Piaras Kelly PR - Public Relations in Ireland

Two new campaigns by Guinness and Powerade made me sit up and take note recently:

• Guinness has stepped up its campaign to target the take-home market in Ireland. Their latest advertising campaign was noted as it was the first time an advert had been tailored for the increasingly valuable segment on such a scale. I think they’re onto a winner with their Poker Nights initiative as it taps into one of the most popular trends in recent times. The most successful consumer PR campaigns recently have been about creating events to bring people together or experiences that people will talk about, and this is a great way to get a group of friends around a table together. I would expect to see a strong emphasis put on similar promotions over the coming years by most alcohol brands.

• Powerade have launched a new advertising campaign in the runup to the Dublin City Triathalon. The ads follow the progress of Will Cullen in his preparation for the event. The website offers training and nutrition guides for anyone thinking of joining Will in the triathalon. Apart from the standard Bebo and MySpace page which is almost becoming a prerequiste for any consumer campaign (not necessarily a good thing by any stretch of the imagination), there’s also a blog to support the campaign. I had a quick read and the reaction of Will’s friends when the advertising campaign started is hilarious. One of the main reasons why I like this ad though is that it extends past traditional advertising and tries to engage consumers by encouraging people to visit the website where there’s plenty more content.

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