Archive for the ‘Richard Delevan’ Category

Wanted: Digital Media Planner/Buyer

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Are you an experienced digital planner/buyer looking to take the next step in your career? To develop digital strategy for some of the world’s best brands, right here in Ireland? The kind of person whose first thought seeing Foursquare (after becoming mayor of your office) was how you could make it work for a client? Then you might be the person we’re looking for.

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Posted in Digital, Jobs, Mobile, Online Display, Richard Delevan, Search, Social Media | No Comments »

Should Ireland lift the ban on political ads?

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

The newly-formed Broadcasting Authority of Ireland recently issued a report written by veteran journalist and media lecturer Dr Kevin Rafter that reviewed the longtime restrictions that prevent political advertising from reaching the Irish TV and radio airwaves. On its website, the BAI headlined the report “Independent Report Confirms Majority Support for Retention of Prohibitions on Political Advertising in Ireland”, citing a Red C poll commissioned for the report.

In its press release the BAI chief executive was quoted as saying, “The outcomes of the Red C poll contained in the report appear to support a continuation of the existing prohibitions. It is important to emphasise that this is an independent report and the recommendations contained therein are the personal views of the the author and have not been considered by the Authority”.

But is it really the open and shut case the BAI press release suggests?

Kevin Rafter, writing in the Irish Times on the day of the report’s publication, seems to argue otherwise — or at least just state the obvious:

The blanket ban has been reaffirmed in several pieces of broadcasting legislation approved by the Oireachtas over many years, including the new Broadcasting Act passed into law last July. It was surprising that the Oireachtas did not engage more fully with the status quo, given technological advances and recent European Court determinations that may leave the current regime open to legal challenge on freedom of expression grounds.

The ban in countries like Ireland and in the United Kingdom was conceived in a different era. The discrimination between print advertising (permitted) and broadcast advertising (banned) was justified due to the particular power of the broadcast medium.

But the internet has assumed an important role in political communications and has provided new ways of communicating political messages. Many political parties, candidates and interest groups are now using the internet to distribute advertising that cannot be placed on television stations. Only last month, the Conservatives in the UK because the first political party at Westminster to run a marketing campaign on internet music service Spotify to target younger votes.

In an era of media convergence between the various strands of broadcasting – television, radio and the internet – it does seem timely to review the blanket ban on political advertising on television and radio. To do otherwise would be to be locked in a policy and technological time warp.

If the current regime is open to European legal challenge, and if the blanket broadcast advertising ban is “locked in a policy and technological time warp” as it is made farcical by the growing importance of unregulated online communications for political campaigns, clearly the BAI headline doesn’t make a lot of sense. It shouldn’t be a settled matter in Ireland. The recent Lisbon referendum campaigns showed how difficult it can be to reach a large percentage of low-information voters with important information about issues of major importance.

What do you think? Cast your vote about whether the ban should be lifted in our LinkedIn poll.

Richard Delevan is deputy managing director and head of digital at McConnellsintegrated.

Tags: BAI, Kevin Rafter, Political advertising, Politics, RTE
Posted in Advertising, BAI, Digital, Media, News, Politics, Radio, Richard Delevan, TV | No Comments »

Congrats to John Noonan

Monday, November 16th, 2009

Marketing.ie announced last week that John Noonan of Flahavan’s had been selected as its Marketer of the Year.

A small excerpt from the Marketing.ie piece:

Noonan’s efforts in repositioning Flahavans as a healthy food brand and shifting it from a production/distribution-led strategy to a brand-led focus resulted in its share growing from 63.9 per cent to 65.3 per cent in the year to August 2009 and a profits increase of over 15 per cent. Flahavans had a margin of over five per cent and turnover quadrupled.

In the year to August 2009, the hot oats category grew by 12.5 per cent in volume and 6.3 per cent in value to €20.5m, as measured by TNS. Growth in private label did not affect Flahavan, but took share from smaller brands. In the fiscal year ended June 2009, the company posted revenue growth of 8.6 per cent in their retail sales in the Republic.

Standing still isn’t an option in this economy and brands that can adapt can find ways to reposition in a way that delivers value for consumers.

Smart managers who have the flexibility need to adjust course to take this all into account. But what about premium brands? Those brand owners face a strategic conundrum. Those that can will increase flexibility on pricing to compete with value alternatives. Some will simply wait out the downturn and increase marketing activity to maintain share where possible.

A third alternative is to establish a ‘fighter’ brand, as suggested by this influential piece in October’s Harvard Business Review. Create a value brand to eliminate lower cost competitors in a category while protecting the premium brand. But be warned, as the piece outlines, the strategy isn’t without risks.

Look for the next few months to produce a few such examples here in Ireland in a variety of categories.

Tags: Branding, Fighter brands, Flahavans, Marketing.ie, Recession, Strategy
Posted in Branding, Recession, Richard Delevan, Strategy | No Comments »