Motorola presents Dublin Fashion Week (MDFW)

After what has proven to be the most successful Motorola presents Dublin Fashion Week (MDFW) to date, with extensive press and media coverage as well as significant increases in sales and revenues from the designers themselves, plans for next season’s Motorola presents Dublin Fashion Week are already underway.

One insider, Eddie Shanahan, a major force in the Irish fashion industry, provided the first and it proved to be hugely inspirational to all that attended, what with his extensive experience in both fashion production and marketing. The second came from Ignacio Germade, the head of design for Motorola in the UK, India and Singapore, bringing together his knowledge of design, the consumer market and trends, his informative presentation left many with plenty to think about in terms of their own product and steps that could be taken to further them. Both of these will be available to view on our website, www.dublinfashionweek.com, in the next few days.

We are already planning next season’s Motorola presents Dublin Fashion Week for some time late Summer/early Autumn and we would endeavour to have final dates available to your student body before they break for the summer period.

Next season there will be 4 guest speakers, all of whom are influential figures in the national & international fashion industry, and these appearances will place at 12:30 and 18:30 on the Monday and the Tuesday in the Fitzwilliam Room in the conference centre at the Fitzwilliam Hotel on St Stephen’s Green at a minimal cost of €5 payable at the door for tickets that are sold on a first come, first served basis.

These talks will be highly beneficial to students of all disciplines, not just fashion design, but also marketing, public relations and advertising.

We at Dublin Fashion Week truly believe that it is becoming more and more important for students to be given more of an insight into how the industry works on the inside before they are released into the wider world, and these talks are a very accessible way for students to hear such advice. Last season we even had the European editor of the magazine Fashion Wire Daily, and there was a queue out the doors of the Fitzwilliam Hotel!!

Saving your Way through college…sure it’s a No Brainer!

The Student Travelcard was first released in September 2003, as a replacement for the traditional Travelsave Stamp that was stuck to the reverse of the USIT card.Student Travelcard holders can avail of over 200 discounts nationwide, including exclusive discounts on Irish Rail, Dublin Bus and LUAS as well as discounts in HMV, Specsavers, Topshop/Topman and Vodafone. There are currently 51,000 Student Travelcard holders in Ireland.

If you are a student in full-time education (including postgraduate students) check out www.studenttravelcard.ie for more information on the card.It’s valid until the end of December and costs you only €12…a saving you’d make on one rail trip alone!Application forms can be downloaded from the website or alternatively you can visit one of our agents to have it made on the spot.

If you have any questions on it or indeed are a company who would like to offer Student Travelcard holders a discount, please email marketing@studenttravelcard.ie.

Publicis Posts 15% Increase in Profits for 2006

French advertising group Publicis has posted a 15% rise in net profit for 2006, as its London agency’s chief executive, Grant Duncan, resigns.

Publicis, which owns advertising networks including Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis and ZenithOptimedia, posted net profits of €443m, (£299m).

Revenues for the world’s fourth-largest advertising and marketing group were €4.37bn, a 6.3% year-on-year increase.

The chief executive, Maurice Levy, described the performance of Publicis Groupe as "ticking all the boxes" that would drive the integration of its recent $1.3bn (£660m) acquisition of US digital and direct marketing company Digitas.

Public Relations and Internet statistics for Ireland

The Technology Journalists’ Association of Ireland has released the results of a survey of their membership on how they rate the service they get from Irish PR professionals.

- 64% believe that PR people know their clients’ products and services well or very well

- 66% prefer dealing with local PR firms – as against firms outside the country

- 68% believe PR people know the area(s) the journalist covers (somewhat)

- 50% believe that review versions of software and hardware are not widely available

- 24% follow up a press release with the PR firm (on a regular basis)

- 92% prefer to be contacted via e-mail

- 100% prefer pictures via e-mail [JPEG - 100% best format]

Other interesting stats include:

- Bebo is Ireland’s most popular social networking site with over one million Irish users to date. The website has a broad base with users varying from 13 – 35 years of age. 1 in 3 Bebo users are between the ages of 13 to 17 and users are typically based in urban areas due to broadband rollout in the country. These areas are Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford.

- Nearly three quarters of Irish internet users (73%) never read blogs on the internet, with 22% regularly reading them

- 14% of Irish internet users have their own online journal or weblog, with 15-24 year olds the most frequent users of the internet as a ‘creative community medium’.

- 70% of Irish internet users never download ‘podcasts’, although 25% claim to regularly download them.

- Ebay.ie has over 500,000 registered users in Ireland (that’s 1/8 of the population)

- The growing popularity of video and music downloads, online tax returns, YouTube and other social networking sites and online gaming has caused demand for internet bandwidth in Ireland to rise 800% on Eircom’s network since April 2005, according to Eircom chief technology officer Geoff Shakespeare.

- The number of broadband subscribers in Ireland increased from 176,300 in the second quarter of 2005 to 372,200 in the second quarter of 2006. Ireland ended 2006 with 430,000 broadband subscribers. Communications Minister Noel Dempsey TD has set a target to have 700,000 broadband subscribers in the country by the end of 2007.

- An estimated 935,600 people used a computer every day or almost every day while an estimated 638,500 used the internet at least once a day.

- The most popular activities for Irish people on the internet were primarily information search and services followed by communication by email and thirdly interaction with public authorities.

- The most common internet purchases were travel and holiday accommodation, followed by tickets for events and thirdly books, newspapers and learning material.

- 99pc of Ryanair’s 35 million European passengers book tickets via the web; and last year 86,000 people in Ireland filed €2.2bn worth of income tax through the Revenue Online Service.

Sources: Piaras Kelly, RTE, Silicon Republic, Sunday Tribune and ENN.

Highlights of how Events Complement New Media

The second coming of digital media has taken the form of a tsunami of a wave, as the January (Q4) IPA Bellwether confirms, sucking the traditional, mass media sectors under its pull. This isn’t just because today’s consumer wants to “consume” what they want, when it suits, but also because TV, radio, magazines, et al, can all be replicated online.

Of all other media at brand owners’ fingertips, it is event marketing, the oldest kid on the block that is riding the digital wave. It’s not just that event marketing is complementary to digital, but that the two have so much in common, to the exclusion of the traditional mass-market media.

The key characteristic of both digital and events is “pull” rather than “push” media. Unlike the interruptive push techniques of broadcast, direct mail and other media forms, pull, or permission marketing, is exclusive to digital and live marketing formats.

In 2007 “engagement” will take “centre stage” for marketers and brand managers in our increasingly fragmented world, where consumers need to be able to make sense of the messages they are bombarded with. Taking a brand into a live, face-to-face environment allows the consumer to build a relationship with that brand beyond what is achievable online, or in any other media form. Where communities and relationships can be built online they can be consummated face-to-face.

So, event marketing, which for so long has not even been regarded as a mainstream marketing medium, now joins digital on the stage as a “now media” star.

Now for the evidence….

Among the greatest users of event marketing are online or airtime brands such as Microsoft, Google, e-Bay, AOL, O2 and Orange. O2’s use of events is a detailed and multi-faceted case study of effective brand positioning and relationship building, through countless touch-points with consumers. The re-naming of The Millennium Dome as The O2 in the summer will be a lesson for all brand managers in extending and building trust in a brand.

In October 2006, Channel 4, with more than one eye for 2010’s digital conversion, bought 50% of Taste Events, a programme of food and drink festivals. Michael Hodgson, managing director of Channel 4 Rights, had the following comments on this significant move:

“C4 sees live events as a great way to give our 4 and programme brands the ability to create a direct connecion with consumers. They offer advertisers opporunities to deepen their advertising spend with us and again interact directly with their audiences. I believe a direct one-to-one relationship with a consumer is only going to become more important in a fragmenting digital world.”

Sponsorship & Event Manager (Financial Services)

Purpose of the role: To promote and enhance the reputation through world class sponsorship and event management

Objectives:

- Responsibility for the sponsorship portfolio in Northern Ireland and Rep. Of Ireland

- Support the business strategy and the long term objectives of the company through sponsorship ensuring that all activity is reviewed and analysed against agreed company objectives

- Create marketing communications plans (internal and external) for the existing sponsorship portfolio including implementation of promotional activity, advertising and media, public relations and event management pertaining to each property.

- Responsibility for enhancing, updating and maintaining the sponsorship portfolio in conjunction with the Business owners and the management board

Experience required:

- Proven and successful track record of working in a dynamic industry at senior management and executive levels.

- Proven achievement record, consistently delivering results.

- Minimum five years experience in similar role

- Knowledge of communication channels and processes, including media relations, advertising and event management

- Knowledge of agency management

- Proven knowledge of Sponsorship trends in Ireland and abroad

Interested candidates can contact Ciara on 6776477 or email ciara@atlaspg.ie

Location: Dublin 2; Salary: Not Disclosed

Public Relations Manager – Volunteer work in Sierra Leone

Who are we?

VSO is an international development charity that works through volunteers. Our vision is of a world without poverty in which people work together to fulfil their potential. Instead of sending food or money, we send individuals from a wide range of professions who want the chance to make a real difference in the fight against poverty. Volunteers work in partnership with colleagues and communities to share skills and learning thus achieving positive change together. We work in 34 developing countries and are the biggest independent volunteer-sending agency in the world.

The skills of public relations professionals are currently in high demand by our overseas partners – see attached positions for an example of what you could be contributing in the developing world. There are opportunities for both long-term placements (12-24 months) and specialist assignments (2-6 months).

What’s the context and purpose of the role?

Sierra Leone is a country rich in resources, yet the vast majority of its 5.9 million people are living in poverty. Plagued by civil war from 1991, there has been remarkable progress in consolidating peace and rebuilding the country’s infrastructure since the end of conflict in 2002. In July 2007, Sierra Leone is holding its first General Election since United Nations peacekeepers left the country in 2005. The National Electoral Commission (NEC) is responsible for conducting all public elections. It’s looking for 6 Communications Managers to develop and manage regional awareness campaigns to promote its national civic education drive over 12 months.As one of 6 volunteers, you’ll deliver an effective strategic communications plan to educate the general public on their voting rights. You’ll ensure that voter information is successfully distributed- crucial for good governance in a country on the road to recovery after ten years of civil conflict.

What does the role involve?

Assisting the development of an effective communication & media plan for the region; Providing general expertise in the production and use of information, education and communication materials; Monitoring the media for access, bias and compliance with electoral laws; Feeding back media information obtained and assisting the commission to educate and give accurate voter information; Providing advice for sourcing alternative additional funding for outreach activities

What skills, experience and personal qualities are needed for the role?

You’ll be educated to degree level and you’ll have at least 5 years’ experience of working in public relations, advocacy or communications. As well as having project management experience and strong PR skills, you’ll be proficient in researching and delivering persuasive presentations. Experience of working on awareness campaigns is desirable, as is experience of developing and maintaining a website. With excellent interpersonal and communications skills, you’ll be confident in leading, training and motivating a team.Patience, flexibility and a great sense of humour are a must for all VSO volunteers!

And more…

Perhaps you are currently unable to commit to travelling to the developing world. If so, there are also domestic opportunities to volunteer with VSO. As a charity we have limited marketing resources thus public relations is an important tool for us. If you or your agency would be interested in getting involved with VSO on a voluntary basis, please contact us at the details
below.

VSO will be holding an information event on Saturday, May 19th in Smithfield, Dublin. If you would like to attend this event please email info@vso.ie. For more information or to apply log on to www.vso.ie.

Advertising – Agency – Media Planner

One of Dublin’s leading advertising agencies with great clients and a fantastic team. Due to continued expansion, they are looking to recruit an experienced Media Planner to manage existing clients from full planning, buying and evaluation.

The role involves:

- Client interaction, identifying their needs and filling them sucessfully.
- Liasing with your colleagues in other departments to offer clients a full service.
- Plan, buy and implement great media buying strategies on behalf of leading Irish and international clients.

The person:
- You’ll have proven client servicing / relationship skills and be comfortable interpreting client briefs and being part of a team.
- You’ll have a solid understanding of the media mix including non-traditional and evolving communications channels. – Obviously you will have strong experience of buying across all traditional and non-traditional media outlets, which necessitates a keen eye for detail.
- You’ll be ambitious and driven for sucess in advertising.

Location:Dublin City Centre; Salary:€30000 – €40000

Please email your CV in strictest confidence to marketing@rightfit.ie or call me on 01 676 8804 to discuss this in more detail.

Events Co-Ordinator (5 star Hotel)

Your duties will include but not limited to:

Co-ordinate and organise events on a day to day, week to week basis

Liaise with clients and staff prior to events to ensure clients specs are met.

Plan staff roster with General Manager and supervisors.

A good knowledge of computers and excellent communication skills are a pre-requisite.

Time management, the ability to plan and co-ordinate staff is essential.

The ability to prioritise and use one’s own initiative.

Location: Dublin City Centre; Salary: Negotiable

Contact: Michael Tuke; Tel: 01 2911960; www.paramounthr.ie

PR Manager

Our client is currently seeking a PR Manager to prepare, execute and manage the international PR initiatives and activities supporting the communications programme requirements across all departments and sectors to generate company visibility, revenue and profitability. This person will play a full and active role in the operation of the Marketing Department:

- To develop and manage a comprehensive plan/series of campaigns that strengthens and supports the company’s positioning.

- Plan and implement international corporate communications strategy

- Coordinate PR and advertising plan with regional marketing managers, local country managers, PR and marketing staff

- Work with MD and company directors on internal and external communication initiatives

- Ensure company and brands are positioned effectively through media channels

- Manage European advertising campaign and annual budget

- Manage PR coordinator

- Work closely with sales and product managers on public relations strategies

- Organise press conferences, briefings, customised press trips and press programme for 50+ international journalists at annual symposium

- Write and issue global press releases

- Analyse, review and evaluate media coverage

- Build strong long-term relationships with key trade media

- Train marketing staff in PR tools and techniques

- Responsible for commissioning, sourcing and placing articles in key trade magazines

- Content manager for corporate website

- Manage internal and external events

Skills Required:

- Strong interpersonal and communication skills

- Leadership and management skills

- Good writing and proofing skills

- Excellent organisational skills

- Project management skills

- Ability to work well in a team environment and on own initiative

- Capable of working under pressure.

- Strong understanding of the media and communications industry

This position is an exciting versatile role for someone seeking an in house PR position. The right candidate will be educated to degree level and have a minimum of three years experience in a PR role. They must have established media contacts, be a creative thinker with flair and innovative ideas. They should have infectious enthusiasm and be driven by the will to succeed with high energy levels!

Location: Dublin North West; Salary: €40k + benefits

Contact: Gillian Owens; Tel: 01 661 9636; gillianowens@peoplegroup.ie