Piaras Kelly PR - Public Relations in Ireland

I received my free copy of the 2009 Irish Media Contacts Directory the other week. It’s the bible for PR consultants and anyone who wants to do their own media relations. It can be ordered from mediacontact.ie, it’s worth every cent of the €90 it costs. This year it also comes with a copy of Media Experts 2009 - a list of specicialists who are willing to contribute to print, radio and tv debates.

I’ve started to read both of the following blogs - Brand Ireland and Assistant to the Brand Manager. I’m unsure as to who actually writes Brand Ireland, but the site gives a healthy update of Marketig, Advertising and PR news. Assistant to the Brand Manager on the other hand is a hilarious look at the world of marketing.

Adrian Weckler, technology correspondent with the Sunday Business Post, has written a series of interesting posts offering advice to companies on how to get coverage:

• How to get (more) space in a newspaper
• How to write a competent press release
• How to approach a newspaper interview

iReach are running a web seminar tomorrow (Tuesday 27th January) on the impact of Social Computing on the Financial Services Industry for marketing and research professionals in the sector. More information on the seminar is available here (pdf.) The seminar starts at 12.30 pm and runs until 1.15 pm. If this seminar is of interest to you or any of your colleagues please register your interest with Ciara Shaffrey on 01 2107000 or email ciara.shaffrey@ireach.ie

Two LinkedIn groups have recently been started for PR and Marketing professionals in Ireland. Thomas Brunkard has started the Public Relations Practitioners Ireland group. Thomas’ aim is for the group to become the de facto discussion board for the Irish PR industry. Karina Heavey has started the 121 Community Network Ireland group. Its mission is to be the impartial ‘one-stop shop’ for marketing news/events/opportunities in Ireland.

The Trend Watching February briefing is out now. It’s all about the growing importance of ‘generosity’ as a leading societal and business mindset.

Damien Mulley is giving away the Online Marketing documentation that he distributes at courses he runs. You can reuse any of the content for commercial or non-commercial use once Mulley Communications gets attribution.

The Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin is inviting proposals for works to be included in a new exhibition: INFECTIOUS. Focussed on contagion and its mechanisms in media of all kinds, the exhibition will explore both how things spread and why it matters from the perspectives of agents, hosts, and systems. INFECTIOUS will sample not only the workings of human diseases and immune responses, but the propagation of ideas and the recent developments in network theory that link all of this together. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit new project proposals for installations, events, or workshops, focussed on some aspect of infection. For further information, go to the Science Gallery website.

WhatClinic.com, a health clinic search engine which currently stores information on over 60,000 clinics in the UK, Ireland and 50 other countries worldwide, has received €1.25 million in investment for international expansion. It is great to see an Irish startup in such an interesting and lucrative industry. While Google may get all the attention when it comes to the search industry, the healthcare sector appears to be a lucrative niche that has not truly been exploited yet. With more consumers turning to the Internet to inform themselves about their healthcare choice, here’s hoping the WhatClinic.com fulfills its potential.

The next Leviathan: Political Cabaret event takes place on Tuesday, 3rd February, in the Button Factory in Dublin. The topic for the event is ‘Ireland in the Global Market : Are our Economy and Banks an International Embarrassment?’ Join host David McWilliams and a panel of experts including former Finance Minister, Alan Dukes; columnist John Waters; John O’Shea of GOAL; Sinn Féin councillor, Killian Forde; and PR expert and Polish immigrant, Izabela Chudzicka to discuss the state of the Irish economy today. Tickets are €17.50 and are available from Tickets.ie.

Channelship.ie have started blogging and it’s worth a read. I’m liking their video entries such as this one - Internet Marketing in 2 minutes and 40 seconds (don’t get your hopes up, this one is just about google search)

We’re going to be releasing the 2009 Edelman Trust Barometer in early February, if you’re interested in receiving a copy or attending the launch (details TBC) leave a comment.

And finally…the new Caburys ad - the eyebrow dance. Personally wasn’t a fan of the Gorilla or the Airport Vehicles, but I love this.