2021
Contact name: Anthony O’Brien Bedford
Phone: 087 9322400
Email: anthony@conjurecommunications.ie
Website: www.conjurecommunications.ie
Social media: Instagram: @conjure_communications LinkedIn: Conjure Communications
Client list: Conjure Communications works with brands such as Coole Swan Irish Cream Liqueur, Stoli Vodka, Gourmet Food Parlour restaurant group, Max Benjamin, The Wine Opener and more
Q: In the past year, how has your company demonstrated your expertise in enabling FMCG brands to get their message across to their target audience?
Anthony O’Brien Bedford
A: Conjure Communications’ point of difference is our focus on storytelling. Every brand and product has a unique story behind it and we create impactful PR campaigns that utilise these stories. We are savvy when it comes to budget management and we place an emphasis on our relationships with key journalists and influential creators to bring our clients and their stories to target consumers in an organic way. Consumers don’t buy products, they connect with stories. The Conjure approach is designed to create loyal and lasting customers.
Conjure has a particular interest in food, drink and Irish brands. Our managing director, Anthony O’Brien Bedford, has a decade of experience in creating brand magic for clients. From award winning campaigns to disruptive activity, Conjure is adept at connecting brands with their consumers through the power of PR. Whether it’s launching a limited-edition bottle for Stoli Vodka around Pride season to creating event concepts for Gourmet Food Parlour restaurant group or sparking consumer conversations around new ways to use a classic product, as we have with Coole Swan, Conjure always delivers above and beyond for our valued clients. We don’t only do PR though, we manage ad buying, create market positioning strategies and more as part of our full-service communications offering.
In the past year Conjure clients have appeared across the entire Irish media landscape from the Sunday Independent to The Late Late Show and more. As a result, our smart PR strategies have driven mass sales for our clients.
By Anthony O’Brien Bedford, founder and MD, Conjure Communications
Bannerton PR: Communications strategists who help great FMCG brands secure their niche
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PR agency: Bannerton PR
Established: 2006
Contact name: Sharon Bannerton
Phone: 01 612 1428
Email: sharon@bannerton.ie
Website: bannerton.ie
Social media: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/bannerton/ Twitter: @BANNERTON_PR Instagram: Bannerton_PR /
Client list: Bannerton provides communications consultancy for brands and businesses in consumer markets, and advises on strategic corporate PR and media relations, right across all industry sectors.
Consumer clients include the likes of Kilkenny Design, Des Kelly Interiors, Chupi, Hidden Hearing, Bluebird Care, Butlers Chocolates, Barilla and Tabasco, as well as Champion Green, the ground-breaking ‘support local’ SMEs campaign.
Primeline, CWM Wealth Management, Contracting Plus, BNP Paribas Real Estate, Compass Ireland, the Employment & Recruitment Federation, MentorsWork, Xtremepush, Elio Networks, JT Tech, B&Q and Euro Refrigeration Group are among the leading companies where Sharon Bannerton and her team support corporate communication strategy.
Q: In the past year, how has your company demonstrated your expertise in enabling FMCG brands to get their message across to their target audience?
Bannerton PR works closely with FMCG brands of all sizes to drive visibility and increase sales
A: FMCG brands operate in an increasingly competitive marketplace, making it essential to maintain and grow their presence through consistent, tailored PR initiatives that connect with both the trade and consumers. At Bannerton PR, we understand that good FMCG PR is about identifying a brand’s unique selling proposition and conveying it effectively to the market.
From identifying news angles and expert articles to securing sponsorships and brand associations, our team works closely with FMCG brands of all sizes to drive visibility and increase sales. We believe that social media is a cost-effective route to market and that consistently communicating a brand’s successes, whether it’s a new product launch, range extension or promotion, is key to driving engagement and sales.
While stunts and expensive ad campaigns can be great for major brands, we believe that issuing brand and business news regularly is a critical step in consolidating sales and marketing efforts, no matter the size of the brand. At Bannerton, we have worked with both big and small operators in Irish food, beverages, and distribution, including Primeline brands, Largo Foods, Butlers Chocolates, Muff Liquor, Oat in the City, and JJ Darboven.
In short, we’re the communications strategists who help great FMCG brands secure their niche and drive business. Contact us today to learn how we can help your brand succeed.
By Sharon Bannerton, Bannerton PR
Artisyn Communications: Helping clients to find that insight that really makes them stand out
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PR agency: Artisyn Communications
Established: 2018
Contact name: Lucy Earley
Phone: 0871234245
Email: lucy@artisyn.ie
Website: www.artisyn.ie
Social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook: Artisynpr
Client list: Dublin Meat Company, Ely Winebars and loveEly retail, The Wicklow Street Clinic, Cosaintskincare.ie, Eminence Organic Skincare, Horizon Sports Management, concert promoter Selective Memory, the Beyond the Pale music festival, The Sweet Potato Pizza Company, Abair Linn Publishing, Recruiters.ie, Irish Spa Association, Equality for Children, Emma’s So Naturals Candles
Q: In the past year, how has your company demonstrated your expertise in enabling FMCG brands to get their message across to their target audience?
Lucy Earley
A: At Artisyn, we pride ourselves in our ability to find that key insight or point about our client’s business. In the past year we’ve helped all of our clients to find that insight that really makes their products stand out.
That key insight might be about the FMCG itself or it might focus around the story of the brand or individual. To support this, we also offer a full range of additional services including, marketing, digital advertising, video editing and graphic design; all feeding into and supporting the PR campaign.
In terms of food FMCG and specialised retail we have worked with brands such as Dublin Meat Company and ‘loveEly’- Ely Wine Retail on various launches and seasonal gifting campaigns to key demographics. Our strategies incorporate interactions and partnerships with micro-influencers, celebrity endorsements as well as important press mentions. Our testimonials speak for themselves.
By Lucy Earley, founder, Artisyn Communications
Cirkle: An obsessive focus on insight-centric work
FACT FILE
PR agency: Cirkle
Established: 1998
Contact name: Amy Searle
Phone: 01494731750
Email: amy.searle@cirkle.com
Website: www.cirkle.com
Social media: Instagram: www.instagram.com/cirklepr/?hl=en | TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cirklepr | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cirkle
Client list: Ferrero UK & Ireland, Fox’s Burton’s Companies, PepsiCo, Birds Eye, Britvic, Heineken, Mars Petcare, Premier Foods, Haleon, Urban Foods, Dreams, Honda, Dyson, AkzoNobel, Energizer
Q: In the past year, how has your company demonstrated your expertise in enabling FMCG brands to get their message across to their target audience?
Amy Searle
A: With an obsessive focus on insight-centric work, we don’t just tell stories. We make them.
Through this lens, we have a track record of successfully shifting the dial of all our clients’ communications campaigns. Whether that’s building brand fame with shoppers and consumers, impacting stocking decisions amongst the trade or sparking intrigue and conversation across social media, our integrated eye is applied to every communications brief that enters the agency.
Cirkle’s unique structure, with three clear divisions – consumer brands, retail trade and corporate reputation – allows our clients the benefit of cohesive touch all strategies covering specialist PR teams, creative & design, b2c & b2b social, digital & influencer and advertising & media buying teams. This collaborative approach has resulted in multiple award-winning campaigns that span many audiences.
Time is taken to carefully dissect clients’ briefs and decipher what success looks like. We ask the big questions: Who is the audience? What do we want them to think, feel or do following our campaign? We underpin this with success measuring metrics, resulting in laser-focused return on investment.
A clear correlation between campaigns and commercial results is the real beauty of retail trade communications.
We are seeing huge growth in B2B social/influencer and community-centric campaigns. As an example, our nationwide ‘Roast & Ramble’ campaign for Aunt Bessie’s was bedded on a B2B influencer strategy, which helped to deliver an increase in core line distribution rate of sale within convenience.
Cirkle was awarded SABRES EMEA Creative Consultancy of the Year 2023.
By Amy Searle, managing director – retail trade at Cirkle
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