Savouring Kilkenny….

We had the great pleasure of spending the October bank holiday weekend in Kilkenny for the 13th annual Savour Kilkenny food festival. Upwards of 50,000 people descended on Ireland’s medieval city last weekend to celebrate Kilkenny’s finest local artisan producers and their produce. Joining them was a host of Ireland and the world’s most innovative celebrities and opinion makers in the world of food.

 

 

International visitors for this year’s festival included best-selling Australian author and national TV star, Kim McCosker who brought her 4 Ingredients thinking to the Savour stage. Kim is pictured below taking some time out of her busy schedule to chat to host Edward Hayden on KCLR FM.

 

 

Other familiar faces included homegrown Irish stars Paul Flynn of The Tannery, Dungarvan, Clodagh McKenna, Catherine Fulvio, Rory O’ Connell, Roz Purcell, Darren Kennedy and Mount Juliet’s Ken Harker and John Kelly.

 

 

As well as the KBC Wellness Stage and food and fitness bootcamp with Kathryn Thomas, other festival highlights included tented food and beverage stands, a Medieval Banquet at the Medieval Mile Museum, cooking demonstrations and talks, and kids fun and dining events.

 

 

Roz Purcell hosted a vegan night and also demonstrated how to cook vegan to a packed marquee. This year also saw the introduction of the new Food Provenance award in partnership with Kilkenny LEO and KCLR where local eateries were recognised for the focus they place on local and regional producers and seasonal cooking.

 

 

It was wonderful to experience the very best of Kilkenny’s vibrant food culture and to witness the city and county’s core commitment to supporting local growers and producers and local cafes and restaurants. See savourkilkenny.com for details of next year’s festival.

 

 

Oakfest at Oakfield Park

One of the best things about this job is getting to see ideas which started out on a Powerpoint slide come to life. After suggesting it in our initial pitch to Oakfield Park in 2018, we were thrilled to see #Oakfest rock the park in the summer of 2018 and 2019. Headline acts Hermitage Green and The 4 of Us took to the stage in 2018, supported by Ryan Sheridan, Little Hours, Mark Black & The Trips, ROE, Chelsey Chambers, In Their Thousands, Katie Laffan and Cronin.

 

 

As well as a top-class musical billing, Oakfest at Oakfield Park had plenty for the whole family to enjoy, including a mini disco for little music lovers, arts and crafts, face-painting, puppetry, nature walks, train heritage, folklore and storytelling. Oakfest 2019 included a stellar line-up of artists with world-renowned Alabama 3 Acoustic headlining on Saturday 1st June and chart toppers The Academic (pictured below) headlining Sunday 2nd June.

 

 

Away from the main stage, festival goers could experience jazz in the garden, music in the maze, folk music in the marquee and Trad on the Train. The event also has a strong food offering with some of the northwest’s finest artisan food producers in attendance over the weekend.

 

Ten Things SME’s Can Take From Big Brand Marketing Strategies….

We’ve had the pleasure of working with many great brands over the years and it has taught us a thing or two about marketing and PR. While we appreciate that global brands have bigger budgets, we believe there’s a lot that SME’s can take from big brand marketing strategies. In no particular order, here’s our top ten:

 

1. Work Seasonally

Big brands work on a calendar led basis. They plan strategy and activity months and years in advance. They look ahead and research what’s coming up, and develop campaigns around that. The calendar provides a natural opportunity for SME’s to shout about their business… from New Year’s to Valentine’s, Patrick’s Day, Easter, Summer, 4th of July, Back to School, Hallowe’en, Christmas and back to the New Year again. Not to mention a host of international days from World Tourism Day (Sept 27th) to International Day of Happiness (March 20th), World Wildlife Day (March 3rd) and Universal Children’s Day (Nov 20th). Here’s how we put the calendar to good use for clients this year…

 

Final Poster (2)

 

2. Adopt a Partnership Approach

Big brands are always on the look-out for mutually beneficial partnerships and opportunities to align their brand with like-minded organisations – it’s a natural way to reach a new and captive audience. Keep an eye out for events taking place locally that your business can partner with or support. For instance, in the run up to the Donegal Marathon, we hosted a RunWell Marathon Night at JT Physio. The event gave top tips and advice for those running a marathon including talks on physiotherapy, nutrition and training in the run up to the big day. And because numbers were limited, we captured the event on video and shared it with JT’s followers online.

 

Forming partnerships with other businesses can also be a good strategy, but it’s important to get the right fit. For example, working with Kinnegar Brewing, The Traveller’s Inn commissioned house beer ‘Baxters 1867’ in honour of the Baxter family whose connection to the building dates back to 1867. The beer is based on an American pale ale style in recognition of Samuel Alexander Baxter, who fought with the North in the American Civil War. The story generated strong local, national and trade coverage for both The Traveller’s Inn and Kinnegar…

 

rsz_baxters_label_artwork_2

 

Working with Inishowen Motors, we partnered with Letterkenny, Laois and Galway Shopping Centres and Relay for Life, Donegal. Inishowen Motors donated one of their top of the range Kia’s for a charity drive from Ireland’s most northerly point, Malin Head to Tarifa, in the south of Spain. This activity raised €10,000 for Relay for Life Donegal and generated strong local and national coverage for all parties involved….

 

Non-Stop Charity Drive from Malin Head to Tarifa, Spain - Last night saw the launch of an innovative charity fundraiser in aid of the Irish Cancer Society. The fundraiser is the brainchild of Letterkenny Shopping Centre manager, Brian McCracken and two of his colleagues, Páraic Naughton from Galway Shopping Centre and Kevin Doyle from Laois Shopping Centre. The trio will undertake a non-stop charity drive from Donegal to Spain in a Kia Sorento, sponsored by Inishowen Motors.Photo- Clive Wasson

 

3. Mark the Milestone

Whether it’s a launch, first birthday or tenth anniversary, marking the milestone is a great way to shout about your business and remind people of what you do. The Traveller’s Inn, Milford recently marked its tenth birthday with a week long celebration and live music every night. To mark the occasion, we commissioned a bespoke cake of the building from Selena’s Creations and the images landed in all the local papers. Michael Murphy Sports and Leisure also celebrated a great first year in business with a week-long promotion offering customers the chance to win a €1,000 gift voucher and Inishowen Motors, the car partner for Highland Radio, marked the station’s 25th anniversary as part of the car handover this year…

  rsz_michael-murphy-1st-birthday_4

Insihowen Motors, Highland Radio. Photo- Clive Wasson

 

4. Be Brand Aware

This is something big brands do very well. Their brand identity and brand values influence everything they do. SME’s can also benefit from this approach and it’s worth taking the time to have a think about your brand identity and working with a good graphic designer to bring it to life. When the new owners of The Milford Inn wanted a fresh start, we worked closely with them, brainstorming suggestions for a new name and logo. We compiled a graphic design brief and enlisted the help of Fiona O’Reilly from On The Dot Creative, who then worked with the hotel’s in-house marketing team to bring the brand to life. We also worked with Donegal’s Early Learning Schools on a new name, logo and website. Big brands pay lots of attention to their social media channels to ensure they are engaging with consumers in the correct way. Your website is your shop window – if it doesn’t provide an up-to-date or accurate reflection of your business, then you need to change it…

 

11889459_1031816043504498_6011618262185105883_n (2)

Final Logo (3)

5. See The Bigger Picture

As a small local entity, it can be easy to overlook or dismiss potential opportunities with national media. However, we know from experience that national media are always on the look out for good news stories. We’ve hosted outside broadcasts in Donegal with national broadcasters including Today FM and 2FM. Earlier this summer, we worked with RTE’s Nationwide as they filmed at Donegal and Ireland’s first outdoor school. You can check out the piece on the RTE Player….

rsz_img_5466_2

    rsz_img_5433_2

rsz_img_5434_2

 

6. Get In The Right Frame 

Good photography forms a key part of any brand’s marketing strategy. Through our work with the Earagail Arts Festival, (and with the help of some beautiful imagery), we’ve generated articles and features across a range of national and local titles from the Irish Times to the Irish Independent, Irish Examiner, Sunday Business Post, RTE Guide, Image and Social and Personal. Getting the right shot to accompany your story greatly enhances the chances of coverage. From a business profiling point of view, it’s important for SME’s to have a good selection of photography to represent key spokespeople – more than ever, papers are relying on you to provide suitable photography. Reaching out to the relevant political representative or securing the right brand ambassador for the photo (and your business) is also worth exploring…

 

rsz_tim_johnson_-_hills_of_donegal_2

 rsz_img_luxe_01

**** NO REPRODUCTION FEE **** DUBLIN : 19/06/2014 : Pictured was Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar with founders of Rascal’s Brewing Co, Emma Devlin and Cathal O'Donoghue. Founders of Rascal’s Brewing Co, Emma Devlin and Cathal O'Donoghue at the brand's official launch in The Mart, Rathmines. The pair discovered their love of craft beer while living in New Zealand and on return to Ireland, they set up Rascal's Brewing Co. They now produce a range of ‘Bold Irish beer’, three of which were showcased at the launch – Ginger Porter, Big Hop Red and Wit Woo (a Belgian wheat beer). Based in Dublin, Emma (28) is originally from Malin Head in Donegal and Cathal (32) is from Skibbereen, (near Mizen Head). Minister of Tourism, Transport and Sport, Leo Varadkar also attended the launch'. Picture Conor MCCabe Photography. MEDIA CONTACT : Mary Crawford, The Right Angle – 087 2774739 ormary@wordpress-494791-1578769.cloudwaysapps.com

 

7. Give Insights and Added Value

Leading brands are always thinking of ways to surprise and delight their customers. One way to do this is to give added value through unique insights, customer loyalty schemes, in-store promotions, events, competitions and giveaways. Through our work with REN NET and Donegal County Council, we helped promote a renewable energy trade fair, giving members of the public free access to renewable energy providers across the northwest. And in a series of videos for Michael Murphy Sports and Leisure, Michael chats to leading sportspeople from Donegal, gaining a unique insight into their lives, such as this one with Ballybofey boxer, Jason Quigley….

 

 

8. Celebrate Success

Whether it’s an award for your business or your customers, celebrating success is a positive way to share your story. Mulroy Music got widespread coverage when its students excelled at this year’s Ulster Fleadh. We also worked with John F. Loughrey Financial Services to share the story of their second successive win at The LPI Awards in The Mansion House in Dublin. Whatever success looks like for your business, make sure to celebrate it in the right way…

 

IBA LPI Awards 2015 in the Mansion House Dublin. PHOTO CREDIT: dak photohraphy

 

9. Get Creative

Big brands are always thinking of innovative ways to create news hooks, so media will write about them. A good example of this is the below art installation, ‘Reflect Yourself‘, which was fabricated by Henry McGinley & Sons in Milford and unveiled in Dublin as part of the St. Patrick’s Festival.

 

rsz_reflect_yourself

 

10. Use Video

According to this article published in The Guardian, 64% of marketers expect video to dominate their strategies in the near future and half of all businesses are already integrating video content marketing into their strategies. 100 million people are watching videos daily and YouTube has one billion UNIQUE users each month. With online video quickly becoming a key means for people to satisfy their information and entertainment needs, small businesses that fail to include it in their internet marketing strategies will do so at their peril. Video is a great way to communicate your customer offering and unique selling point. For example, The Traveller’s Inn, Milford hosts one of the country’s best traditional music sessions every Wednesday, so we worked with videographer Paul Doherty to capture the atmosphere and share it with our followers online….

 

 

There are lots of ways that small businesses can market and promote themselves in creative and cost-effective ways – the secret lies in the execution. If you’ve an idea you’d like to develop or an event coming up that you feel could generate publicity for your business, then let us know. We’d be delighted to help….

Planning for 2015

As is customary for marketing heads at this time of year, we’re looking ahead and planning for 2015 to get some idea of what we can expect from the coming year. The good news is that there are lots of positives to take us into the new year and here’s our top 15…

rsz_11

1. Ireland will continue to be the fastest growing economy in the European Union as Irish and foreign-owned companies start to invest again

2. Business and consumer confidence is set to increase even further than it did in 2014 

3. Retail sales are on a firm upward trend – meet your customer in 2015 (albeit a US one!)…

Picture1

4. Private consumption growth (year-on-year) turned positive for the first time since 2012 and this will continue into 2015

5. Unemployment (though still too high) is set to fall to 8% in 2015

6. Sustained growth is set to continue next year at around 3.6%

7. We get to celebrate some cool milestones like the 150th anniversary of the birth of one of our cultural icons, Nobel Laureate W.B. Yeats

8. Our current creatives continue to shine on a world stage, from musicians like Hozier (who played the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show earlier this month) to brilliant Irish designers like Don O’Neill, Simone Rocha and Emma Manley

rsz_simonerocha

9. The Web Summit will be bigger and better… already a massive success this year and that’s without decent broadband. Imagine what it will bring in 2015, when hopefully (and we’re optimistic) the RDS will have sorted out its WIFI issues

10. Ireland is set to become a new technology hub for central and Eastern European firms looking to access the US market – that’s according to PwC

11. It’s set to be a good year for food lovers – 2015 marks the anniversary of the world’s first restaurant, which was opened 250 years ago by Mr. Boulanger in France. We suspect there’ll be lots of restaurants celebrating this milestone in their own unique way…

12. Content marketing remains king – more and more brands will become publishers of useful content that customers will actually thank them for. Writing is where it’s at…

13. Travel becomes more ‘local’ than ever and Ireland is perfectly placed to deliver the kinds of authentic experiences tourists are looking for

14. Our food scene is bustling and set to thrive even more next year

15. Ireland is open for business in 2015 – Are you? Now is the time to get your business ready and we are here to help…

rsz_2getting-your-content-calendar-ready-for-2015

 

A Year of Festivals in Ireland

We recently met Mark Graham, a man who makes his living from attending festivals in Ireland, (this must be right up there on the list of ‘dream jobs’, yes?)  Some years ago, Mark opted out of a broken banking system and did something completely different.

Using the deposit he’d been saving for a house he never bought, Mark set out on a quest to attend three festivals a week in Ireland for a year. Tired of hearing that Irish people ‘got carried away’ during the boom, he wanted to explore our towns and villages for himself and meet these people who had allegedly ‘lost the run of themselves’ in better economic times.

Van2

What he discovered was the best of us – a countryside alive with weird and wonderful festivals, organised by people who work hard to make their communities better places to live. Festivals like our own Earagail Arts, or Electric PicnicSwell and The Ballymaloe LitFest of Food and Wine. His experience details the range of entertainment on offer on any given day, from storytelling on Cape Clear, to bog snorkelling in Monaghan and cloud appreciation in Cork. But festivals are only as good as the people that go to them, so it’s up to us to get out there and experience them.

rsz_full-cover

On the strength of his blog, Mark landed a weekly column with The Ticket in The Irish Times, so you can keep up to date on his adventures there. He’s also written a book and is currently touring the country with ‘Festival Heads’, a photographic exhibition of his travels.

FestivalHeadsCombinedTitle

And while we’re on the topic of festivals, anyone heading to Knockan Stockan this weekend, have a blast! And congratulations to all involved in this year’s Lennon Festival – a great weekend culminated in a spectacular  fireworks display on the quays in Ramelton (as captured by Damien O’Connor in these great photos)…

rsz_1unnamed

rsz_unnamed_1 (1)

rsz_unnamed_2

rsz_unnamed_3

rsz_unnamed_4

 

 

Earagail Arts Festival In Full Swing

We had a wonderful first day at Earagail Arts Festival. This morning’s Walking Donegal tour attracted a great crowd as locals joined visitors from Ireland and further afield to explore some beautiful landscape and learn more of our local history. Setting off from Doe Cemetery, walkers made their way across the old Light Gauge Railway walk, guided by local expert Seamus Doohan. Festival Director Paul Brown was among them and it was a beautiful morning for it…

WD-DoaghIsland

Then it was off to the Glebe Gallery for the official opening of the centerpiece of the festival’s visual arts programme, ‘Patrick Scott: Image Space Light’. Presented in association with IMMA, this exhibition is the most comprehensive representation of Scott’s 75 year long career and takes place across three Donegal venues: The Regional Cultural CentreAn Gailearai in Gweedore and The Glebe Gallery below…

rsz_22222

rsz_1unnamed

Christina Kennedy, Head of Collections at IMMA gave an insightful overview of the late artist’s career and his partner Eric Pearce spoke lovingly of his experiences watching Scott at work. He also gave some wonderful details on Scott’s practice of meditation and the art of Zen, as well as describing the influence that Japanese and Far Eastern culture had on him.

rsz_meditation-painting-28

The event included a special performance by The Japanese Kocarina Group – a fitting tribute to Scott, whose use of the recurring circular motif in his works was inspired by the Japanese flag. Here is a pic of the ladies getting ready for their performance…

unnamed (3)

Next stop was the Regional Cultural Centre, where Municipal Mayor, Councillor Michael McBride officially opened the exhibition. He spoke of the importance of supporting events like Earagail Arts Festival and expressed the Council’s ongoing commitment to Arts and Culture in the county. We couldn’t agree more, afterall…

rsz_1027bcc725d9af8c119a02d487b3bcfe

As the event in the Regional Cultural Centre was coming to a close, things were hotting up in An Grianan Theatre. The crowds were gathering for ‘Fiesta’, a brand new play which tells the story of the dancers and chancers of one of the finest dancehalls in Ireland. The demand for this show is such that it sold out on its first night and an extra night was added for Tuesday, 15 July. Tickets are selling fast and booking is strongly advised – 074 91 20777 or via www.eaf.ie

rsz_fiesta-3-600x381

It was a great day all round in what promises to be a wonderful festival. If you missed out today, don’t worry because there are still 15 more jam packed days left. Get your copy of the programme and start planning your Earagail Arts Festival of summer. There are so many highlights ahead, like theatre production ‘I Do’ and outdoor spectacle ‘Imaginarium’. Here’s a taster of what’s still to come…

rsz_mlp_7569

rsz_mlp_2963

Dante-Or-Die-460x395

rsz_3333333

unnamed (1)

Donal Dineen

swing pic

unnamed (2)

Ireland Inspires

Loving the Ireland Inspires video from Failte Ireland – a great idea and it certainly inspired us this morning. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to one and all… #IrelandInspires

Maser – Never Too Late To Love

We love this collaboration between the multi-talented Maser and Malcolm London… beautiful.

Costumes Parisiens at The Chester Beatty Library

Writing in the Journal des Dames et des Modes, (issue no.11 on 10th September 1912), Lucie Delarue-Mardrus noted: “if it were simply a matter of clothing oneself, fashion would certainly not exist. But it is above all a matter of attiring oneself, and whoever says attire says ornament, and whoever says ornament says art… So, ladies, be stylish. It is a great civic duty. Though Notre-Dame is a cathedral, it is nonetheless une dame. May your exterior be also the cathedral of your soul.”

26

The Chester Beatty Library has a wonderful exhibition celebrating this Parisian fashion magazine. Running until March 30th, Costumes Parisiens has almost 150 of the Journal’s unique fashion illustrations. The exhibition is a vivid record of Parisian culture and fashion in the last years of the Belle Époque.

And bringing us bang up to date is Jean Paul Gaultier’s Spring Summer 2014 Haute Couture show in Paris, where he described his inspiration as: “Life is a butterfly! So all the collection is that!”

 

 

 

TBEX Europe 2013

The world’s travel bloggers, writers, and new media content creators will be descending on Dublin this Thursday and Friday for TBEX Europe 2013. To celebrate the occasion, Le Cool has created a once-off issue.

LeCool_Cover_Map

And to give them a flavour of what to expect, this video from The Gathering was shown to all TBEX North American attendees in May