Archive for January, 2008



Edelman Trust Barometer 2008

This morning we launched the results of the Edelman Trust Barometer 2008 for Ireland. Here is the press release.
The annual survey of opinion formers in 18 countries reveals that NGOs are the most trusted institution for the second year in a row in Ireland. Trust in religious institutions in Ireland has risen, while […]

Irish Media Contacts Directory

The Irish Media Contacts Directory has just been updated for 2008 and is available to buy from mediacontact.ie. It’s like the bible for the Irish PR industry, walk into any Public Relations agency and it will be seen on a number of desks. Those interested in doing their own media relations should pick […]

Rigging the audience reaction?

I was reading in one of the weekend papers that a fox hunting debate was recently cancelled on the Late, Late Show, but that the show’s producers hope to rearrange it for the near future. The article noted that those interested in the debate would be organising themselves in advance of the debate in […]

I’ve put off Facebook for a while, but since joining two months ago I’ve gradually gotten hooked. The interesting thing is though is that the social networking aspect of Facebook isn’t what’s drawing me back, it’s the applications. I’ve signed up for Twitter, Premiership Picks, Tetris and a couple of others. I’m […]

Let’s go green

Lots of talk about the environment, climate change, etc these days.
What’s been interesting to watch is how companies respond to the green issue. Something which grabbed my attention last weekend was Nike Considered - Nike’s upcoming Air Jordan XX3 which will be the brand’s first truly green sneaker. According to the design team […]

Guy Kawasaki coming to Ireland

The Irish Software Association will have Guy Kawasaki speaking at their annual conference at the end of February. Talk about a headliner for your conference.
For those unfamiliar with Guy, here’s a video of his Art of the Start presentation:

Technorati Tags: Guy Kawasaki, Irish Software Association

One of the best quotes in the media I read last year was by Patricia Callan, Small Firms Association director. She was commenting on research the organisation had published which showed that the majority of Irish workers that changed jobs last year did so because they could not get on with fellow workers. […]

Don’t forget the basics

One of the points I made during my presentation at Tourism Ireland’s eSymposium last year was that it always shocks me when people do not respond to emails. In the era of supposed instant communication, if you email a tourism company to enquire about one of their package you would at least expect a […]

Getting Things Done

Another video on Youtube that is worth a view - David Allen speaking to Google staff about the Getting Things Done philosophy and how to maintain a healthy work life balance.

Technorati Tags: David Allen, Google, Piaras Kelly, Getting Things Done

Three years ago, trendwatching.com defined tryvertising as “a new breed of product placement in the real world, integrating your goods and services into daily life in a relevant way, so that consumers can make up their minds based on their experience, not your messages.”
A good example of tryvertising I’ve read about recently is the Wrangler […]

Have a go at Kung Fu Elections. If you really want to see dirty tricks, watch Hilary go one-on-one with Obama Mortal Kombat style.
For what it’s worth, my money is on McCain to be the next president.

One of my discussion points during my presentation at Tourism Ireland’s eSynposium last year was that a lot of people want to travel to Ireland, all they need is the excuse. By that I meant tourist organisations, hotels, etc should try to create experiences that make their destination stand out from the crowd. […]

Hilarious demonstration from Don McMillan:

Francois Gossieaux points to a new survey which highlights the increasing influence of blogs on the media, here are some of the key stats:
>> Blogs are a regular source for journalists: Over three-quarters of reporters see blogs as helpful in giving them story ideas, story angles and insight into the tone of an issue
>> […]

It’s the new year so expect a slew of advertisements for anti-smoking products and gym memberships. One organisation that has really impressed me and stands to actually connect with their audience is Boots. They’ve launched their Change One Thing campaign which is a refreshing alternative in terms of a communications strategy.
Despite our best […]

Simple improvement for iTunes?

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to subscribe for alerts for new material from artists that are in your music library?

Video advertising at petrol pumps is pointless because the person’s line of site is glued to the meter to see how much they have put (even more so now given the price of oil.)
Advertising in the gents toilet cubicles in pubs is also ineffective because no-one will ever sit down due to the lack of […]

An article on Reuters points out that American TV viewers are in for a rude awakening this month due to the Hollywood writers strike. Some of their favourite shows will be put on pause until the dispute is resolved. As a result more reality shows have been ordered (oh dear god no more […]

It’s that time of year again, the nominations for the 2008 Irish Blog Awards have opened up. This is the third year of the awards, and they are continuing to go from strength-to-strength thanks to the tireless efforts of Damien Mulley.

Technorati Tags: Irish Blog Awards

I picked up the latest version of Pro Evolution Soccer this Christmas. It is a high successful soccer franchise in the video game market that has developed a cult following over the years. It’s been a while since I’ve actually played a game in the series, so I was interested to note some […]

From Reengineering The Corporation:
For an idea to gain acceptance, everyone along the way must say yes, but killing an idea only requires one no.

Hugh MacLeod has been talking a lot recently about the social object and why it is the future of marketing. For those of you who do not read Hugh’s site, here the key point:
The Social Object, in a nutshell, is the reason two people are talking to each other, as opposed to talking to […]

I came across two really interesting videos thanks to Adoption Curve Dot Net by Johnny Chung Lee from Carnegie Mellon University. Chung Lee hacks a Wii to track fingers Minority Report style and how to create a Low-Cost Multi-touch Whiteboard using the Wiimote.

Both the Wii and the iPhone are examples of user […]

Do/Read/Watch/Listen - January

In IIiiiii

Communism vs Capitalism

Words from a wise taxi driver…
Communism is having nothing, but having everything.
Capitalism is having everything, but having nothing.