23/07/08 Does This Name Ring A Bell?
For the past few months, we’ve had to bite our tongues for fear we’d let the cat out of the bag about the re-branding of Quality Hotels & Comfort Inns (in Ireland) to Maldron Hotels. But that particular creature is now well and truly released following the official
announcement which was reported in the Irish Independent and on Morning Ireland.
11/07/08 Persuaders Branding Special
(Live Programme)
The right chemistry? Jason Cooke interviews Islandbridge client CEO Eddie Grace of Irish Building Chemicals (IBC) and hears how this 35-year old family-business has used branding to construct a market-leading position and tackle the downturn.
13/06/08 Persuaders Branding Special
(Live Programme & Podcast)
In light of the darkening economic conditions, Alex Gibson interviews Gerard Tannam of Islandbridge and asks what branding has to offer to the business-owner.
To hear the Podcast, check out Podcast 73
here 01/06/2008: What If?Our favourite Illustrator, Kevin McSherry, joins with two others we could get to like a lot, Annie West and Fintan Taite, to exhibit at Gallery Zozimus on Francis Street, Dublin from June 5th to 26th. All three celebrate the weird and the wonderful and invite you to enter their often ridiculous, sometimes challenging and always entertaining world.
As Kevin puts it: “Technique is only half the story; you have to enthrall the viewer. The more absurd that world is, the better.”
24/04/2008: Now Strike Your NoteWe were at the Abbey Theatre for the launch of Bealtaine, Ireland’s largest arts festival, which is
a flagship project for our client Age & Opportunity, who promote greater participation in society
for older people. This is quite an extraordinary event that challenges us to keep spreading our
wings as we grow. I say event, but of course, it’s a whole series of events throughout May: dance,
theatre, exhibition, music and much more. We can’t say it any better than Seamus Heaney who urges us
to, ‘let go, let fly, forget. You’ve listened long enough. Now strike your note.’
To strike out at an event near you, visit
www.Bealtaine.com02/04/2008: Bertie - We’ll Give You A Break!Our latest best friend is man about town and the face of HotelsInOne.ie, Ned Needabed. Ned caused quite
a stir yesterday when he appeared at Dublin Castle to offer beleaguered Taoiseach (that’s Prime Minister
to our overseas readers) Bertie Ahern a break from the latest Tribunal kerfuffle. News just in suggests
that Bertie went a little further – he’s taking a permanent break from office beginning on May 6th. That’s
a little longer than Ned had in mind but you can’t say he didn’t try to dig out a fellow ‘man of the people’.
31/03/2008: Look Sharp! Smile 2008We’re beaming from ear to ear with the news that this year’s Smile Conference on May 27th (our fourth as co-owners and brand-partners)
will feature what we believe is our strongest line-up yet. Those who attended last year’s event suggested that we sharpen
our focus on topics such as social media and sustainability – both hot hospitality and tourism issues. You say jump, we
say...this year’s speakers include Valere Tjolle, Sustainable Tourism Editor at Travelmole.com and Jess Butcher,
Partnerships Manager at isango! and a host of other industry experts.
Feedback from our delegates suggests that this has quickly become a must-attend gathering for those working at the
sharp end of sales & marketing in the industry and advance bookings are already up 200% on previous years. So, what
are you waiting for? For more on Smile 2008, check out our
Press Release or visit
www.SmileConference.com18/02/2008: Waking NedWe always encourage our clients to be imaginative in bringing their brands to life (some have even given theirs
a pet-name!) but HotelsInOne.ie are really breathing life into their brand, thanks to the very creative people
over at The Hive agency.
We’re pleased to introduce you to Ned, the new face of HotelsInOne. We say ‘face’ because Ned, being a cartoon,
is mostly an outsized head with legs and arms. But that’s not the only thing that’s oversized about Ned – he’s also
got a big heart and is mad keen to give you the inside track on the best hotel stays in Ireland.
It’s great to meet you, Ned, and we look forward to seeing you out and about over the next while. In the meantime,
our visitors can check you out at
www.HotelsInOne.ie or see you make your print advertising debut at
HotelsInOne.pdf
11/02/2008: Mind The GapWe’re proud brand partners in the Gap Year Gift initiative, which launches in Dublin on February 11th.
A brainchild of our colleague, retired businessman Cartan Finegan,
the GYG model is a practical model for grandparents who wish to inspire
and reward the action of their grandchildren in tackling third world poverty
and disadvantage. Gerard first worked with Cartan on the Fly The Flag
campaign for the National Safety Council in 1999, which offered a blueprint
for much of the thinking and activities around road safety in the years since.
When Cartan talked about his ambitious idea for an inspiring and practical Gap
Year Gift model, Gerard didn’t require much persuasion to come on board to help make it happen.
Read more about the model and how it works at
www.GapYearGift.com
04/01/2008: Year In ReviewIt seems 2007 was the year which brought everyone to their feet.
For more on why you might want to face the music and dance visit:
Brandwidth 2007: Year In Review20/12/2007 - Create: A StirWe can be very critical of designers who make promotional material that speaks only to other designers (rather than their own customers and prospects) so are delighted to welcome Create's brand new
website, which we believe has huge appeal for design customers everywhere.
Whilst we'll own up to having made a small contribution to some of the language on the site, the overall impact is all Create.
Create: A site that charms. Create: A site that really works.Way to go: Create!
27/11/2007 - Dooley NotedI attended the Irish Franchise Expo over the weekend and was delighted to see the launch of our
client Dooley Auctioneer's hottest property yet - its brand-new Franchise opportunity.
There was a great buzz around the stand and the word from those in the know in this highly-specialised
business is that this franchise is going to prove a real seller on the Irish market.
As someone once said: Viewing Is Highly Recommended
23/11/2007 - I'll Copy That!To the Circular Bar at the newly-opened Radisson in Dublin, where we continued our long association
with the
Persuaders Radio Programme & Podcast
and its increasingly popular Pudding Club.
John Kearon of UK online market research company
Brainjuicer
was guest speaker for the gathering of Persuaders' listeners and debunked some popular myths around
communication and innovation.
My own favourite was his rubbishing of the notion that we largely follow our own preference and
judgement when it comes to brand choice. Instead, John insists that ours is much more of a herd mentality,
with each of us looking to our neighbours for a lead and following the apparent wisdom of the crowd.
Looking around at the nodding heads of my fellow marketers, I couldn't have agreed more!
26/10/2007 - A Lifetime Less OrdinaryWe were bursting with pride at this week's
HSMAI Ireland event
as Alex Gibson received his Lifetime Achievement Award.
Alex is partner-in-crime to so many of us that his rap sheet runs to dozens of pages (we've worked with
him at Islandbridge on the
Smile Conference,
Magic Touch Partners,
The Persuaders and at the HSMAI) whilst he also fronts the
Media Show, presents the
Let's Talk Tourism
podcast and is a former President of HSMAI. Oh, and did we mention that he works full-time at DIT's
School of Hospitality Management & Tourism?
The reaction around the room (standing ovation, if you must know) suggested that we were not alone in
our appreciation. Following on from his being named Educator Of The Year earlier in the year by Ireland's
Marketing Institute, it's clear that Alex has a way with awards.
02/10/2007 - What's Up WithU?Congratulations to Lena, Brian and the team at our client
WithU,
a new Recruitment Network that launched at the Docklands
Innovation Centre last night.
WithU draws on the experience of
Action Recruitment's
veteran founder Brian Fahy to offer experts across a range of industries the opportunity to establish a
recruitment practice with all of the software systems, mentoring, comprehensive training and business
support they need to succeed.
We wish them every success and hope the response to their invitation to join their recruitment network
is a resounding 'We're WithU every step of the way!'
26/09/2007 - Rest Under Our CareAs a small (but terribly proud) part of the team that is
bringing you the new
Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, we're very pleased to announce its opening earlier today at Newlands Cross in Dublin.
We think you're about to enjoy something very different at this hotel: a somewhat old-fashioned hospitality, that has somehow gone out of fashion but once marked all that was best in an Irish hotel.
We bumped into Louis yesterday at the hotel, and with a generosity that is typical of the man (and, we believe, his new hotel), he extended an invitation to twenty Islandbridge customers or colleagues to book a Meeting Room (for up to 8 people) as his guests.
So what are you waiting for? Drop us a line or give Gerard a call at Islandbridge (+353 1 495 3330) to arrange.
20/08/2007 - Best In Ireland - The Hole Story Enjoyed a delicious dinner the other evening courtesy of our client, The Hole In The Wall in Dublin, and had more than our taste-buds tickled when we learned that they have just received a well-deserved
Bridgestone Guide's Best In Ireland award for 2007.
If the busy tables and happy chatter around us as we ate are anything to go by, The Hole In The Wall is no longer Dublin's best-kept secret.
Like John & Sally and the good people at The Bridgestone Guide, we can only recommend it!
08/07/2007 - Sweet Success - Sugars At Croke ParkWe were delighted to partner with serial entrepreneur and author Brad Sugars for his Billionaire In Training seminar at Dublin's Croke Park this week.
Whilst the fit wasn't immediately obvious to us when we were first asked to come on board, our guests (who included clients and colleagues) soon made the connection and feedback included: "Enthused and focussed - thanks for a most refreshing seminar", "Inspirational and enlightening - it will make the focus of next week's work a lot different".
As we work hard to lock our work around brand firmly into their overall business strategy, clients seem to see us more and more as partners in their success which can't be a bad thing. Our link with Brand - sorry, Brad Sugars - and the success of the event appears to have reinforced that.
Sweet, isn't it?
25/05/2007 - Smiles All RoundOur third
Smile Conference at the Storehouse in Dublin seems to have been a great success judging from the smiles and feedback we had from departing delegates yesterday.
Just under 90 of Ireland's keenest sales & marketing professionals heard presentations from a mix of Irish and international speakers on topics ranging from emerging trends in hospitality to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and the rise of Affiliate Marketing.
We'll be updating
the Conference site with interviews, images and presentations from the event over the coming days so watch that space.
19/05/2007 - Award In Your EarWe're delighted (if not too surprised) that Alex Gibson (our accomplice on the Smile Conference and other capers) has scooped
Marketing Educator of the Year Award at the Marketing Institute's All Ireland event.
Alex, who we first met through his Persuaders radio show, has a particular brand of enthusiasm that makes him a natural teacher so I was equally unsurprised to see a former student of his, Tomasz Zeglinski, receive Marketing & Sales Newcomer of the Year in the same awards.
16/05/2007 - Marrow Envy & Other StoriesAttended the launch of the wonderfully-named exhibition of Kevin McSherry's illustrations at the Alliance Francaise here in Dublin. We've long been fans of Kevin's work - the pictures included two which we commissioned over the last couple of years. One has become a signature image for Islandbridge: Jack The Giantkiller, perched on the beanstalk and on his way to becoming master of all he surveys. The other was our new year greeting for 2006: Rooster Booster causing consternation in the farmyard with his impressive new headgear.
The show runs until June 11th - for word on this and more, check out McSherry's blog at
Double Take.
03/05/2007 - IE Finds Our Client Pretty PersuasiveIrish Entrepreneur magazine gives pride of place to Islandbridge client and collaborator The Persuaders in its recent story on the growing importance of podcasting in the commercial world.
For more on this fast growing trend, read
Podcast Persuasion.
21/04/2007 - Whisper Sweet SomethingsWe celebrated the sweet success of
The Persuaders' radio show and podcast with the first Persuaders' Pudding Club in Dublin's Quality Hotel last evening.
At 7 years and counting, the show is now Ireland's longest-running business programme. We've been involved for some 6 of those through our Brief Word contribution and more recently through our work with Alex and his team on The Persuaders'
brand.
The Pudding Club brought listeners and producers together to share feedback and ideas (and Quality's more-than-just desserts) in a really sweet combination.
We'll be back for seconds! Whisper sweet somethings in our ear if you'd like to join us at the next one.
23/03/2007 - Sharpest Pencil In The BoxLes Arts Decoratif in Paris are featuring three pieces of work - including the gorgeous Pencil Boy - from our favourite illustrator, Kevin McSherry, in Les Tresors Caches de nos Artistes (which translates as The Hidden Treasures of our Artists) at the Louvre Complex later this month.
The sharp-eyed amongst you will recognise Kevin's work as his illustrations grace our own website and promotional material and always prompt a delighted response from our clients.
For more on the exhibition, read Kevin's latest
Blog Entry.
17/02/2007 - World's A StageAm fresh offstage from a performance with
Jikijela at the Siobhan McKenna Theatre at NUI Galway for an audience of local businesses & MBA students. We were guests of Professor Aidan Daly, whose seminal work on theatre-based training in customer-care is a reference for business-students worldwide.
With our Jikijela colleagues Annette Tierney (Director), John Burke & Lorraine Walker (Actors), we presented a case story of the work we did together on branding and customer care for the Arbutus Hotel in Killarney.
For more on that particular tale, visit
Arbutus Case Story
05/02/2007 - All Eyes On...
We're quietly chuffed at the news that Business & Finance Magazine has its beady eye on Islandbridge as 'One To Watch' in 2007. No pressure then!
08/12/2006 - Could Madam Be Persuaded..?Gerard has been contributing A Brief Word On Brand to The Persuaders since 2001, and is part of host Alex Gibson’s recently-assembled backroom team, so we’re as pleased as an adman’s housewife now that the ‘new’ Persuaders is launching this month with its biologically revamped and repackaged formula.
Hear and see for yourself at
persuadersonline.com
22/11/2006 - Lights! Mouseclick! Action!We’re thrilled with the news that our client Action Recruitment has recently launched their new website to very positive reviews.
During our work with Action earlier this year, we heard from clients how Brian and his team always seem to make ‘the perfect match’ for both employer and candidate and, in a neat little twist, also discovered that Action set up over 30 years ago in offices previously occupied by a dating agency!
(You just couldn’t make it up...)
Which led us to suggest that positioning themselves as ‘hospitality matchmakers’ would enable Action to tap into something of what makes them different from the rest. Judging from those positive reviews, this seems to have gone down a treat with Action’s clients and partners alike.
See for yourself at
Action Recruitment
19/10/2006 - What’s The Big Idea?Gerard will present ‘What’s The Big Idea – Branding For Success From The Get-Go’ at Invent, Dublin City University’s commercialisation gateway, on Tuesday, 24th October at 5.30pm.
To attend this by-invitation event, please contact
Christine
19/10/2006 - We’re Big On The Little ThingsThey say success has many fathers, so we were delighted that our client
Quality Hotels picked up Best Advertising Campaign at last night’s prestigious Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Awards in Dublin’s Jurys Hotel. Well done in particular to Adrian Sherry at Quality and Robert Coyle and the team at Bloom on a great win.
You can find out more about the ‘We’re Big On The Little Things’ campaign elsewhere on this site at
Don't Stop Me Now! and view one of the ads
on Bloom's website
25/09/2006 - Ryder Cup’s Magic TouchSergio, Darren and Lee weren’t the only ones displaying talent, poise and sureness of touch around the greens at the K Club during this weekend’s Ryder Cup. Mixing it with the best of them were hospitality students from DIT’s
MagicTouch Partners programme whose performance at the event prompted Chris Prosperi, consultant to global catering group Compass (who hold hospitality contracts for other high-profile events including Wimbledon, Grand Prix & Cheltenham) to remark:
“The Irish hospitality students are second to none – after just a couple of days training, they were moving into team leader positions and managing whole sections. We certainly hope to get them involved in more of our international events”.And what’s our interest in all of this? In addition to basking in the reflected glory of Europe’s golfing prowess, we’re delighted to see our client, MagicTouch Partners, play a vital part in serving up this latest Ryder Cup success.
27/07/2006 - Of A Delegate Disposition?SMILE 06 - Hospitality Sales & Marketing Conference
Tues. 10th Oct at Guinness Storehouse
SMILE is a unique one-day conference tackling critical sales and marketing issues for the hotel and tourism sector. It provides attendees with practical insights and workable strategies from Irish and international speakers, whilst offering them invaluable opportunities to network with other members of this dynamic community.
Full details and registration at
Smileconference.com
11/07/2006 - Let Them Eat Cake?Gerard will storm The Persuaders Radio Show on Bastille Day, July 14th, as guest presenter stepping in for Alex Gibson.
Given the day that’s in it, Gerard will hear from standpoints French and Irish (Anne-Marie Ronayne of Paris-based Terra Connecta, Myriam Doyle of Mimi Toys in Co. Meath & John Crawley of Oui Can Do) of the joys and frustrations of Hiberno-French relations in business.
Tune in at 103.2 Dublin City Anna Livia FM between 1 - 1.30pm or listen on the net at
AnnaLiviaFM Live
19/06/2006 - We Have Cast Off!After weeks of making ready, The Brief Word Podcast is all set to slip her moorings and sail with the next tide. Her somewhat technologically-challenged skipper (when it comes to both podcasting and, her sister craft, blogging, he floats somewhere between what the Anatomy of Buzz describes as An Early Adopter & The Early Majority) has been busily learning the ropes and is at long last ready for open water.
You could say he’s tied himself up in, rather than made progress at the rate of, knots...Oh buoy, enough of the boating analogy, already!
In a (brief) word, join Gerard on his maiden voyage (courtesy of iTunes) at
Brief Word Podcast
14/06/2006 - All the world’s a stage..? Too often, the relationship between a business and its customers can seem uninspired, the shared space between us flat and two-dimensional.
So how might we breathe more life into this critical exchange?
The world of theatre suggests a number of ways to animate our business and dramatically improve the quality of our customer care.
For more on how we might look to the stage for inspiration, enter our latest Blend article...
Empty Space
12/05/2006 - Looking After Number One?We’re buzzing with the news just in from our colleague and accomplice-in-crime, Alex Gibson, that his recently-launched
Persuaders Marketing Podcast is currently the hottest download amongst the several hundreds of marketing podcasts available worldwide through iTunes.
The podcast features some of the best of contributions from guests on The Persuaders Radio Show including Andy Owen’s Direct Mail Tips, Dan Hill's Advertising Insights, Aisling Brennan’s SEO strategies and our own
Brief Word on Brands.
We’re now working with Alex and his team to build an even stronger Persuaders’ brand and format, which he aims to introduce to listeners within the next few weeks. In the meantime, to check out those rather popular podcasts for yourself, go to
thepersuaders.libsyn.com
27/04/2006 - Break A Leg...Client and collaborator
Jikijela’s new brand stepped centre-stage for the first time on April 25th when the redeveloped website went live at
jikijela.com.
Jikijela offers theatre-based learning & development that “shakes up your thinking and sharpens your instincts”. We’ve been working on the project alongside Dave at Scapegoat (Graphic Design), Denis at ADept (Copywriting) and Alan at Adnet (Web Design) and are delighted to see a bold and lively website that challenges much of the safe approach and language favoured by more traditional companies.
23/03/2006 - Brand New Start...As part of their recent Special on Business Start-ups,
Business & Finance Magazine asked us to offer some thoughts on the value of a brand for a new business. We remembered our own first steps as a baby venture and suggested that starting a new business is a little like learning to walk...
Check out the full article in
Branding Your Start-Up
16/02/2006 - Slowburner...Ten years after we exhibited her oils and prints at our gallery in Hong Kong (now, that’s another story!), we’ve recently joined forces again with artist
Carmel Mooney to work on her brand and to plan an exhibition of what ROSC Chairman Patrick Murphy describes as her “gorgeous creatures of the imagination and, perhaps, her finest works of art so far”.
‘Line of Fire’ featuring Mooney’s dramatic Firebird and Fantasy Bird glass sculptures - which can measure more than a metre from one wingtip to another and weigh up to twenty kilograms- will open at the RIAI on Merrion Square in May.
16/01/2006 - A Powerful Draw...We’re delighted with the news that illustrator Kevin McSherry (whose work you will know from our own 2006 New Year Card as well as his regular contributions to the Irish Times) has recently won two awards (including Best Overall Illustration) at the prestigious Illustrators of Ireland Awards.
All of which goes to illustrate that great talent does draw the right crowd...
For more information, go to
Top Award
21/10/2005 - I’d walk a thousand miles for one of your... SMILE 06 - Hospitality Sales & Marketing Conference
SMILE is a unique one-day conference tackling critical sales and marketing issues for the hotel and tourism sector. The inaugural Smile conference this year provided attendees with practical insights and workable strategies from Irish and international speakers, whilst offering them invaluable opportunities to network with other members of this dynamic community.
Feedback from the event was excellent and we are currently planning an even more dynamic and productive format for Smile 2006.
21/10/2005 - And the winner is... The
9th Annual HSMAI Sales & Marketing Awards ceremony will be held in the Burlington on October 25th 2006.
Gerard has been a member of the judging panel since 2002 and was invited to assess the entries in five categories for this year’s awards:
Best Hotel Brochure
Best Tourism Brochure
Best Marketing Innovation
Best Marketing of a new Product / Venue / Property
Paddy Fitzpatrick Award
More on the Awards and HSMAI:
HSMAI Sales & Marketing
Awards
