Piaras Kelly PR - Public Relations in Ireland

David Putnam, director of FutureLab, recently gave a talk at the IIA about educating for the digital society. Brendan Hughes attended the event and highlighted some key areas of his talk. The event was subsequently put online and I have embedded the video below (the IIEA YouTube channel is well worth subscribing to.)

Here is some interesting commentary on productivity I’ve read recently, hopefully some of it will be useful to you also:

• Leo Babauta has a post called ‘How Not To Hurry‘ and offers a step-by-step guide for how to achieve this:
  • Do less
  • Have fewer meetings
  • Practice disconnecting
  • Give yourself time to get ready and get there
  • Practice being comfortable with sitting, doing nothing
  • Realize that if it doesn’t get done, that’s OK
  • Start to eliminate the unnecessary
  • Slowly eliminate commitments
• Lifehacker points to a post by Success Magazine’s Chelsea Greenwood which promotes better productivity by making Not-To-Do lists

We launched the results of this year’s Edelman Trust Barometer in the Westbury Hotel last Tuesday. There was an interesting panel discussion after the presentation with Eamon Gilmore, leader of the Labour party, Pat Delaney from IBEC and Mark Little, ex RTE Primetime presenter.

I’ve included the presentation below and I’ll run through my thoughts on the results below.

I found this year’s media research findings very interesting, with trust in media as an institution falling from 40% to 33%. All three panelists at the event offered some good insights in this respect. Gilmore pointed out that many media organisations are in the entertainment business, rather than the information business.

As Mark Little pointed out, it’s worrying when so many pages and resources are given over to reporting on gangland criminals than analysis on how the Irish economy was so badly affected by the credit crunch.

Little obviously had a lot to say about the media. One of his most interesting comments was that ‘news was a product, now it’s a process.’ The public have the technology to interact with the media and now they want to be engaged.

Slide twenty five caught my attention. Online search engines such as Google and free content sources such as Wikipedia are now as trusted as TV news coverage and articles in national newspapers in Ireland. That is seriously eye-opening.

Radio news coverage ranks higher than both TV and national newspaper coverage, highlighting the strength of local radio as Pat Delaney from IBEC put it.

Another interesting finding in the survey are the big falls in trust for academic/experts and financial/industry experts. People are questioning the personality commentators that have become household names over the past decade. The same experts have suddenly switched tune over the past eighteen months and there seems to be a slew of books recently published which cash in on the credit crunch.

Trust is an interesting concept, in many ways it’s intangible. The events of the last eighteen months, however, indicate that trust or confidence are essential for organisations to operate.

Of all the countries surveyed, Ireland ranks lowest in terms of trust in business and government as institutions. We are in a dangerous place as slide seven shows as Ireland is now skeptical in its outlook. Open a newspaper or turn o a radio station and the mood is one of retribution with members of the public calling for a variety of actions.

One of the current topics of debate, the banking inquiry, is interesting in this respect. Personally, I think it’s a waste of money. I can see how it can help the public psyche though.

I attended a briefing by the IDA last year on their new campaign to instill confidence in companies looking to set up operations in Europe. The IDA are standing out and telling the good news stories that get overlooked in all the negativity.

An interesting aspect of the Trust Barometer data over the past ten years is that if you map the levels of trust with the stock market, the two graphs pretty much overlap. When Ireland recovers, it will be because of a revitalised confidence in our various institutions. To this end, we need more positive thinking from the likes of the IDA, but also a rethink of our ethics and values. As Josef Ackermann, CEO of Deutsche Bank, stated, “Already, we’ve seen speculation that our industry will soon be back to business as usual. let me say clearly: there are lessons from this crisis that we cannot afford to ignore.”

Any Given Sunday is worth watching for this speech by Al Pacino alone.

Here’s a video which may provide some inspiration today:

I’ve ben sitting on a post about my thoughts about the future of the media for a while now and will try to post it next week as one piece or as a series of posts. In the meantime, here’s a really interesting presentation Guido Fawkes gave at a recent Online News Association event.

Bit late posting this, but if anyone is around Dublin on Tuesday morning there’s a free breakfast meeting on in the Burlington Hotel between 8:00 - 9.30am. John Ring is running it and promises it will be different from your standard sales pitch. Read more about it on his website.

D|two has started a new networking event for young PR professionals and journalists called Booze and Schmooze. The first event takes place on Thursday 28th January from 6.30pm

It is free to attend. All that D|two asks is that those attending RSVP to confirm their place and give them reasonable notice if they cannot attend so they can allocate the place to someone else.

If you’re interested in attending just email D|two.

On Friday night RTE’s news report on the adverse weather conditions in Ireland featured a clip of a young man slipping on ice. Since the broadcast the clip has gone viral online, with over half a million views for the various clips of the incident. Here is a clip of the incident.

It looks like it has quickly become the most viral Irish YouTube clip ever EDIT/ As Emmet and Quintin both point out in the comments the Groovy Dancing Girl series are far and away the most viral Irish YouTube videos. Quintin also pointed out the viral video he filmed for Lucozade - a rubik’s cube challenge. I’ve included these videos below.

Ireland’s most popular YouTube video ever - Groovy Dancing Girl.

The other Irish videos that come to mind that have garnered similar interest are the clips of John Joe from the Late, Late Toy Show and the Dublin Coastal Development hoax, both of which are included below. let me know if you know of any other Irish clips which have proven to be more popular.

John Joe on the Late, Late Toy Show

2 rubik’s cubes solved at once in under forty five seconds as part of a Lucozade campaign

Dublin Coastal Development Hoax

RTE’s video of a man slipping on ice seems to have tapped into the mood of the Irish public, which was pretty much obsessed with snow last week. So whether it was a case of people being stuck indoors and using the Internet more or the fact that the weather was top of everyone’s minds last week, the video has taken on a life of its own.
There’s the obligatory Facebook group, as well as the video remixes (one of which I even had a go at.)

Ice, Ice Baby Remix.

My version of the Keyboard Cat meme.

A better version of the Keyboard Cat meme.

Here’s something I didn’t get around to sharing last year. Kevin Dunne posted a good presentation late last year on what’s happening in digital, which includes plenty of Irish examples. Enjoy.

There was an interesting article in Guardian yesterday about how smartphones are making the concept of augmented reality (AR) an everyday reality. For those unfamiliar with the concept of AR, have a look at the video below which brings augmented reality to life (hattip to Christian Hughes.)

Over the next couple of years, augmented reality is going to change the way we engage with the world around, from interacting with our surroundings (why ask a stranger where the nearest train station is when your phone will show you) to revolutionising the toy industry (by literally bringing young people’s imagination to life)

Smartphones will be the cornerstone of this revolution, acting as your personal gateway into reality 2.0. While this may sound far fetched, we’re already seeing how they are transforming the world of search, with experts predicting that search will move from text to audio and images over the next five years.

For example, there is already an iphone app which enables the device to serve as a virtual barcode scanner allowing consumers to picture products and compare prices in rival online stores.

Two services announced by Google recently caught my attention - Favourite Places and Goggles.

Google Favourite Places consists of a QR code, similar to a bar code, which is posted on the front door of a business. Consumers can scan the QR code with their mobile phone and receive different information such as contact details or reviews. Look at the video below for a demonstration (via Helge Tenno.)

Similarly, Google Goggles is a visual search service for searching the world around you by simply pointing your mobile phone camera at objects. The video below demonstrates how the service would work.

So get ready ready to step into another world and look what’s behind the magic door.

I’ve been watching Adrian Weckler’s Twitter account this evening as he livetweets from CES in Vegas this evening. One of the announcements I was expecting was the 3D TVs that would be revealed at the show and sure enough Samsung seem to be first off the blocks tonight.

There has been plenty of excitement in the tech world about the different gadgets would be revealing this month. While the speculation has certainly set tongues wagging, I would be interested to know how many consumers like myself put off any major technology purchases before Christmas because they knew the next ‘must have’ device would be revealed shortly.

Creating a sense of anticipation is a good thing, but sometimes I wonder whether some manufacturers have instilled a sense of product myopia in consumers, whereby a gadget is released but the target audience believes that something else is just around the corner and holds off on their purchase.

Don’t get me wrong innovation is a wonderful thing, but if I’m handing over my hard earned money, I want to feel reassured that my purchase won’t be redundant in twelve months time. Case in point flatscreen TVs, it was fairly obvious that 3D TV was on its way after the success of Avatar, so why would I purchase one for Christmas?

ReadWriteWeb published an interesting video late last year in which Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, speculates about what the web will look like in five years time.

One of the key highlights from Schmidt’s interview for me was this tidbit - within five years there will be broadband well above 100MB in performance and distribution distinctions between TV, radio and the web will go away.

Just to note on that point, as I understand it Schmidt is making the point that the content will be available on a multitude of devices as opposed to the mediums merging.

In light of the ongoing TV license debate in Ireland, a number of commentators have already pointed out that our standard definition of a television doesn’t hold true anymore given that you can watch TV via a computer or mobile phone.

Schmidt’s point is interesting to me for a couple of reasons:

1. In five years time we won’t look at the box that sits in our living room in the same way. It will be more akin to a computer screen as its capacity will have multiplied.

2. There will be a number of more web like features to our TV viewing experience. Simply put, television will be a hell of a lot more interactive. For example, look at all the people that watch TV and air their opinions on Twitter about what they are watching. Xbox LIVE (disclosure: Xbox are a client) are already integrating Twitter and Facebook access into the service, so it will be possible for TV also. In addition, it will be taken a step further by being able to watch TV together with people in different locations, but yet being able to interact via text or audio through the monitor. Sounds slightly far fetched, but it’s possible to do with today’s technology.

3. We are going to increasingly look at TV in two ways - realtime content and content on demand. Realtime content is the likes of X Factor or Six Nations Rugby. Content on demand is access to a library of content that is readily accessible. As the distribution of content increases to shift to the web, what is to stop sites like FunnyOrDie.com from being thought of as a channel?

What I’d like to throw out there is surely the idea of a TV license is becoming increasingly obsolete? The Citizens Information Board says that a television licence is a certificate that states that you have paid the appropriate fee to the government and contributed to the cost of public service broadcasting in Ireland. That assumes obviously that you are viewing content through a TV.

Given that televisions and computers will eventually merge - how do you define public sector broadcasting? Particularly when you throw in the idea that given consumers will be able to access the web and TV content from the same device, they will also be able to access newspapers through their online editions.

All of a sudden we could find ourselves in the position of paying an internet tax to cover the cost of public service broadcasting. Should this fee simply cover video and audio content, or should it also cover text (i.e. newspapers)?

This is hardly far fetched, one only has to look at Project Canvas in the UK, a proposed internet-video service on TV (via the Times), to see that the lines are blurring.

The full video is available to view below:

Ed Kavanagh has recently started his own presentation consultancy, offering advice on how to create compelling PowerPoint presentations. I see a lot of presentations and I’m always amazed at how people can create PowerPoints which actually work against them. Check out the site and here’s an example of a slide makeover

Does anyone hear it fall? That’s what I wonder about some virals. Here’s another Irish flashmob video to keep you entertained. 20,000 people were in the woods to see Spin 103.8’s effort.

Robert Scoble conducted an interesting interview with PR consultant Brian Solis. Solis talks about how PR has changed since he entered the industry in 1991, particularly focussing on social media and informal influencers. It’s fifty minutes long, but if you’ve got the time to spare it’s worth a watch. One of the interesting tidbits from the interview is that tweets have a two hour lifespan on average. Here are the three videos:

The most popular media topic of 2009 has undoubtedly been public sector costs. Not a week passes where another debate arises over waste in the system. However, there is a real danger that the overwhelming focus has gone too far. While the public sector deserves to be held to account when money is wasted, the danger is that the level of scrutiny will reach a crescendo where spending decisions will be made simply on the basis of cost, without looking at what value is provided.

For example, there was an interesting segment on Today FM’s Last Word last week where the reported costs involved with RTE broadcasting the second leg of the Ireland vs France World Cup qualifying match. Apparently the state broadcaster paid approximately 650,000 euro for the rights. Given the fall in advertising revenue, newsroom cutbacks and a potential request for an increase in the license fee, it was rightly questioned whether RTE would conceivably make its money back from the investment.

Could you imagine though if RTE had chosen not to broadcast the match? The public outrage would probably have been worse than the wrath inflicted on Thierry Henry in the aftermath of France’s controversial winning goal. As it happened, two million viewers tuned into the match. Marketing Magazine points out that this is “the highest TV audience of the year so far and the highest audience for any sporting event since 1995.”

The cost versus value debate is obvious in this instance. The majority of the general public would be happy to see the license fee pay for broadcast rights for major sporting events like the Ireland vs France second leg. Apply the argument to other scenarios however, and the waters become muddied. Some publications seem to run articles every week which simply seize on figures, without proper analysis about the potential benefits.

For example, this has led to a situation where we cannot have a rational debate about bankers’ pay without resorting to hysteria. Despite the call for candidates outside the Irish banking system to be brought in for senior positions in financial institutions, there is relatively little acknowledgement of the fact that the salary cap hinders this.

Similarly in this morning’s papers there is an article about the Department of Foreign Affairs’ decision to commission research in the wake of the Lisbon Treaty to evaluate what factors influenced voters’ decisions and what the most effective communications channels were. The mind boggles as to how there can be any question about the research. It will provide the basis to evaluate whether the money spent promoting the referendum was well spent and where improvements can be made in the future.

If we are trying to achieve best practice and value for money in the public sector, then a rational debate is required. We should be thinking with our heads, rather than our hearts.

At 1.30pm on Saturday 14 November, approximately 800 people turned up for a flashmob event in St Patrick’s Street in Cork. A video from the event is embedded below. The event was organised by the National Campaign for the Arts. It’s easy to see from the video that the event is well choreographed and is the best flashmob activity to date in Ireland. Read more about it in the Irish Examiner.

Just spotted this on Damien Mulley’s website. It’s a trailer for the Digital Media Awards next year, but it includes some interesting online statistics for Ireland.

When Google launched Gmail the company created a frenzy by only enabling people who had received a beta invite to use the service. There was such a level of demand that people were selling beta invites on eBay. Sounds slightly daft in retrospect, but by cleverly restricting access to the service Google was able to create a craze around the service and Gmail was the talk of the town.

Google’s latest creation, Google Wave, is also building a bit of a buzz. One YouTube video and a couple of beta invites later and it’s already the talk of the town. In contrast though, the use of a beta invite process looks like it will seriously limit Google Wave’s long term popularity.

For example, when I received my Gmail invite I immediately switched to it for my primary personal email. Simple decision, it was far better than anything else on the market and I could immediately start using it. Everyone had email, so it was just like buying a fancy new car.

Compare this to my Google Wave invite. I’ve signed up and…nothing. The problem for Google Wave is that I have no real use for it. None of the people who I would actively converse with online had access to the service. Even now that I have sent beta invites to them, our use has pretty much been limited to the novelty factor.

The problem is the lack of interaction. With Gmail, users could seamlessly switch services and their level of interaction remained constant. According to some people Google Wave is going to replace email. Sure it has lots of benefits, but its potential will remain completely limited because of a lack of opportunity to use the service and it won’t hit critical mass. As a result, my Google Wave account is gathering dust.

So while beta programs might be good for creating demand, they can also potentially strangle a community before it has time to flourish.

Clay Shirky posted an interesting comment on Twitter the other day:

Why I ignore all “5 year plans”: 5 years ago, YouTube and Twitter didn’t exist, and Facebook was only for college kids.

The comment sprang to mind when reading Gerard O’Neill’s latest blog post which put out the thought that public sector workers should all be on fixed term contracts of three to five years.

Last week I posted a video of a talk by Jon Snow on New Media which was hosted by the IIEA as part of their Digital Future Group. The Digital Future Group provides a forum for stakeholders in the digital sector to discuss emerging trends. The IIEA is current looking for an intern for a research position, details of the position are available on their website.

Unfortunately I missed out on the Institute of International and European Affairs’ event last Friday where they hosted a talk with Jon Snow on the Impact of New Media. However, the IIEA have posted a video from the event on YouTube and I have posted it below for anyone interested in watching it. In the video Snow discusses his life in the media and the impact of the arrival of new media on the worlds of broadcasting and journalism.

Just spotted this video of a talk that David Simon gave at the University of Southern California, thanks to MediaBite.