Piaras Kelly PR - Public Relations in Ireland

Scottish Radio Holdings have snapped up another Irish radio station. This time it’s Highland Radio, which will now join the ranks of Today FM and FM 104. All for the tidy price of €7 million.
It’s hardly a surprise, I thought it would have been snapped up long ago because it’s consistenly had one […]

Will everyone please turn to blogging so we can get the inevitable bubble burst over and done with!?
A number of corporations have started to blog and it’s pretty safe to say that a herd mentality will soon develop, with their competitors asking themselves ‘Why aren’t we blogging?’ Needless to say the number of […]

I’m after stumbling across the Consumer Strategy Group’s ‘Consumer Media in Ireland’ report (Pdf 128 pages)
It’s a handy little document to have as it details a lot of the consumer facing media with a consumer affairs focus. There are lots of contacts there to add to your media list also.
Be warned it is slightly […]

I was forwarded an email from Julia Galvin who is currently looking for sponsorship.
Julia who?…None other than the Ladies World Champion Bog Snorkeler (now that’s a mouthful!) It turns out that Julia is another of these novel extreme sports nuts - this year she is expanding her repertoire and competing in the World Wife […]

PR Machine writes about a BBC article by Stephen Evans which is critical about the corporate blogs that are currently in existence.
The PR machine entry is yet another example of how some PR bloggers hype corporate blogs. It is overly critical of Evan’s article, which in my opinion encapsulates how corporate blogs are performing […]

The role of the Internet in society strengthens every day. We’re long past the stage of simply throwing up a website and then thinking we’re done with the Net.
An example of some of the more interesting ways the Net is being used is the growing frequency of Googling people - here’s my result. […]

If you go into a bar any night of the week and listen in to some of the conversations going on, odds are you’ll struggle to understand what is being talked about. This isn’t only a cultural phenomenon, but one that spreads across the workplace.
Whether it’s slang, terms used by communities or subject matter […]

Here’s another tidbit I missed out on yesterday because I was moving house. The BBC reports that more than half of the over-55’s online say that the Net gives them a new lease of life.
It’s a fantastic way of engaging with the elderly, especially when you consider the comments of David Sinclair, social inclusion […]

The Examiner and other media outlets are reporting that the Sunday Tribune was losing €90,000 a week during 2003 and 2004. Tribune Newspapers plc chairman Gordon Colleary put the blame on increased competition and marketing ploys like CD giveaways.
After reading Peter Sharkman’s prediction (courtesy of Steve Rubel) that we’ll see the death of big paper […]

One of the main things I have learnt so far in my short PR career is that nobody ever gets back to you. So if you want anything, be prepared to hassle people for it. It sounds harsh, but it’s very practical advice. It doesn’t matter how small the task may be, […]

I didn’t get to see the infamous Captain Morgan blog, but all the criticism about it got me thinking - what would be the difference between a Mickey Mouse and a Britney Spears blog?
Oh sure, Britney is a living, breathing, little girl, but you’ll probably get a more honest answer out of Mickey Mouse.
<sarcasm>I’m sure […]

While contacts reports may be a right pain in the butt, anyone who doesn’t do one up after a meeting is an idiot. Unfortunately if you are presenting as part of a meeting, it can be quite difficult to record any interaction during that period.
I’m never far from my iPod and now here’s another […]

People criticise public relations for its lack of transparency. Simply put, people don’t understand the profession and where confusion exists, there is a lack of communication.
If you were the PRII and you had forums on your website, you’d think that they would be for public access? Wrong! We hide away from the […]

I’m shocked that I don’t complain about how much junk mail I receive from sponsorship or promotions executives. In fact, I only have regular correspondence with promotions executives in two media outlets. I receive nothing from any other organisation.
I did a quick bit of work over the weekend, researching what sponsorship opportunities are […]

Hill & Knowlton are now handling eBay’s PR for Ireland. The online auction website will be launching an Irish specific site in June. Some of you may have noticed news of the launch in last weekend’s Irish Times Weekend supplement.
As exciting as it sounds it’s one account I probably wouldn’t like to work […]

There’s been a lot of movement at the Healthcare division over in Edelman. The latest addition to the team is Jeannine Nolan. She joins Edelman as a senior consultant with a vast amount of experience by the looks of things. Thanks to the PRII digest for the news, unfortunately there’s no link […]

The BBC have set up a podcast trial, I wonder when RTE will join the club and offer a similar service?
Despite the disputes at the BBC, the organisation consistently shows itself to be forward thinking when it comes to new mediums of communication with their audience.
Personally I can’t wait for the day when Newstalk 106 […]

PR always gets a hammering whenever it is discussed. At the end of the day, it’s not worth losing any sleep over. To be perfectly honest, PR is just like every other profession out there. People complain about PR practitioners, but they also say that builders are all cowboys looking to rip […]

Every now and again an idea pops into my head. While I may never do anything with it, I may as well blurt it out here in the hope that someone else makes use of it.
Myself and Ed were out for a meal the other day; I fancied an Indian and there happened to […]

The PR profession in Ireland is in need of reform at entry level with entrants in the profession being exploited, underpaid and pretty much discouraged from pursuing a career in the profession.
When I sat my PRII exams at the start of May, I was shocked to see how many people were taking them, especially when […]

I might give a stick to PR professionals in Ireland at times for not being forward thinking when it comes to IT. However it shocks me when I see journalists out there using Hotmail accounts for receiving press releases.
I swear to God, they actually exist! I’m so embarrassed for them, I think about […]

Backpack offers a handy solution for anybody looking for a cheap Extranet for their clients. You can gather all your resources on the site and collaborate with clients or suppliers on various projects that you are undertaking. It even sends email or SMS reminders to keep you on track - two thumbs up […]

Tom Murphy mentioned how in a recent lecture he gave to PR students in Ireland that many of them were aware of blogging. While that sounds good in practice, in my experience a lot of PR students I have met aren’t as open to developments in technology as they should be.
With the exception of […]

There is plenty of potential for companies to podcast. Just look at the lastest podcast referenced by Steve Rubel. It’s a podcast on cooking and each show is accompanied with a Flickr set of photos and links to the products mentioned on the show.
This bring to mind the podguides mentioned by Ed […]

Steve Rubel posts about how Skype have launched a blog. I think it’s great idea, especially because I’m not that familiar with the service.
Not only is it a fantastic way to communicate with potential users like myself, but in this case it is also a highly engaging medium of communication.
By looking at some of […]