Ronnie Simpson blog. - Ronnie Simpson Consulting

Thank God for Ross O’Carroll Kelly

27/7/2015

As the Banking Inquiry descends into the predictable political pantomime farce (“Oh yes you did…”) one need look no further than Ross O’Carroll Kelly’s column in Saturday’s Irish Times to get a real insight into the culture of the time.

After all, his estate agency Hook, Lyon and Sinker is the one that came up with the promotional tag line for a commuter development: “Arklow – A Piece of Heaven Off the N11”.

And when his mother remonstrates: “Exploiting the misfortune of other people for your own monetary gain is not a career, Ross,” he observes: “You’d have to wonder what kind of future this country has if that idea ever catches on.”

The Sunday Independent reported yesterday that Morgan Kelly, Professor of Economics at UCD, who predicted the property collapse, has turned down an invitation to appear before the Banking Inquiry.

The newspaper adds that Kelly has not been following the inquiry closely and as far as he was concerned "it's old news."

He’s absolutely right. Forget the inquiry. All you have to do is to read Ross O’Carroll Kelly to get a real insight into what went wrong.

Credits: Paul Howard
Illustration: Alan Clarke

Early PR memory of the gentleman that was Bill O’Herlihy

25/5/2015

The newest recruit in a PR consultancy usually draws (is given) the short straw i.e. jobs at the coloured end of the stick. Thus, it was as a young and naïve account executive that I was always handed the task of garnering national media coverage for a minor, invitation golf competition called the McInerney Scotch Foursomes, hosted by Foxrock Golf Club.

This was a passion of Dan McInerney of the sponsor and important former client McInerney Properties. To the extent that if you failed to garner coverage for the company’s much more newsy and important AGM his attitude was benign – but national coverage was expected for the McInerney Scotch Foursomes.

I still have nightmares of arriving at the press reception to shrill cries from the Foxrock secretary, “Ronnie! Where’s the press?” (Probably an appropriate title for my autobiography).

I had to explain even back in those days that there was no correlation between press attendance and coverage – (although unfortunately there usually was in the case of the McInerney Scotch Foursomes).

An abiding memory of those times was the helpful advice Bill O’Herlihy gave me at one of the receptions on maximising coverage for the event. In the normal dog eat puppy world of PR, the fact that he would freely proffer invaluable advice to a rival PR agency was demonstration of the man’s generous spirit.

Sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. RIP.

Why most online ads don’t work (and one that does)

22/5/2015

Spending on digital advertising in the UK is on course to outstrip all other traditional formats combined including TV, print etc according to a recent article in The Guardian. Sales and marketing researchers Strategy Analytics estimate that the total UK advertising market will hit £15.8bn in 2015, up 5.5% from last year. An incredible just under £8bn of that will be spent on digital ads.

But just how effective is this rush online? Despite the hours spent on your mobile, tablet or desktop, how many online ads can you recall? A lot of online content and advertising fails because it tries to recycle old media ads or content to what is a totally different channel. The old phrase of ‘putting lipstick on the pig’ seems appropriate to a lot of online marketing efforts.

US car insurance company Geico and its agency (The Martin Agency) understand this. See ad below that recognises the short attention span of online audiences (but do stick with it for more than 5 seconds!).

C

May 21st, 2015

21/5/2015

Half of advertising spend to go online in 2015 – the media and marketing revolution accelerates

19/2/2015

My name is Ronnie - and I am addicted to newspapers. So, it was with a little concern that I read that for the first time digital advertising will account for half of all ad spend in the UK this year. Think of that: more advertising spend online than on TV, newspapers, magazines or radio.

The news, reported in The Daily Telegraph from Strategy Analytics, highlights the increasing threat to traditional print media, not just in the UK but also in Ireland and across the globe. Sadly, another Irish title, the Metro Herald expired before Christmas. The massive growth in digital revenues also puts into context the recent announcement by the Irish Times of a paywall for its content.

Maybe it’s because I’m not using a tablet but relying on laptop and iPhone 6 but I remain a huge fan (OK, addict) of print media. Yes I’ll get my news online or on radio/TV that Debaltseve in Ukraine has fallen or that Greece has or has not applied for a bailout extension – but rather than peering at a screen, I’ll want to spread out in comfort with a newspaper and a cup of tea (or preferably at the weekend a pint of Uncle Arthur) for deeper analysis, comment and implications. The reality is that newspapers are no longer really news papers.

The move to digital and the importance of search has implications and opportunities for PR. A study by Curata last year found that over 70% of marketers plan to increase spend on content marketing. I have argued in an earlier blog that the online revolution and huge increase in content marketing plays to PR strengths.

We are in the middle of a media and marketing revolution but used correctly, PR remains one of the most powerful elements in your marketing and digital marketing mix.
Ends
Side note: A 30-second TV commercial during the Super Bowl earlier this month cost an eye watering $4.5m or $150,000 per second.

Digital Marketing trends highlight opportunities for Tech PR

4/2/2015

Highly respected digital marketing guru Rand Fishkin, co-founder of Moz, presented a live webinar last week from the United States US to some 200 guests of rapidly growing Irish owned (don’t let the name fool you) DM agency Wolfgang Digital. Rand was asked by Wolfgang boss Alan Coleman to highlight what were the big trends in Digital Marketing for 2015.

Some of Rand’s predictions emphasise how the lines between PR and Digital Marketing are blurring (for those who can recognise the opportunities).

For example, Content Marketing has been around for a while, as organisations move from Megaphone Marketing to Relationship Marketing. But Rand sees a big increase in investment in content. However, he warned that these days there is so much content flying around out there that it needs to be valuable and of high quality to interest an increasingly limited attention span, target audience.

This is one reason in my view why PR in general and Tech PR in particular has been given a new lease of life by today’s Digital Marketing. PR has been developing quality content for decades from news stories to surveys, research, white papers and customer case studies. What’s more, PR folks have had to learn over many years to develop content that appeals to that most jaded, cynical and questioning of audiences, that is, journalists.
----------
"Google changes its algorithms as frequently as the Arsenal score board
at a home game to Aston Villa"
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The other big opportunity for PR in my view remains in boosting your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). You can optimise the hell out of your website but Google changes its algorithms as frequently as the Arsenal score board at a home game to Aston Villa. This means that your site can be out of date in a month.

All DM experts emphasise the importance to Google of backlinks to your site - not in terms of quantity but quality. A link from a respected online media site to a report or piece of research on your website can be especially powerful.

Even if you do not generate a backlink, the Google bots do tend to gravitate to respected online news sites on the basis that if they are covering your story then it must be of interest to their users. An organic mention of your latest customer win, new product or acquisition provides vital third party endorsement and credibility that advertising or your website cannot.

There have been some daft observations that because many of PR’s traditional print media targets are no longer around, PR itself is at risk. Quite the opposite. PR remains one of the most powerful, persuasive elements in your Digital Marketing armoury.

See Wolfgang Digital’s live Hangout with Rand Fishkin here. The sound is a little ‘echoey’ at the start but soon settles down for a fascinating approximately half hour presentation on the big Digital Marketing trends for 2015: http://youtu.be/pwWxbPH8mOY

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Infographic: Global tech deals back to dotcom levels

29/1/2015

Global technology mergers and acquisitions are back to their dotcom levels, according to new research from EY published by The Daily Telegraph . This is good news for Irish tech firms. The tech giants are sitting on vast cash piles and are looking to invest in the right technology. See infographic:

Lucinda’s new party – shame about the dinosaur in the room

5/1/2015

You know there’s a need for a new party (#rebootireland) when you find yourself agreeing 100% with 50% of what Clare Daly says. The problem of course is with the other 50%.

Clare shone like a beacon in 2014 with her stance on women/social issues, the Garda whistle blowers and the arrogance displayed by the establishment in relation to them. But her views on the economy, if implemented, would threaten to switch off not only the beacon but the lights as well.

Despite their lip service to the need to encourage SMEs and entrepreneurship, the traditional FG and FF parties remain hostages to the power of public sector unions as witnessed by the status quo in terms of taxation and pensions not to mention the stitch up in relation to Irish Water. As one letter to the Irish Times brilliantly put it: “I have no objection to paying for water. I do object to paying for Irish Water”.

Leo Varadkar did pop his head up in relation to Ireland’s anti-woman and anti-poor stance on termination of pregnancy and the cruel inadequacies shown up in relation to the Eighth Amendment. However, he soon popped it right back again. The established parties remain like rabbits in the headlights of the admirable organisational ability of the so-called Pro Life lobby.

(An inspired piece of PR by the way to brand it Pro Life as that implies that anyone who disagrees with it is anti-life).

Yes, there is a hunger by a young (and older) electorate for a new party which will encourage initiative and which reflects today’s views on social matters. Unfortunately, Lucinda’s new offspring does not appear to be it.

The elephant (or dinosaur) in the room is the issue on which Lucinda and the Reform Alliance was formed. Lucinda and like minded individuals are fully entitled to their genuinely held views and she is to be greatly admired for resigning on an issue of principle. However, opinion polls suggest that Ireland is ready to move on in terms of social issues.

As with Clare Daly, I find myself agreeing 100% with 50% of what Lucinda aspires to. The problem is with the other 50%.

The search goes on.

Transcript of interview for position on State board

3/10/2014

Official: Take a seat. Can I offer you any refreshment?
Candidate: Whatever you’re having will be fine.
Official: Barman? Two more pints of Guinness please. And two Black Bush chasers.
Now then. So what credentials do you bring that are relevant to the appointment to a State board?
Candidate: I can drive.
Official: Excellent. {Ticks box}. That could come in useful. Anything else?
Candidate: I’m a good friend of Enda.
Official: Fantastic. There’s a long precedent for mates of Taoisigh being appointed to State boards.
Any other capabilities that would support your selection?
Candidate: Um. Not that I can think of.
Official: Perfect. We may have to go through the motions of interviewing other candidates but I think you can rest assured that you have all the attributes required.
Candidate: Thank you.
Official: Not at all. Have you any other engagements today?
Candidate: Not really. I just need to register at my local Garda station as usual.
Official: Great stuff. A little community service can only enhance your literature at the General Election. Another pint?
Candidate: I’d better not. I have the van.
Official: Ah sure not to worry about that. We can sort out the penalty points. Barman? Same again here…

Note: We are not at liberty to identify the official or candidate.

Ends

FAI ignores Lansdowne Rd tradition

4/9/2014

Sitting in the Aviva Stadium last night it struck me that it would be easier to hack into the Pentagon server than learn the lineup of the Irish soccer team. Of course, the PA announces the team shortly before the national anthems.

This ignores the long standing, indeed obligatory, Lansdowne Rd tradition that at that particular time Irish fans are either:

a) Finishing off their pint in Scruffys.

b) Finishing off a prawn sandwich in the Aviva reserved area or

c) In the loo recycling the contents of the session in Scruffys.

Last night was particularly confusing eg is Meyler really playing at right back? The number of beards and/or shaven heads in the squad didn’t help.

Why can’t the FAI put the team on the big screen when it is not showing action from the game as seems to be the norm at most UK stadiums?

As for the game itself, it was great to see Ireland pass the ball. I don’t remember any long ball, compared to the bad old Trapattoni days when, even at home against teams like Armenia, we hoofed the ball long and high and often, like demented Riverdancers.

Trapattoni probably had better players than O’Neill eg Duff; Richard Dunne who got him out of jail in Moscow and a younger Keane. But it is great to see O’Neill making use of a proper footballer like Hoolahan and when fit, Andy Reid. Selection of players like that shows that O’Neill is looking to play grown up football, not the boot and gallop of the Italian period.

The big question is will he have faith in Hoolahan away from home in Tbilisi? I do hope so. It is arguably even more important to have a player who can help the team hold on to the ball away from home.

A blog about PR, football and politics

Ronnie has been watching the Irish soccer team since he was a kid and caught two buses in to Dalymount Park. He believes that a) politics today is mostly about PR and b) Irish and UK politics is far more entertaining than Ireland under Trapattoni or Martin O'Neill.

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