Piaras Kelly PR - Public Relations in Ireland

Some Interesting Videos

Piaras — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:35:11 +0000

Thought I’d share a couple of interesting videos that I watched over the weekend.

Spotted this video on Social Commerce on Viralblog. Companies are finally waking up to the role that our friends and peer review systems have on our purchasing habits.

Next up is Nick Bilton with a talk at Poptech on the future of news (courtesy of Helge Tenno)

Nick Bilton: Smart Content from PopTech on Vimeo.

Avatar And The Future Of The Newspaper

Piaras — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:25:57 +0000

Over the festive period, like thousands of other people I ventured to the cinema to see what all the fuss was about Avatar. The five minute trailer that was released on Xbox LIVE had whetted my appetite, but having to pay two euro more for the admission price and then discovering on my arrival that I also needed to fork out for 3D glasses, James Cameron’s latest offering wasn’t exactly putting me in a positive mood from the outset.

Then I saw the movie. Simply put, I was blown away. The storyline might not be Shakespearean, but Avatar is a visual feast. I struggled at times to figure out what was CGI and what wasn’t. It was amazing; Cameron singled handedly converted me to the magic of 3D movies, so much so that I was happy in retrospect to have paid the extra admission price.

It’s a major milestone for the movie industry, millions of cinemagoers will now be happy to queue up for the big screen, rather than download a pirate version because of the 3D experience.

Needless to say, other industries must be sitting up and taking note. None more so than the newspaper industry, particularly because of the launch of Apple’s tablet device and other similar gadgets from rival manufacturers.

Despite all the hype, a tablet device throws up some challenges to newspapers. For starters, the experience may cement the attitude in consumers’ minds that there is no difference between a newspaper and a website. Much like Avatar, the tablet device will need to offer users a new experience when reading a newspaper or magazine on it, if consumers are actually going to fork out a subscription fee.

Amazon reached a major milestone at Christmas, with sales of digital books outselling their physical counterparts (via Mashable.) It’s a pretty safe prediction to make that in the long term we will gradually see the printed newspaper disappear as consumers begin to adopt digital devices. As a result, newspapers and magazines will be competing with websites.

David Maybury points to an interesting video of some upcoming features for Penguin Books’s products on the iPad, which highlights the potential of the device and also illustrates the evolution of the printed book. I’ve embedded the video below.

If newspaper publishers hoped to create a subscription model, they would need to deliver a product which consistently engages consumers on a daily basis. A tall order, but the Penguin video shows that it is plausible.

Wired magazine has released a video of a new digital product called Wired Reader, which Gizmodo called a digital feast. Will other publications be able to reimagine their products in the same format? More importantly, will consumers pay for them?

Observation On The iPad Oscars Ad

Piaras — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:19:50 +0000

So the first ad for the iPad aired during the Oscars at the weekend. Did anyone else notice anything else wrong?

I was discussing the iPad with a colleague a couple of weeks ago and he pointed out that the standard laptop lends itself to casual use in the living room because of its L shape. In contrast, the iPad with its slate design does not offer the same flexibility.

In my eyes the ad showed up a simple flaw with the product. Look at people’s legs throughout the advertisement. You effectively have to be crouched or have your legs up to cradle the iPad.

While the product design lends itself to reading books, I remain to be convinced that people will be happy to bend like a prawn in order to use the keyboard.

Some Websites Worth Visiting

Piaras — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:04:39 +0000

Here’s a selection of sites I’ve stumbled across recently which might be of interest to you. Enjoy…

Tom Reddy offers some nice insights into the world of Irish politics from a communications perspective.

Claire Butterly, Neasa Cunniffe, Philippa Ryan, Vanessa Lenahan and John Clancy from OMD are penning The Influentials blog.

Barry Hand from LastMinute.com is well worth the read if you have any interest in Internet Marketing.

Pembroke Communications’ blog is one of the best agency blogs out there.

And finally, Peter Brennan, the President of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, is blogging his year in office - please note that the Dublin Chamber is a client.

A Presentation On The Future Opportunities In Media

Piaras — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:02:10 +0000

Helge Tenno has yet another fantastic presentation on media. Have a flick through it below and make sure to subscribe to Helge’s site.

Future Media

View more presentations from Helge Tennø.

Subscriptions And Cash Flow

Piaras — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:49:19 +0000

In a world where cashflow is king, it’s been interesting to watch how some companies have adopted a model akin to a subscription service in order to get their customers to buy more frequently.

I read last week about a new company called Manpacks which sends its customers new underwear, socks or shirts every three months. No more toes peeking through socks anymore.

No brand has been more successful in this respect than Gilette in implementing this as can be seen through their new range of razors, which come with a strip which gradually wears away alerting the user that a replacement is required. Kevin Dunne has a good blog post on the ad.

It’s a model which could be applied to similar products like toothbrushes. Furthermore, it’s a model which brands will also look to further exploit thanks to the proliferation of smart phones and other smart devices. The day when your fridge texts you that you’re running low on milk or that it’s out of date isn’t far away now.

Digital As A Segmentation Tool

Piaras — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:39:11 +0000

I was interviewed in the Sunday Business Post about my thoughts on Digital Marketing recently. One of the topics I brought up was digital as a customer segmentation tool.

People question the value of digital marketing at times. One way to look at it is the profile of people using social media channels. Early adopters tend to be tech savy and have disposable income. So regardless of whether the audience is niche at times, digital marketing can be an effective means of customer acquisition.

A simple example of this is developing an iPhone app to make your product or service complimentary. Canon (disclosure: they’re a client) have an iPhone app (iTunes link) which lets users wireless print pictures from their phone to one of their printers in the PIXMA range.

It is simple and useful, cutting out the hassle of having to connect your iPhone to the computer and then printing. The end result is that PIXMA printers are suddenly on the consideration list for iPhone users who, let’s face it, are into gadgets. Very effective way to pitch the PIXMA as a complimentary product to the iPhone.

Stuff That Caught My Attention #10

Piaras — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:11:38 +0000

Adrian Weckler has a good article on the problems RTE’s news website is causing other media organisations. The point to add to this which was made by Stephen Price earlier in the year in the Sunday Times is that RTE Player will be a serious challenge to the likes of the Irish Times’ hopes for Ireland.com as a destination portal. In terms of other criticisms which are likely to arise, just look at the UK where the Newspaper Publishers Association is calling for the BBC Trust to block the corporation’s plans for iPhone apps.

Adrian also has an introduction for Twitter for anyone who is unfamiliar with the service, here’s the video:

Catherine O’Mahony gives an analysis on the latest readership figures for Irish print media in the Sunday Business Post. Pembroke Communications give the exact breakdowns in numbers.

Anyone with a passing interesting in the media has to read a copy of Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger’s Hugh Cudlipp lecture. It sums up where the media industry is now and gives real insight into where it’s moving. I actually can’t recommend it enough.

Really clever initiative from Estée Lauder is discussed on Springwise. The cosmetics manufacturer offered shoppers at the Carson Pirie Scott store in Orland Park, Illinois, a chance to get a free professional makeup job and photo for use on a social networking page, website or blog.
Videos that caught my attention recently include:

Elevate PR’s viral video for last year’s Nokia Young Fashion Designer Award.

The Bristol Lightsaber Flahmob.

The Networked Audience

Piaras — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:00:15 +0000

John Burns’ Atticus column in the Sunday Times caught my attention in early January. John was writing about an article in the Sunday Times which suggested that blogging in Ireland was running into a bit of a standstill. Needless to say it generated a bit of a reaction online. The interesting aspect Burns pointed out was that despite the huge furore over the article, the Sunday Time didn’t receive a single email or letter about it. In closing, he remarked ‘the agenda may be set on dead trees, discussion is increasingly happening elsewhere.’

I believe that if traditional media are to remain relevant in the future then media outlets need to be at the centre of the discussion. This means proactively engaging with the public. This isn’t to say that they don’t. The press have always depended on engagement with the public, whether it’s radio phone-in shows or getting tips from Joe Public.

The difference is that consumers are increasingly changing their behaviour and the media aren’t adapting to this at the same pace. For example,Helge Tenno highlights some findings from a report which shows that consumers are increasingly multitasking while enjoying other mediums. For example, ‘almost half of kids (47 percent) report texting someone ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’ about what they are watching on TV—an activity that was almost unheard of five years ago‘

Diarmuid O’Riordan brings this to life on the Connector blog with a look at the John Joe Late, Late Toy Show phenomenon. He points out that traditional media has the capacity to connect a large amount of people, but that it also has the potential to extend this relationship online.

The clip of John Joe was seen people who didn’t tune in on the night thanks to RTE’s catchup service, RTE Player, and the inclusion of the clip on their official YouTube channel. A Facebook group comprising of 50,000 members then sprung up and a remix of the video garnered almost 80,000 views on YouTube. The missed opportunity for RTE here was to own more of the relationship

Looking at the relationship media organisations have with their audience, they ned to recognise changes in their media consumption habits and create more consumer touchpoints in order to build loyalty. For example, consumers are texting and tweeting during TV shows, what type of audience interaction tools are the relevant TV channels and shows using to engage with people conversing about them?

Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger’s Hugh Cudlipp lecture is a must read if you have any interest in the media. Rusbridger makes a number of points relevant to the networked audience.

First off, paywalls aren’t going to work. Blocking content will simply mean that consumers will go to another news source and whatever digital advertising a media organisation was generating will be strangled. Simply put, subscription fees will not make up for the difference in revenues.

Look at this from a music perspective. Damian Kulash Jr, lead singer of OK GO, a band made famous because of the popularity of one of their music videos on YouTube, points out how their record company is destroying their popularity by restricting access to their content.

So if Murdoch throws up a paywall, watch as his competition profits on his expense. Consider the John Joe example from the Late, Late Toy Show. If RTE hadn’t made the content available, think of how this would have reduced the amount of views on their catchup service RTE Player, and as a direct consequence reduced their advertising revenue.

Next up, look at the changes in how media source news. The explosion of citizen journalism now means that we are going to see the press increasingly act as a media curator. That means sorting through al the available content online and bringing the most important stories to national and international attention. We will look to media organisations as trusted sources of information who have checked whether the information they are bringing us is accurate and insightful.

The audience is an important part of this process and you can’t involve them if you cut them out. Similarly, you would hardly expect them to spread the word if they can’t share the content in the first place. I’d highlight the fact that Facebook has now overtaken Google News in terms of driving traffic to media websites.

So back to John Burn’s observation that the Sunday Times didn’t receive a single email or comment about their contentious article. While the dead press may be setting the agenda, media outlets who aren’t driving audience interaction should be worried.

Gateway Ireland Looking For Web Lead

Piaras — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 10:09:01 +0000

I got emailed about a short term position going with John McColgan’s Gateway Ireland proposal post-Farmleigh. Might be of interest to someone:

As you may know, a vision for a national online content hub was proposed and this was met with widespread support. This initial proposal has gathered momentum, an Advisory Group was established (it includes Google, RTE and Facebook among others) and a small team has now been put in place to carry out a feasibility study to review all aspects of the project.

That core team is currently seeking a web specialist to work closely with the project chairs, driving the technical and technological aspects of the project as it moves from vision to fully-specified feasibility report to be submitted at the end of May.

For further information or to apply please email info@gateway-ireland.com.

Technical Spec for Webmaster/Web Lead

For the Gateway Ireland Project

The Gateway Ireland Project, which is currently preparing a feasibility report on a proposed national online content hub for Ireland, is looking for a web visionary to assist us in laying out strategy for its development and design.

As a key advisor of the project team, you will liaise with the project chairs and drive all technological and technical aspects of taking the project from concept to a fully-specified feasibility report to be submitted at the end of May.

While technical skills as a developer are a plus, we are essentially looking for the visionary who can help us coordinate specialist resources to flesh out our vision whilst employing a clear sense of project management ensuring all objectives are met during what will be an intensive feasibility period.

Beyond driving direction and mapping out a technical solution, we are looking for someone with strong knowledge of emergent web platforms, social media and above all the passion to think big to develop a game-changing content delivery mechanism.

As the technology lead for the project you will be responsible for:

- Developing the technical vision for the projects feasibly study – we are looking for a best-in class site globally to deliver interactive, rich-media content

- Defining the technology and developer strategy to achieve the content goals of the project

- Gauging the usability of emergent and existing technologies in achieving this outcome

- Costing and risk evaluation of various scenarios that will comprise the feasibility plan

- May be responsible for coordinating and hiring a technical manager / technical or developer resources for the implementation of programming and design (as needed).