Up for grabs this month is a case of wine and champagne courtesy of TCH. To Win, just answer the following question: What does the new Powers Whiskey app highlight?
Email your answer to ciara.mahon@vizeum.com before 23rd April for a chance to win. The winner of last month’s prize, a 2 night stay at The Ice House Hotel in Ballina, Co. Mayo, is Christine Matthews.
Congrats Christine!
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland has given the all clear to paid product placement on Irish television. The change is one of a number to be included in the BAI’s revised General and Children’s Commercial Communications Codes. The move follows the introduction of product placement in the UK several weeks ago. According to the BAI, the revised Codes will be published in the coming weeks and will take effect from Monday 2nd May 2011.
According to the BAI it is to allow paid product placement in films (cinema releases and films made for television), sport, dramas (excluding docu-dramas) and light entertainment programmes (excluding certain types of talk/chat shows). It will also permit product placement on all television services including community, commercial and public service broadcasters.This includes the likes of TV3, 3e and RTÉ. In addition it will allow sponsors of television programmes to place their products and services in programmes that they sponsor, except in the case of children’s programmes. There are, however, a number of restrictions according to the BAI. The BAI has decided to prohibit paid product placement in all other programme genres, including children’s programmes and talk/chat shows containing more than 20% of news and current affairs content on a regular basis.
It will also apply the general and specific rules of the BAI’s commercial communications codes to all product placement arrangements. Broadcasters will also be required to comply with additional obligations relating how audiences are notified that a programme they are watching contains product placement. At the moment broadcasters are currently required to display a logo containing the letters PP before, and during, programmes containing product placement. They must also list in the end credits the names of companies that have provided products and services included in a programme. From May 2nd onwards, however, they will now be required to include a written announcement before such programmes and to promote to audiences, on- and off-air, the measures it uses to notify audiences that a programme contains product placement. The changes have been made following consideration of submissions received on foot of a public consultation completed last January.
Commenting on the changes to be introduced, BAI Chief Executive Michael O’Keeffe said, “The way in which Irish audiences watch television is changing and it is therefore appropriate that the BAI updates its rules to permit paid product placement. At the same time, paid product placement must be strongly regulated to ensure that the integrity and independence of programmes and programme makers is maintained. It is for this reason that paid product placement will be prohibited in a range of programmes and will only be acceptable when it complies with a broad range of rules intended to protect the interests of the audiences”.
Research firm Eurodata TV reported that the global average consumption time hit 3 hours 10 minutes per day last year, an increase of six minutes compared with 2005. North America delivered a lift reaching four minutes measured against 2009, registering 4 hours 39 minutes overall, while Europe grew in line with the norm, on 3 hours 48 minutes, across the same period. At present, Asia Pacific’s total stands at 2 hours 34 minutes, although this is expected to improve going forward.
In Belgium and Ireland, where delayed viewing – such as by DVR – has been incorporated into measurement figures, viewing time rose by ten minutes and 11 minutes respectively. Major sporting events retained their appeal, as totals climbed by 36 minutes in Canada and 22 minutes in Denmark year on year during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In Spain, Telecinco attracted a 78% audience share for its broadcast of the 2010 World Cup Final, featuring (and won by) the national team. Entertainment content topped the category charts for the first time, taking 40% of the ten highest audiences in 70 countries, beating fictional output, on 39%.
The Eurovision Song Contest posted the top scores in 16 countries, while local versions of America’s Got Talent, Strictly Come Dancing and the X-Factor also generated excellent ratings in several markets. Local dramas tended to perform more strongly than big American series, but medical offering House and police procedural the Mentalist proved international successes. To monitor changing attitudes and the impact of digital media, the study assessed the broadcast consumptionsof 15-24 year olds covering several screens, such as mobile and PC. It revealed that, when including all channels, the amount of time dedicated to this material rose by 14 minutes in the UK, six minutes for Germany and five minutes for the US.
Data sourced from Eurodata TV; additional content by Warc staff, 28 March 2011
Dublin Bus has teamed up with a host of city centre stores, restaurants and venues to garner more value from prepaid tickets. Commuters can present their prepaid ticket at participating outlets including Clerys, Wagamama and Tower Records on valid Thursdays to avail of exclusive discounts and offers. Vizeum and AmbientPlus combined bar and social media to promote ‘Ticket Thursdays’ through the use of beermats and washroom A3s to drive traffic to a dedicated Facebook page.
As part of Powers Whiskey latest campaign, a new whiskey app was developed. It highlights the best snugs in Ireland, how to enjoy and savour whiskey and lastly gives some interesting history on the brand. Download it from either iTunes or the Android Market.
The Irish public have voted with their feet and it’s official, cinema is in, with February admissions revealing an astonishing 11.2% rise on figures for February 2010. Contrary to popular opinion that Ireland’s love-affair with cinema is drawing to a close, this rise in figures proves that Ireland remains a nation of cinephiles. More than 1.6 million Irish movie-goers went to their local cinema in February.
Despite continuing economic challenges and the rise in illegal downloading, it’s clear that the cinematic experience is something the public are still willing to pay for. This is largely down to higher quality viewing experience and a growth in the diversity of film product. The national turnover to top-quality digital cinema is fast gathering pace with Bantry Cinemax being the latest cinema to convert to an entirely digital system. This takes the number of digital screens in Ireland up to 139, almost one third of all screens nationwide. 367 films released in 2010 compared to just 185 in 2002, illustrating the immense growth in choice audiences now have across all genres of film.
The new Luas extension in west Tallaght is expected to add some two million passenger journeys per year to the network when it opens this summer. Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar and RPA chief executive at Cheeverstown in Dublin today for the first test run on the new Luas line serving Citywest and Saggart. The 4.2km extension, which leaves the existing track at Belgard, will serve Fettercairn,
Cheeverstown, Citywest, Fortunestown and Saggart close to the border with Co Kildare The route is scheduled to be open by the end of July. Journey times from Saggart to the city centre will be about 55 minutes. The cost of the route was €150 million, about 55 per cent of which is to be contributed by private sector land owners in the area.
Frequency on the new extension is to be one tram every 10 minutes at peak times, while the frequency from the existing stops on the Tallaght branch is to be one every six minutes. The Railway Procurement Agency, which is developing the line, said significant interes had come from commuters in the Naas, Co Kildare area. Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar, who attended a tram test on the route today,. The line is likely to be the last Luas extension to be opened for some time as Mr Varadkar said just one of the three ‘big ticket’ transport projects – Metro North, Dart Underground and the Luas city centre link will go ahead in the next five years. While he said a decision on which projects would proceed would not be made before September, the Minister described the case for Metro North as very strong. “It is not just a train line to the airport. It goes to Swords, it links up the Maynooth-Connolly line, it links up the Luas, it serves DCU, it serves the Mater,” he said. Mr Varadkar also said he had already directed that funds not used by the National Roads Authority this year should be used to repair damaged secondary, regional and local roads. This would, he said, result in “hundreds of contracts this year.
Eva Herzigova’s traffic-stopping Wonderbra billboards have been declared the most eyecatching ads of the past few decades. The “Hello Boys” campaign – featuring a huge photograph of the Czech model’s cleavage – caused a sensation when it was first unveiled in 1994. Now it has won a public vote as the favourite “iconic” advertising image in a poll by the Outdoor Media Centre, the trade body for outdoor advertising. In second place was the Conservative Party’s
“Labour Isn’t Working” campaign which depicted a dole queue to highlight rising unemployment figures. And the much-copied Lord Kitchener recruitment posters which date back a century came third. More than 10,000 votes were cast to identify the most striking images to feature in the Outdoor Hall Of Fame, launched in conjunction with ad industry magazine Campaign. The Herzigova posters propelled her to stardom around the world, making her a household name. The huge images were also said to have caused a number of accidents after drivers became distracted by the shots of the model in her underwear. Mike Baker, chief executive of the Outdoor Media Centre, said: “It’s great to see those great iconic images from the past rubbing shoulders with recent advertising work in the public’s affections.”
JCDecaux has launched HD Posting in Ireland for the first time. HD posters are printed as one sheet of lightweight vinyl material. The poster is clipped into special brackets on site using small bungee cords that are then adjusted to give exactly the right amount of tension to the poster. A bespoke frame encapsulates the entire display and the final effect for the advertiser is a flawless stand-out poster. There are many benefits to HD Posting, not least a reduced impact on the environment which is something that JCDecaux is seriously committed to. There is no paper or paste involved, with the result that sites need less maintenance and the likelihood of any damages is dramatically reduced. Weather conditions, time of year or the length of the campaign have no impact on the quality of the display, making it ideal for tc (long term) campaigns. It also offers increased efficiency in terms of posting and the vinyl is 100% recyclable. “HD posting will improve the site quality of JCDecaux’s portfolio in Ireland even further. Site maintenance will be reduced, it’s good for the environment and the end result for the client looks fantastic; everyone benefits.” Brian Cullen, Operations Manager JCDecaux Ireland.
