Piaras Kelly PR – Public Relations in Ireland

1. A Return to Basics – One of the biggest societal trends in Ireland is a return to basics, partially in response to the excesses of the Celtic Tiger and also down to the fact that we don’t have the cash anymore. Whether it’s running, knitting or baking cakes, we’re going back to behaviour from the 80s. Don’t believe me, just look at the results of last year’s Google Zeitgeist How To list, where how to crochet and how to knit ranked in the top five results. A good example of a brand taking advantage of this trend is Odlums Cake Club.

2. NKNM – The primary target for most Irish marketeers in 2013 should be the NKNM (no kids, no mortgage) segment. Repeated austerity budgets are taking their toll, but the cuts are not being spread equally with families taking the brunt last December. In some respects, young professionals with no kids or a mortgage have never been better off and this consumer group is the probably the only segment with savings. The only trick is figuring out how to get them to spend. The biggest challenge will be to give them the confidence to make big ticket purchases such as their first home or a new car, but in an uncertain economic climate that will be no easy feat.

3. The Royal Baby – Ireland is developing a bit of a secret crush for the UK royalty. First it was the royal wedding, then it was the Queen’s visit and this July we’ll have the royal baby. The bookies are the first to have gotten in on the action, but there will be plenty of others who will hope to benefit from the future heir to the throne. Clothing retailers will be trying to emulate whatever Will and Kate dress their baby in as parents of newborns try to replicate the look. Don’t be surprised to see a lot of babies christened with the same name either.