Piaras Kelly PR - Public Relations in Ireland

Ringtonia.com offers a glimpse into McDonald’s future (thanks to the Olympian) While the restaurant looks more like the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, Bill Whitman, McDonald’s spokesman, said that the restaurant won’t be replicated across its branches. However he does point out that the fast food giant aims to keep its restaurants more […]

Is it that time of year again? The PRCA awards are on tonight and needless to say there’ll be a few sore heads tomorrow. The competition is tight, but the question on everyone’s lips is where to go afterwards.
Doubts have been raised over the usual drinking well, Reynards, because there’s a pyjama party […]

Indymedia.ie announced today that they are formalising their operating rules. As part of the announcement they mention that they are on the verge of updating their software which will enable them to expand Indymedia Ireland. The ultimate aim of which is to start local collectives with their own newswires.
In my opinion more organisations […]

The Guardian has followed the trend and will shift to a smaller format in the Autumn in a bid to appeal to young readers and commuters. I think it’s a good move. For all the talk of adapting to new media, one of the first things newspapers should do is examine their physical […]

There’s always going to be companies that you wished you worked for. For me, one of the names at the top of my list would be Apple. Forget the fact that I’m a Mac convert, they’re just one of the coolest companies around at the moment.
I think they have so much to offer […]

Just flicking through some of my comments a few minutes ago and I came across something from Liam Burke. The post in question was about the Irish Examiner, one of Ireland’s national newspapers, having an online dating site. Liam left a quick comment about how audio personals will be the next big […]

We just had our carpets cleaned in our new apartment. Let’s just say that the guys who lived here before us obviously never grasped the notion of hygiene. Thankfully our letting agent sorted it all out for us, but after seeing what a great job ChemDry did, it got me thinking about how […]

I don’t know how to comment on this without getting mocked, but the truth is that I was reading a Sunday Business Post article online when something on the page caught my attention. The Irish Examiner has an online dating site!
Talk about priceless! Numerous bloggers have commented on how traditional media should adapt […]

Tiger Beer’s sponsorship of a Asian film series on TG4 began this week with Bruce Lee’s classic ‘Enter the Dragon’. I was quite excited when I first heard about the sponsorship, but that quickly dissipated when I read about the films that would be showcased.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of films […]

There’s a nice feature on Google in the business section of this weekend’s Sunday Times. As part of the article there is a segment on how Google is more than just a search engine, listing a variety of its offerings such as Gmail, Google News and Google Local.
What irked me about the article though […]

Ever walk down the street and get a cramp? You were probably in need of an urgent power-up, but if there’s no Gatorade at hand then you might have to make down with the question block overhead…question what!?
That’s what I was thinking when I read about this Super Mario fanatic (courtesy of Joystiq) who […]

Ever been on the phone to a client or journalist and suddenly have to call up a file? Rather than tediously open a couple of folders, Mac users are in the envious position of simply hitting the Spotlight icon and typing in the file name, only to retrieve it in a matter of seconds. […]

Why, oh why, as an international reader, can I not subscribe to Wired magazine via their website? Sure enough they have a section on their site for international subscribers, but can you actually subscribe? No! Instead of getting a confirmation of my order, I get an error message.
When I contacted their customer […]

You’ve got to love Ireland’s Freedom of Information act because it leads to wonderful stories like today’s well reported figures of how much Bertie Ahern, Ireland’s Taoiseach (Prime Minister), spends on make-up. Hats off to the Irish Independent’s coverage which goes under the headline of ‘No sparing Bertie’s blusher as make-up budget hits €167,000′
It’s […]

Perseus reports that there will be 53 million blogs (they’re obviously not all active) by the end of the year (courtesy of Steve Rubel.) While some may rejoice and hail a new era of blogging, I think it’s more a sign that as the blogging phenomenon expands it will eventually implode.
In another post today, […]

I hate to state the obvious, but the PSP is definitely going to snatch the mantle of the iPod when it hits our shores. I’m after coming off a video games addiction, thanks in part to resigning my position with the gaming site that I wrote for.
Despite not getting the chance to play video […]

I’ve just received The Anatomy of Buzz by Emanuel Rosen, The Secrets of Word-of-Mouth Marketing by George Silverman, Everything Bad Is Good For You by Steven Johnson and Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk.
I’ll post reviews of all of them in this newly added category as I complete them, with the exception of Palahniuk’s book. […]

The happy slapping phenomenon is the latest thing that has the media getting their knickers in a twist. Somehow bullying is worse if your mobile phone is involved, and that doesn’t include using your phone as a weapon in some weird shape or form. Text an insult, take an incriminating photo or film […]

Cnet reports that the Louvre, home of the Mona Lisa, has launched a new website, which replaces their previous one from ten years ago. They have online tours (Quicktime required) and more features such as online ticketing (man I hate queuing for art galleries!) and profiles to go live by the end of […]

Independent News and Media announced that “it expected to see a ‘meaningful improvement’ in underlying 2005 profits” at its AGM today. It’s no surprise really, considering the continued success of the Irish Independent’s metro edition and their growth in the regional market.
Circulation and advertising revenues are running higher than last year, so there’s no […]

Last week, Steve Rubel posted about one of his clients, Weatherbug, who have formed a network of citizen weather reporters across the USA. The backyard reporters can report their findings via a blog.
Looking past the blogging aspect of the initiative, this is also a great way to garner some local coverage. A lot […]

These days it seems that PR firms are just as likely to suffer at the hands of the offended parties of a particular client. I’ve heard various consultancies names mentioned in a negative light before on air, but the PR firm handling Malcolm Glazer’s takeover of Manchester United takes the biscuit.
As reported in the […]

Michael O’Connor aka the Flackster serves up another reason why you should have a clear and transparent strategy in place before setting up a blog.
This a particularly good example because the Flackster is another blogger that just won’t let it lie and even posted on the topic again today, highlighting the offending parties wrongsdoings.
I guess […]

Arnold Schwarzenegger, aka the Terminator, is now podcasting his weekly address as the Governor of California (courtesy of Steve Rubel).
If podcasting was suited to any discipline, it would definitely be politics. While many politicians would probably have an issue with irate constituents commenting on their website, podcasting would prove to be an innovative way […]

The BBC reports that they will be monitoring Iraqi blogs as part of ‘One Day in Iraq.’ The aim of the exercise is to observe the events in the country from the eyes of an Iraqi.
The BBC have shown themselves to be the most forward thinking media outlet when it comes to […]