47 meeting rooms intro Feb 07 - Business Plus Online

WHO’S WHO IN 

PUBLIC RELATIONS 

Survey May 2011 

Left to right: Paul Allen, 

Kerryann Conway, Emma 

Kelly, Michael O’Keeffe 

DETAILED LISTING OF IRELAND’S PREMIER 

PR CONSULTANCIES AND THE VIEWS OF 

THEIR MANAGING DIRECTORS

Public Relations Gets 

Back To Basics 

While large clients trim PR budgets, smaller clients want whatever PR budget 

they have to work a lot harder than before. But social media is a new source 

of revenue for the sector, reports DOUG CASEY 

There are many strands to Public 

Relations but most companies who 

use PR basically view it as part of the 

marketing mix. In a contracting 

economy when consumers and businesses 

are spending less, the PR spend is coming 

under the microscope as never before. 

According to Niamh Boyle, managing 

director of Corporate Reputations: “All 

companies are very conscious of any type 

of spend over the last couple of years. 

Some corporates have reduced the 

number of PR programmes they are 

rolling out and are focussing intensely on 

ensuring they get measurable returns on 

their investment. For smaller companies, 

it is a similar picture. ‘If I do this, what 

will I get in return’ What it means for us 

is more acute strategic planning than 

before to ensure campaigns reach and 

exceed the set objectives of the clients.” 

Anne-Marie Curran, managing director 

of Drury, adds: “Tenders for new business 

Fleishman-Hillard directors Rhona Blake, Julian Davis (centre) and John Saunders 

have become more competitive and there 

are more fixed-fee contracts. Our model 

hasn’t necessarily changed but we are 

responsive to the client’s needs. In general 

all costs, including overheads 

and salaries, have been reviewed, which 

enables businesses like ours to offer more 

competitive rates when tendering for new 

business opportunities.” 

The upside of the downturn for PR 

agencies is that clients are seeking out new 

footfall-driving campaigns designed to 

give fast results. “Many of these companies 

have never used PR before and they are 

now discovering a real solution for their 

business needs,” says Rhona Blake, 

Ireland RepTrak 2011 study 

120 companies, 22 industries, 14,000 consumer ratings 

The most comprehensive study of corporate reputations 

in Ireland. Company and industry insight reports 

available now. View topline results and order online. 

Corporate Reputations offers sophisticated advisory services, ranging 

from reputation measurement and management, high level public 

relations and media strategies, and stakeholder communications, 

to leadership profiling and crisis communication management. 

58

managing director of Fleishman-Hillard. 

“For example, on the retail side we’ve 

found it’s back to basics for many of our 

clients with targeted campaigns that 

deliver niche audiences to events, to shops 

and to companies.” 

Rachel Dalton of Rachel Dalton 

Communications adds: “I do not believe 

that our clients view PR as discretionary. It’s 

a question of resource prioritisation. Small 

businesses look at PR as a tool to help them 

succeed during the recession. The smart 

company sees PR as an investment in their 

business, their brand and the economic 

recovery.” Ronnie Simpson, founder of 

Simpson Financial & Technology PR, 

observes: “Corporates consider that PR is 

good value in good times and bad. They 

also appreciate if they cut back they will 

create a vacuum which will be filled by 

competitors and it will be more expensive 

to claw back market share in the future.” 

Business Plus has been conducting 

annual PR Surveys for many years and it’s 

remarkable how resilient the sector is. All 

the large and mid-sized agencies have 

weathered the downturn, even if some of 

them have slimmed down and the principals 

are paying themselves less. One factor 

helping the sector is the explosion in business 

engagement with social media. New 

media channels like Facebook and Twitter 

present a content management challenge 

for business, and PR agencies are only too 

happy to help out (see page 68). 

According to Liz McGonigal of Pivotal 

Communications: “Understanding 

who is consuming online news can 

provide important insight for effective 

online PR. The basics of good PR still 

apply, such as having a newsworthy story 

angle, providing good content, building 

relationships and being open and transparent. 

While all our campaigns include 

social media, it is not the lead activity. We 

advise online activity only when there is 

something of value to share. Generating 

cuttings or clips is still the number one 

marker for press release success.” 

Mari O’Leary, founder of O’Leary PR, 

adds: “Public Relations is about communication 

and has the tools to engage in the 

digital and social media, which is community 

driven. PR engages with the growing 

number of influencers and communities 

through bloggers, forums, communities 

and specialist websites. There is a strong 

synergy between digital and traditional 

media and as the synthesis between both 

evolves, PR continues to communicate by 

seeding content and campaigns and 

engaging with the online community on 

behalf of our clients.” 

Claire Aiken, managing director of 

Aiken PR in Belfast, says: “Most successful 

campaigns adopt a multichannel approach 

made up of online and offline PR tactics, 

including writing a blog post, producing a 

video or podcast, and organising a 

Tweetup or event for a client. If all the 

components don’t integrate, the campaign 

is less likely to succeed and that’s where the 

skill base of the PR agency is important. 

continued on page 60 

 

 

“So we 

grew 

together” 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 111, Scene 2 

IRELAND’S PREMIER PR AGENCY 

www.brackenpr.com 

Consumer & Lifestyle 

Corporate Communications 

Sports & Sponsorship 

online PR 

16 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2. 

+353 1 649 6486 www.pembrokecomms.ie 

59

We ensure that all facets of the campaign 

are managed effectively.” 

When budgets are tight, the temptation 

is for businesses to assign the PR activity 

to someone in-house. Ronnie Simpson 

cautions that companies should at least buy 

in a few months from a professional agency 

before considering going in-house. “In the 

old days, a badly written press release, if it 

contained news, would have been sanitised 

by a journalist before appearing,” says 

Simpson. “Now you can post your news, 

warts and all, directly to the web. This can 

hang around the internet like a bad smell 

and repel rather than attract customers.” 

Brendan Bracken, principal at Bracken 

PR, notes that while PR often forms part 

of the marketing person’s brief, they may 

not have the necessary skills and contacts to 

exploit publicity opportunities. “If the boss 

or marketing manager has the flair and time 

for publicity it’s a real plus,” says Bracken. 

“However, it tends to be more cost effective 

and efficient to engage a PR agency 

that understands the product or sector and 

can target the right media. External 

involvement can also drive buy-in, support 

and involvement in PR initiatives.” 

Rebecca Burrell of Burrell Marketing 

& Publicity says it is challenging even for 

PR agencies to keep on top of their media 

contacts. “You have to know what they 

write, blog or tweet about, and how they 

like to receive information,” says Burrell. 

“These days a lot of media writers are 

freelancing, working either from home or 

from a number of locations for a number 

of publications and online media. It’s also 

Small businesses 

look at PR as a 

tool to help them 

succeed during 

the recession 

important to be aware of the relationships 

that exist between media contacts themselves. 

You can’t be everywhere at all 

times so you need to make sure the relationships 

you forge are strong and 

working efficiently.” 

Rachel Sherry, managing director of 

Grayling, says that if she needs new 

lighting in the office or needs to update 

computer software, she doesn’t attempt it 

herself. “I don’t have the time or expertise 

to waste on things about which I know very 

little. So I speak to the people who are best 

placed to sort out any issues and make 

things better for me and the company. The 

exact same principles apply to handling PR 

efforts in-house. You might get a couple of 

quick wins and early successes. But this 

short-term vision cannot be sustained by an 

in-house team already under pressure with 

the day job and not fully understanding the 

media and communications landscape.” 

The fee structure that PR consultancies 

prefer is a retainer, i.e. an agreed monthly 

or quarterly fee for an agreed programme 

of activities. Such retainers are usually for 

at least six months. However, an 

increasing number of PR campaigns are 

agreed on a project basis with a specific fee 

for that project. According to Elisabeth 

Fitzpatrick of Ocean PR: “We are 

conscious that the recession has affected 

every industry in Ireland. But rather than 

cut our fees, we just have to be more 

efficient as to how we approach the 

business. One or two clients have reduced 

some of their activity, for example with 

events. However, if a campaign is 

delivering tangible results for a client, they 

have no problem in paying the fees associated 

with such activities.” 

At Carr Communications, director 

Donal Cronin comments: “Our focus has 

always been on delivering value for 

money. The model by which we charge 

our clients for this value creation has not 

had to be adapted significantly because of 

the downturn. Of course, in a downturn 

every organisation will review every 

single spend, and spend on Public Relations 

services is no different. And the 

truth is pre-recession spend may have 

been less targeted because the funds were 

freely available.” 

Claire Aiken adds: “Private and public 

sector clients are experimenting with 

different ways of obtaining services and 

want work for the same money but 

delivered at a higher quality. We are 

flexible and work with a client to meet 

their needs and we have extended our 

credit terms for some clients. 

Survey continued on page 62 

60

‘While the client is getting huge value for 

money, agencies are finding it more difficult’ 

How resilient has PR spend been through the downturn Who’s spending less — 

corporates or SMEs How have fee models changed Is Public Relations losing 

out in the marketing shift to digital DOUG CASEY canvassed PR agency 

principals for their views 

Rhona Blake 

Fleishman-Hillard 

At Fleishman- 

Hillard we’ve 

built our business 

on always being 

focused on 

working smarter 

for our clients and 

we continue to 

find new ways to 

give them more 

value for their 

money. We work for clients of all sizes 

and across all sectors and the one trend 

we’ve seen is that everyone is fighting 

harder for their share of the market. 

Our role has changed and our 

campaigns are more targeted, with the 

focus on delivering sales and making an 

impact stronger than ever. In fact we 

are benefiting from clients seeing us in 

this way more clearly – it’s the golden 

age for PR! 

Larger clients are shifting their 

budgets from other marketing activities 

as they fight for their share of the 

market. PR is all about third party 

endorsement and right now the impact 

of this has never been stronger. Being a 

full service agency has also served us well 

during the downturn. Clients want to 

feel they can have issues management or 

public affairs support in addition to a 

business communications or consumer 

campaign should they need it. 

Paul McSharry 

FD 

Public Relations spend has declined 

considerably in the last two years. 

Nevertheless, FD still retains a 

significant 

number of 

businesses 

who value 

communications 

highly. PR firms 

have had to adapt 

to work more on 

a project basis, 

which poses 

different 

challenges. This has meant assessing our 

clients’ needs and amending our offering 

to meet these needs. We usually agree a 

mutually appropriate cost arrangement 

with all our clients. This can include 

success-based fee structures. 

Different sectors of the Irish and 

international economies require 

communications advice. FD’s parent, 

FTI Consulting, is one of the world’s 

leading business consultancies and we 

have been able to leverage the skills and 

EXPERTS in helping business communicate 

Delivering results with a 

quality and personal approach 

and a passion to excel 

Key services: 

● Media Relationsincluding Media Training 

● Crisis & Issue Management 

● Strategic Communication Advice & Executive Support 

● Business & Creative Writing 

Contact: Jim Walsh or Caroline Heywood 

Huband House, 16 Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2. Tel: +353 1 661 3515 or e-mail: info@walshpr.ie 

@WalshPRireland www.walshpr.ie 

62

offerings from FTI and bring these to 

the Irish marketplace. This is 

particularly true in the area of corporate 

recovery and crisis management. 

Anne-Marie Curran 

Drury 

PR spend across 

our client base 

has held up 

quite well. 

Clients who 

value and 

understand the 

need for 

professional 


will always 

prioritise a 

budget for PR. However, companies 

are now more considered about how 

they spend their money and there is 

increased emphasis on value for money 

and results. 

The real value in hiring a PR agency 

is about three things: return on 

investment, opening the gate to key 

decision makers and third party 

objectiveness. Corporates are in a 

stronger position than smaller firms to 

be able to afford PR. That said, some of 

the most effective and profitable PR 

campaigns cost under €20,000 and that 

is something that can’t simply happen 

in advertising and is often the reason 

why smaller companies employ a PR 

agency. SMEs need to achieve 

engagement with their key audiences 

and PR is one of the best ways to 

achieve this. 

Jim Walsh 

Walsh Public Relations 

PR spend by our clients has held up 

fairly well given the economic 

circumstances. Whether it’s a corporate 

or an SME, the key issue is the 

importance they place on PR, either as a 

strategic 

discipline or a 

support activity. 

There are 

situations where 

handling PR inhouse 

has its 

advantages for 

SMEs and indeed 

corporates. It 

depends on the 

importance each 

organisation places on its media 

relations, communication with 

stakeholders and reputation. 

However, I believe that an advantage 

of retaining outside PR counsel is that 

an in-house PR function can lose 

perspective. In addition, particularly in 

SMEs, there may not be the resources to 

make the PR role a sufficiently strategic 

position. Using an external consultancy 

brings a wider perspective and 

knowledge of the media and can also be 

more cost effective. 


63

Niamh Boyle 

Corporate Reputations 

Most of our 

clients have 

stayed the course 

with consistent 

PR activities 

during the last 

two years. This is 

due in part to the 

fact that most of 

our clients are 

longstanding 

ones who value 

the strategic advice we have provided 

them over the years. In addition, our 

clients know that well planned and 

executed PR campaigns can provide 

them with significantly better ROI than 

advertising, be it ‘ink’, sales, corporate 

social responsibility, click-throughs, 

stakeholder relationships or reputation 

management. 

A lot of marketing spend is now being 

directed online and our advice to clients 

is to also use traditional PR elements in 

any online campaign. Traditional media 

coverage of a brand, a company, a 

product or service still has a huge impact. 

We work with a number of organisations 

that combine in-house and outside 

agencies to handle their PR activities. I 

believe agencies have a much better 

understanding of the media. In addition, 

working with a PR agency brings an 

outsider’s viewpoint and objective advice 

to the table, which can be very valuable. 

Pat Walsh 

Murray Consultants 

The PR market 

has become more 

competitive but 

demand for 

strategic 


and issues 

management has 

grown. Brand 

management, 

digital media and 

consumer PR are 

also proving resilient as brands seek 

differentiation, given ever more valueconscious 

consumers. Protecting 

‘personal brand reputation’ is a real 

concern for smaller businesses and for 

owner managers, not least at a time of 

increasing litigation. As with larger 

corporates, when a real need arises, PR 

sits comfortably in the professional 

advisor pecking order alongside legal and 

financial. 

We need to work harder to add value 

and we’re doing that. Simply cutting 

rates is not a sustainable model if service 

quality is compromised as a result. A 

strategic communications approach 

requires integrated communications and 

the unique skills that PR professionals 

bring to the table are just as relevant for 

online communications as they are for 

traditional media. Across our client base 

we work on consumer focused 

campaigns, creating real conversations 

between clients and consumers as well as 

advising on how best to respond to 

negative online conversations. 

Michael O’Keeffe 

Pembroke Communications 

Some of the 

bigger corporates 

have cut back 

PR spend 

while smaller 

companies which 

didn’t spend a 

huge amount in 

the first place 

have continued 

at the same level. 

SMEs we work 

with tend to allocate some of their 

marketing budget on PR as they view the 

spend as the most cost effective way to 

promote their business. 

There has been a good deal of 

downward pressure on fees and rates in 

the last 18 months and new business 

pitches are highly competitive. So while 

the client is getting huge value for 

money at the moment, agencies are 

finding it more difficult. However, we 

have a diversified client base and have 

managed to survive and even grow 

despite some cutbacks. We have 

negotiated performance bonuses with 

some of our clients, which reward us for 

outstanding results that reflect the 

client’s business objectives. 

64

Elisabeth Fitzpatrick 

Ocean PR 

Clients are now 

looking for a 

greater return 

from their PR 

investment. If a 

company can 

engage a national 

audience through 

a tailored PR 

campaign, the 

investment is 

very worthwhile 

to the business. Our focus is on 

designing a PR campaign that will 

garner relevant coverage that has 

definite goals. Once these goals are 

achieved, the investment has worked. 

When approaching a PR campaign, 

companies need to be clear as to what 

results they are looking for and how PR 

will work for them. Rather than just 

creating coverage, a campaign designed 

to target relevant audiences will achieve 

relevant results. If a company is clear and 

realistic in what PR can do for its brand 

or business, it can be a very efficient use 

of marketing spend and very effective 

when integrated with digital marketing. 

Ronnie Simpson 

Simpson Financial & Technology PR 

Recent research we conducted with our 

international partner Eurocom 

Worldwide found 

that PR is 

considered the 

most cost 

effective part of 

marketing 


spend, followed 

closely by 

internet 

marketing. Put 

the two together 

and you have a powerful, modern 

marketing programme at a fraction of 

the cost of traditional approaches. 

We are adapting to changed 

circumstances by getting more involved 

with clients. For example, for one client, 

in order to keep their costs down we 

have being doing the creative 

development on their print 

advertisements. Particularly in the case 

of B2B, professional and financial 

services, the PR person will very often 

have a better appreciation of the 

messaging and audience than some 

denim clad advertising kid who has just 

come off a beer or lipstick commercial. 

Brendan Bracken 

Bracken PR 

In the PR arena, organisations relying on 

some level of state funding are spending 

less, while private companies are at the 

same level as two years ago. Overseas 

companies still require advice and 

expertise to assist 

their operations in 

the local market. 

Smaller 

companies will 

still spend if they 

need to tell a 

good story and if 

PR can improve 

their bottom line. 

Corporates 

needing to protect 

and enhance their reputation and 

maintain their profile are still spending, 

but in a more selective way. 

We have seen an increase in projectbased 

work, which enables more 

accurate time estimation and 

transparency for clients. However, the 

advantage of a retainer relationship is 

that it allows the PR firm to build 

momentum and look for opportunities 

outside the narrow confines of a project. 

In this way retainers can provide 

excellent long-term value. 

Roisin O’Hea 

O’Hea PR 

While there has been a reduction in 

spend by our clients, that’s largely a 

reflection of the clients’ reduced 

turnover. We work with big corporates 

and smaller clients who have stuck with 

PR because it adds value to their 

marketing mix. They may cut budgets 


Enhancing and protecting reputations 

10 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, Ireland Tel: +353 (1) 6633 600 Fax: +353 (1) 6633 601 www.fd.com 

DUBLIN • GALWAY• LIMERICK 

65

slightly but 

inevitably they 

realise that PR 

does work in 

helping to drive 

sales. Clients who 

understand what 

PR is and what it 

can add to their 

business are 

prepared to invest 

in it. However, they expect more now, 

so analysis, reporting and evaluation 

have been greatly enhanced. 

Having a social media presence is 

important for businesses of all sizes. We 

manage a number of our client’s social 

media accounts as part of the PR 

service. But though online marketing is 

part of the mix, most clients don’t need 

to be persuaded that traditional media is 

hugely important to their business. And 

they know that PR is the way to target 

traditional media like press and 

broadcast. 

Emma Kelly 

Elevate PR 

Our turnover has grown over the last 

two years, though some clients are 

feeling the pinch and adjusting budgets 

accordingly. We have won new accounts 

and brands and owner-entrepreneurs 

still see PR as a key part of the 

marketing mix. PR agencies have been 

resilient because it is essentially a 

headcount game, 

with low fixed 

costs and freedom 

of entry. 

PR is very 

much involved in 

the digital space, 

especially in social 

media. Digital 

and PR sit side by 

side and are very 

complementary. PR agencies are better 

suited than digital or ad agencies to 

oversee social media content because 

compelling content is required. Any 

decent PR company is already managing 

and maximising its own social media 

channels so this gives some insight into 

what they can do. 

Siobhan Molloy 

Weber Shandwick 

The PR sector is definitely more 

competitive and 

clients are 

generally getting 

more from their 

PR spend. 

Because budgets 

are tighter, PR 

companies now 

have to be careful 

with every euro. 

That is why 

clients are 

sticking with the long established PR 

firms who know how to do the best 

hard-working PR in difficult times. It 

may be difficult for small companies to 

justify PR spend in tough times but 

recessions in the past have shown that 

companies who invest in their public 

profile are best placed to advance when 

better times arrive. There are great 

opportunities now to make an impact 

and good value to be found in PR and 

promotion. 

My view is that there is no point in a 

company appointing an internal PR 

unless that person is qualified to do the 

job. In most cases, you find that the 

smaller companies cannot afford to 

have a professional with sufficient 

experience to fill the role in a way that 

satisfies all of the communication needs 

of the company. 

Donal Cronin 

Carr Communications 

Corporate are slow to completely cut 

PR spend as they know the value that 

PR delivers over time. They can 

measure increases in awareness and 

understanding among key audiences 

and stakeholders. This can be reflected 

in enhanced brand, reputation and 

shareholder value. Smaller companies 

may be fully aware of the value being 

delivered, but if costs have to be cut, 

then the PR budget can be hit, albeit 

reluctantly. We have seen some smaller 

clients move to project-based spend 

TRAINING HR & CAREER DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS DIGITAL MEDIA 


T: (+353.1) 772 8900 E: info@carrcommunications.ie W: www.carrcommunications.ie publicrelations@carrcommunications.ie 

66

ecause they 

don’t want to cut 

the budget 

completely. 

What’s very 

encouraging 

about this is the 

clear recognition 

that a wellstructured 

PR 

approach does 

add real business value. 

The usual challenge for SMEs in 

managing their PR efforts in-house is 

being able to afford the right level of 

resource. It’s natural that in an SME, 

people will get drawn into other areas 

and that may be to the detriment of a 

highly targeted PR approach. There 

are a host of benefits to working with 

an agency. They know what works and 

what doesn’t. They’re in contact with 

media every day and they know how to 

pitch stories. They know the best ways 

to get to the widest range of audiences. 

And when we’re creating a plan for an 

SME, we’re very conscious of not 

charging for any work they can do 

themselves. If there are elements of the 

plan they can implement without 

running up the cost, then we work with 

them to do this. 

Padraig Slattery 

Slattery Communications 

Since the downturn began to bite in the 

autumn of 2008, quite a number of 

clients have fallen off the cliff, 

particularly in the construction, 

development and high street retail 

sectors. This in effect skews the overall 

PR budget reductions. For those long 

term clients who have been with us for 

many years and who continue to have 

the ability to spend, the spend reductions 

would be in the order of 20%. 

Larger businesses have the resources 

to deal with the shorter term financial 

hits and, while being exceptionally 

diligent in terms of budgetary approvals 

and the return 

required from any 

marketing spend, 

they do have the 

capacity to 

smooth the 

income and 

expenditure graph. 

For some smaller 

firms, no matter 

how brave they 

are in terms of their commitment to and 

belief in their products or services, they 

simply don’t have the capacity to allocate 

budgets in the short term as many of 

them are focused on survival. 

While the trend for some time has 

been away from retainer to projectbased 

charging, it has been accelerated 

by the downturn. Furthermore, more 

clients want to work on a percentage 

reward basis, measured by the success of 

the campaign against pre agreed KPIs. 

This is a model with which we work 

very effectively. 


Designing Bespoke Communication 

Strategies for your Company 

S L AT T E RY CO M M U N I CAT I O N S 

Slattery Communications has, over 25 years, 

developed teams to deliver specific business 

focused communications results for our clients. 

Spearheading our 15 separate service offerings are senior skilled 

communications specialists who understand your business 

needs. It’s our business to identify the issues and deliver 

solutions in an effective and quantifiable manner. 

We’re experienced, we’re vibrant, we’re approachable. That’s why 

our 20 strong team of professionals is a recognised leader in 

Ireland’s Public Relations industry. 

Our commitment is that we’ll make a difference. 

Consumer PR 

Sponsorship Investment 

Marketing Through Music 

Sports Communications 

Experiential Marketing 

Technology PR 

Commercial & Retail Property 

Corporate & Financial PR 

Media Training & Crisis Planning 

Environmental 

CSR/Community Relations 

New Media & Online 

Lobbying & Public Affairs 

Healthcare Communications 

Food & Nutrition 

www.slatterycommunications.ie 

E: info@slatterycommunications.ie T: 01 661 4055 

A: Cranford House, Montrose, Donnybrook, Dublin 4 

There are many 

voices of counsel 

but few voices 

of vision 

Paul Allen & Associates 

Public Relations 

4 Upper Mount Street 

Dublin 2 

Tel: 00-353-1-6769575 

Fax: 00-353-1-6769518 

www.prireland.com 

67

‘There is a land grab going on and it’s not 

clear where social media will end up’ 

DOUG CASEY hears from leading PR professionals on why they see a growth 

opportunity in managing clients’ social media activities 

Donal Cronin (Carr Communications): 

When you work in a busy PR agency, 

you become very single-minded – 

‘what does my client want to 

say to what audience’ And 

once that’s clear, it doesn’t 

matter whether it’s a 

newsletter, a press release, a 

leaflet, a tweet or a blog. You 

view everything through the 

same critical lens: ‘Is this 

sending the message we want 

to the audience’ For that reason, 

I believe it’s very important to have 

the PR agency closely involved in any 

discussion about social media presence. 

Rebecca Burrell (Burrell Marketing & 

Publicity): I believe the best approach is to 

have a full-time, in-house person or team to 

manage social media presence and that PR 

agencies should be utilised as needed. 

Regardless of the service or platform being 

used, compelling stories are at the heart of 

a social-engagement strategy. PR is 

traditionally the storyteller and at the core 

of direct engagement with consumers, so a 

PR agency can certainly provide a lead in 

social media outreach. 

Michael O’Keeffe (Pembroke 

Communications): There is a bit of a land 

grab going on at the moment and it isn’t 

clear where social media will end up, as 

digital agencies are engaged in social 

media activities for clients, as are creative 

agencies, media buying and below-the-line 

companies. It may well be that social media 

activation becomes a public relations job 

while the actual development and more 

strategic digital elements remain the 

property of digital agencies. Where PR falls 

down at the moment when it comes to 

social media is a lack of the full skillset in 

some areas. PR agencies will need to upskill 

and learn methods of evaluation and 

technical backend support. 

Ronnie Simpson 

(Simpson FTPR): Digital 

agencies are great at building the 

nuts and bolts of the aircraft. But I’d 

prefer an experienced pilot to be flying 

the plane. PR people are used to creating 

messages and content. In addition, social 

media is high risk so you need the 

reassurance of having experienced pilots 

who have guided passengers through the 

turbulence of crisis management. Online PR 

is digital marketing’s best-kept secret. We 

have client case studies which prove that a 

successful online PR programme has major 

impact in getting clients featured highly in 

the organic search part of a Google page. 

Jim Walsh (Walsh Public Relations): Once 

they have access to the appropriate 

technical expertise, PR consultancies are 

best suited to managing a client’s social 

media presence. This is primarily because of 

their expertise in supplying content and 

their ability to write for a variety of media. 

The PR input is also important because 

crisis or issue management online is a 

major factor in either igniting an issue or as 

one of the communication tools used to 

manage the crisis. 

Mari O’Leary (O’Leary PR): PR and 

social media are a natural fit. For 

the past few years we have 

been successfully gearing our 

clients towards including 

social media alongside 

traditional media as part 

of their communication 

strategies, and we now 

manage the digital 

requirements for many 

clients. Flexibility, speed and 

responsiveness, combined 

with communication style and 

messaging, are the key resources 

that we can contribute. 

Paul Allen (Paul Allen and Associates): 

Online activity and social 

media engagement are 

central to reputation 

management. For 

instance, Twitter is 

the best method to 

counteract negative 

media commentary and 

misinformation. At a 

time when news is 

24/7 but there is 

not enough news to fill the hours, and 

when fiction can become fact, Twitter can 

be deployed to take negative matters head 

on. 

Siobhan Molloy (Weber Shandwick): Social 

media activity is basically communication. 

And that is what PR professionals are all 

about — finding the right message for your 

particular customers or consumers, finding 

the right routes to get that message to 

them and then getting it done. Social media 

is the new route, but it does not change the 

strategy of finding what it is your customers 

want and making sure they know that you 

can give it to them. 

68 Business Plus May 2011

Kerryann Conway (Conway 

Communications): The essence of social 

media is ‘discussion’ and engaging with your 

audiences. It is important that there is 

consistency in message in all 

communications. Therefore the PR team is 

best positioned to communicate with all 

stakeholders and audiences, including those 

in social media. 

Rachel Sherry (Grayling): There is a huge 

level of expectation when it comes to 

online media and this expectation has to be 

managed. The medium has to be right for 

the audience, and more often than not this 

will mean a mix of online and traditional 

PR and marketing. Digital recommendations 

are incorporated into almost every client 

proposal developed by Grayling. However, 

we do not always advise embarking on a 

social media campaign, as for some clients 

this is simply an inappropriate channel of 

communication. 

Rachel Dalton (Rachel Dalton 

Communications): At the core of PR’s 

proposition is the expertise in 

storytelling, a central aspect 

of social media. Regardless of 

the service or platform being 

used, compelling content is at 

the heart of any successful media 

engagement. The PR agency is 

experienced in outreach and 

providing strategic and tactical 

counsel while listening and monitoring 

conversations about clients and markets. 

Caroline Kennedy: (Kennedy PR): If 

appropriate, it is imperative that the PR 

agency ensures the client is fully engaged 

with social media. The will to engage must 

come from the client, as resources need to 

be allocated. 

Padraig Slattery (Slattery PR): Leading PR 

consultancies are playing a massive role in 

integrating the social media campaigns 

into an overall communications 

programme. This has only come about 

because the top PR consultancies have 

invested heavily in the whole new media 

space and have specialist 

account directors dedicated 

to the new media sector. In our 

case we have a specialist 

division, Engage Online, staffed by a 

combination of ‘digitally native’ PR 

practitioners and new media 

specialists. The effect has been 

dramatic both in terms of our 

consultancy’s growth in the space and the 

quality and effectiveness of the campaigns 

being produced for clients. 

PR has long had to focus on the thirdparty 

approach in terms of putting together 

communications programmes, while advertising 

had the luxury of simply making the 

claims on behalf of a product. The online 

space needs a great degree of empathy 

with the audience and my belief is that PR 

is best positioned to provide this. 

Liz McGonigal (Pivotal Communications): 

Social media is an extension of marketing, 

and marketing is designed to achieve 

measurable results. I worry that companies 


■ Dynamic full service Public Relations 

agency 

■ Experts in developing strategic, targeted 

and creative Public Relations campaigns 

■ Effective communications to key target 

groups: business, technology, consumer 

■ Strong record in issues management 

■ Value and results at the core of our service 

Contact: Cathy Riordan or Dee Murnane 

Tel: +353 1 293 2072 or +353 23 885 8839 

Mob: +353 87 418 2422 

Email: cathyriordan@prwise.ie 

Web: www.prwise.ie 

Grayling has offices in 70 locations across 40 countries and is the second largest 

independent PR firm in the world. We are a global company offering local solutions and for 

over 25 years, Grayling has been at the heart of some of the most successful and 

high profile communications campaigns in Ireland. 

To find out what we can do for you contact Rachel Sherry, Catherine Walsh, Lisa Carroll: 

Grayling 

3-4 Merrion Place 

Dublin 2 

rachel.sherry@grayling.com 

01 669 4900 

www.grayling.ie 

A different kind of thinking 

for a different kind of world 

69

are spending wildly on following the 

advice of social media gurus or PR 

agencies that see it as another billable 

activity. Many marketing managers worry 

that if they are not online they are failing. 

Often this is driven out of a lack of 

understanding of the medium or by simply 

believing the hype. 

There is little room for error online. 

Plenty of school-yard bullies are waiting for 

the first mistake and happy to tell their 

followers about it. A company’s aim should 

be to get social media right from the getgo. 

Understand at the beginning what 

measureable objectives there will be 

related to the company’s or brand’s 

goals. Allow PR to drive the 

strategy through the content, 

choice of networks and 

audience choices. 

Anne-Marie Curran (Drury): PR 

agencies tend to manage word of mouth 

and crises, interactive agencies tend to 

build strategy and applications 

while ad agencies leverage social 

media to complement advertising 

campaigns. While we all have our place in 

the mix, PR through social media will 

become more central in brand strategy, and 

it is clear that the strategy will be 

developed by agencies that have a broader 

understanding of all media, not just a 

single medium. 

Pat Walsh (Murray Consultants): The growth 

of social media provides brands with a 

wonderful opportunity to listen, learn and 

respond to the needs of their consumers. In 

that way the role of PR has not changed. PR 

facilitates the conversation and as an agency 

we advise our clients on how best to 

communicate their message, 

irrespective of the media. All 

agencies can play an 

important role in managing 

their clients’ social media 

presence. Where PR has the 

edge is the extent to which our 

stakeholder antennae provide insight 

and sensitivity across a broader 

range of stakeholders. 

Elisabeth Fitzpatrick (Ocean PR): More 

and more, we are asked to manage 

Facebook and Twitter accounts on behalf of 

clients, as it allows for one tone of voice to 

be used throughout communications while 

rolling out an agreed communications 

calendar. We work closely with our sister 

firm, io, to develop social media policies 

and strategies for clients so that there is a 

fully integrated communications plan for 

clients. 

Niamh Boyle (Corporate Reputations): It is 

the experience, ability and expertise in 

communicating that makes PR agencies best 

suited to managing their client’s social 

media presence. Creative writing skills and 

an understanding of the design and 

mechanics of SEO are important. But equally 

important is protecting the brand, credibility 

or reputation of a client. Every image, 

posting, status update or tweet must reflect 

the client in the best light and PR agencies, 

with their experience in crisis and reputation 

management, are best suited to this role. 

Our Client List 

Speaks For Itself… 

…Tommy Hilfiger…Olay…Esprit… 

Jameson…Max Factor…Fairy… 

● 

Event Management 

BrookLodge Hotel & Wells Spa… 

Pigsback.com…Yakult…Ariel… 

Shaws Department Stores…Bold… 

Aussie Haircare…Pepe Jeans… 

Powers Whiskey…Cork Dry Gin… 

Pandora…Hackett London… 

Havana Club… 

5 Pembroke Lane, 

Off Pembroke Street, 

Dublin 2, Ireland. 

T +353-1-676 1711 

F +353-1-676 1854 

Join us on Facebook 

MARKETING & PUBLICITY LTD 

To call: 

To call by: 

To email: 

Web: www.pivotal.ie 

Or to contact a director: 

To follow on Twitter: 

70

Smart Ideas 

These bright ideas worked particularly 

well for the agencies that dreamt them 

up, and their clients 

Pembroke PR worked with Dublin Zoo last year to boost 

attendances to an all-time high. One stunt was Orang Utan 

Awareness Week, the centrepiece of which was offering all 

red haired children free entry to the zoo. According to the agency, 

the campaign delivered €400,000 worth of media coverage. 

Elevate PR helped organise 

Nokia’s Pop Up Store on Grafton 

Street last summer. The idea was 

born of an inter agency briefing 

and brain-storm and concept was 

for Nokia to temporarily take over 

a vacant retail space, not to sell 

mobiles but to offer software 

updates, demos of Nokia’s Ovi 

portal and general phone tips. 

Conway Communications raised 

awareness for Sightsavers 

Ireland’s Easter fundraising by 

building a PR programme around a 

survey of celebrities and members 

of the public about their attitudes 

towards blindness. The campaign 

concept was adopted by the UK 

Sightsavers office. 

Pivotal Communications literally pushed 

the boat out for the launch of rock station 

Radio Nova in Dublin last year. As well as 

a boat sailing around O’Connell Bridge, the 

agency arranged for a band, 50 dancers, 40 

Harley motorbikes and assorted rockers to 

make a splash in Dublin city centre. 

Ocean PR used last autumn’s rugby series at 

the Aviva as a platform for the re-launch of a 

city centre bar, Messrs Maguire. The agency 

staged a Messrs Maguire Haka on Grafton Street, the 

day before Ireland played New Zealand. Ocean used 

Facebook and Twitter to recruit 100 Irish and NZ 

rugby fans, led by a Maori group in traditional 

clobber. The event received extensive press coverage, 

including the front page of The Irish Times. 

To garner coverage for RSA’s 

sponsorship of an Ireland v. Australia 

cricket match last June, Drury 

assembled players from both teams 

for a photocall in Croke Park. The 

agency says the ‘surprise and delight’ 

factor garnered acres of picture 

coverages. MCsquared also used the 

stadium for a 3 brand campaign ‘Do 

Things You Never Thought Possible’, 

combining the launch with the 

announcement of walking tours on 

the rooftop of Croke Park. 

For the launch of a new EA racing game, 

Shift 2 Unleashed, O’Leary PR took over 

the runway at Weston Airport for a day. 

Irish and UK gaming journalists combined 

playing the new game with real car racing 

lessons, and under instruction from the 

agency tweeted from the event and 

uploaded video to Facebook and YouTube. 

For the launch of shoes website Trixibelles.ie, Plunkett 

Communications sent a single shoe and an invitation to 

fashion journalists. The turnout to the launch to collect 

the second shoe was 80% of the invitees. 

Vodafone’s new Sure Signal 

box promises full 3G mobile 

coverage indoors. But how to 

illustrate the concept This is 

what FD came up with. 

Business Plus May 2011 71

continued from page 67 

‘Expensive launches have been replaced by 

proactive and targeted media relations activity’ 

Mari O’Leary 

O’Leary PR 

We have 

experienced a 

shift, with PR 

returning to its 

press office roots 

while also 

requiring a much 

greater focus on 

the digital arena. 

Expensive 

launches and 

activities have 

been replaced by proactive and targeted 

media relations activity. With our 

international clients, we have 

experienced Irish launch activity being 

integrated into UK-based activity. This 

has reduced local budgets but worked 

well in PR terms as Irish media have the 

opportunity to experience and write 

about major international events. 

Generally we find that companies are 

more likely to invest in PR in tough 

times because the return of investment is 

higher than advertising. These 

companies can see the benefits and 

pinpoint where the feedback comes from 

as a result of coverage or exposure that is 

generated. We continue to work on both 

retainer and project basis, depending on 

the client and their requirements. Most 

of our clients favour the retainer as this 

gives continuity, ongoing servicing and 

consistency, and the assurance that 

agreed budget will not be exceeded. 

Rebecca Burrell 

Burrell Marketing & Publicity 

PR budgets have 

been fairly 

resilient since the 

economic 

downturn started. 

A retainer client 

we had lost due 

to cutbacks 

returned to us 

recently for 

project work, as 

they realise how crucial PR is in their 

marketing mix. We have always been 

cost conscious with clients and 

negotiating on their behalf, but there 

has been a bigger emphasis on this in 

the last couple of years. No matter what 

their size, companies who continue to 

invest in PR recognise the importance 

in maintaining a presence and engaging 

with the public. It shows a real 

commitment to their business and the 

investment will stand to them in the 

long run. 

PR is much more than syndicating 

press releases and creativity is at its very 

core. Really creative ideas can bring a 

campaign to life and the innovative 

ideas that emerge from the PR strands 

of a campaign are often the ones that 

create ‘standout’ for the overall 

communication. 

Nigel Heneghan 

Heneghan PR 

The larger the 

client, the more 

resilient the PR 

spend. Corporates 

will stick with PR 

spend through 

tough times while 

smaller companies 

are more likely to 

view PR spend as 

discretionary. We 

have had to redraft our charge-out rates 

72

to maintain our competitiveness. 

However, we will not reduce to the 

loss-making levels being charged by 

some agencies. 

The traditional media is still the 

foremost manner of reaching a wide 

audience. However, the digital world 

now provides a very strong platform for 

PR activity and the migration from 

traditional to digital will continue at a 

rapid pace. Digital competence in an 

agency depends on the quality of people 

employed and their knowledge of the 

sector. A good PR agency should be in 

a position to provide advanced digital 

competence to clients. 

If a PR company is in a position to 

provide a service across all media, it 

should have no problem persuading 

clients to retain its PR spend. 

Marketeers who divert spend away from 

PR – where value and return on 

investment is strong – are engaged in a 

disservice to the brands they manage. 

Caroline Kennedy 

Kennedy PR 

Over the past two years, our clients’ PR 

budgets have remained very steady. 

There have been no marked increases, 

nor have there been any marked 

decreases. While 

our fee income 

has remained 

static, profitability 

is up as we watch 

our own cost base 

more closely. 

Smaller 

companies who 

understand the 

power and costeffectiveness 

of 

the PR function appreciate its 

importance even more at the moment. 

On the other hand, in the past large 

corporates may have been lazy in 

measuring the value of PR. Therefore 

when they are forced to trim costs, they 

may well reduce their PR budget. 

Our model for charging fees has not 

changed one iota since the downturn. 

Our fees remain very competitive and 

our willingness to be flexible in working 

on either a project or retained basis is 

very attractive. 

No PR is better than bad PR so I 

would advise any SME to examine very 

carefully the skills or experience of the 

in-house person to manage the 

function. Most agencies are willing to 

tailor costs and programmes to the 

business needs of a client, no matter 

how small. 

Sharon Plunkett 

Plunkett Communications 

PR spend has 

been hit over the 

last two years by 

about 50%. A 

number of our 

consumer clients 

moved their 

business to UK 

in-house PR 

departments. Our 

agency works 

primarily in the 

consumer arena and clients are looking 

for project-based activity that delivers a 

specific return on their investment. 

Some clients look for direct responses 

that they can attribute to the PR 

activity. 

PR is about managing a reputation 

and it is vital that a client is aware and 

manages its reputation in the social 

media arena. This is a key role for PR 

agencies. 

PR will always have a role in the 

marketing mix but it can’t work in 

isolation. A clear look at the objectives 

which leads to a well devised PR 

campaign that delivers results doesn’t 

have to cost a lot. 


73

Rachel Sherry 

Grayling 

Most companies 

are reviewing 

their entire cost 

base, including 

PR spend and 

indeed all other 

elements of the 

marketing mix. 

What has 

changed for PR 

consultancies is 

that we are more 

accountable than ever before for client 

spend and for our contribution to the 

bottom line – and that’s no bad thing. 

However, I think that there is an 

awareness that PR can play a vital role in 

supporting and driving business during 

tougher times. Some companies view 

PR spend as discretionary but they 

probably always did and always will. My 

view is that it is so important to 

maintain a presence and differentiate 

yourself from competitors and this need 

was never so great as it is today. 

The prevailing trend favours more 

project-based programmes and we have 

had to adapt our own business offering 

accordingly. The difficulty with pricing 

project work is the old adage, ‘how long 

is a piece of string’ What can start off 

as a three-day project very often grows 

into a full blown programme spanning a 

few weeks. This is testament to what PR 

can achieve, but it’s important to work in 

a budget provision for significant 

programme over-runs or the PR 

consultancy can be very badly stung. 

Paul Allen 


Reposition and 

refocus is the 

message. With 

recessionary 

pressures 

continuing to 

impact business, 

many companies 

are seeking to 

reposition and 

refocus as the 

economy slowly 

returns to growth. For example, we 

helped a telecoms company reposition 

itself as a computing and 

communications company after it 

launched a cloud computing offering. As 

a result of our research, SWOT analysis 

and messaging workshops, the client 

revisited the space it was in and then 

repositioned. PR is now more about 

providing thought leadership by helping 

clients understand their position in the 

market, rather than just sending out 

press releases and arranging photo 

opportunities. It may be a cliché but 

good PR should empower companies to 

think outside of the box. 

Our agency has become involved in 

litigation support for some leading law 

firms and public affairs activity is 

buoyant too. In 2009 we campaigned on 

behalf of the motor industry for the 

introduction of the scrappage scheme 

and last year we were asked to work 

again with SIMI for an extension of the 

scheme. Despite the financial world 

blowing up internationally and 

domestically, we got our way. 

Cathy Riordan 

PR Wise 

As a new PR 

agency, through 

the last two years 

we have found 

PR spend to be 

resilient but 

reduced, and 

very much 

linked to the 

commitment of 

the PR agency to 

providing 

proactive account management. This is a 

good thing in that I believe it improves 

the understanding of PR, how PR is 

measured and its effectiveness. It’s all 

about industry in the sense of hard work 

and results. 

We work with a good mix of both 

large and small companies and I believe 

that for both, PR spend is scrutinised 

more than before. For smaller 

companies, proposed PR activity must 

be carefully tailored to different needs. 

SMEs should see a good return on 

engaging a PR agency that commits to 

knowing the company, the target media 

 

 

 

 

 

 

74

and sourcing stories on a proactive 

basis. Putting a value on quality of 

coverage is very important as part of the 

costing structure, both for the client and 

PR agency. 

Rachel Dalton 

Rachel Dalton Communications 

Business 

confidence is 

still fragile 

though we have 

clients who are 

maintaining and 

even increasing 

year-on-year 

spend. Since the 

onset of the 

recession, we 

have seen the 

emergence of a 

new service paradigm. This simply 

isn’t a slump we are recovering from 

but a directional shift that requires an 

overhaul of the traditional PR fee 

model. Flexibility is essential and new 

agency remuneration models have to 

be put on the table, from flat retainer 

fees to performance-based incentives. 

Increasing online content 

requirements are bringing PR to a 

significant and crucial forefront. 

When blended with an overall 

marketing campaign, PR is the most 

cost-effective marketing format there 

is. While advertising is easier to 

control, PR still carries more 

credibility. PR also captures attention 

in a way that advertising does not. 

Kerryann Conway 

Conway Communications 

Companies who 

have seen the 

direct benefit of 

PR to their 

bottom line will 

always see PR as 

an investment in 

the business that 

provides a return 

rather than a 

cost. It is for 

this reason that 

evaluation and 

measurement is important for the 

perception and value of PR among all 

organisations. 

Clients are naturally being more 

prudent than before with budgets. We 

were always very competitively 

positioned in terms of price and 

flexible in working out payment terms 

with our clients. We work according 

to what will be most cost effective for 

the client depending on the campaign 

devised. 

The beauty of PR is its flexibility, 

and creativity is what companies 

should look for when investing in PR. 

A creative agency will always be able 

to deliver low-cost, high impact 

awareness campaigns. 

Liz McGonigal 

Pivotal Communications 

Budgets are 

tighter now, with 

higher expected 

returns requiring 

more agency time 

than was the 

norm. Corporates 

will either look to 

come off retainer 

or seek higher 

ROI than before. 

While smaller 

companies are putting PR ahead of ad 

spend, they are also looking for strong 

ROI leading to sales/awareness. 

However, we find that the PR function 

is leading clients’ campaigns and 

strategies where before it tended to play 

second fiddle. 

We would always think the best people 

to promote a business are the people 

within it. However, it is always better to 

take advice on strategy, creativity, brand 

profiling, audience targeting and 

campaign objectives before setting off on 

an in-house run. Pivotal tends to work 

with clients on a four to six-month basis, 

helping them to become established 

within their consumers’ psyche through a 

strategic campaign offline and online, 

before taking a step back and letting the 

client loose. Generally there will be a 

breathing space of activity before the 

client returns for another burst the 

following year. 


We don’t do pointless partying either. 

We 

don’t do 

air-kissing. 

What we do is create highly effective, 

integrated PR that drives your 

bottom-line. 

And only when we have the right 

results are we tempted to open the 

champagne. 

oceanpr.ie hello@oceanpr.ie @oceanpr 

75

LISTING DETAIL 

Listing detail is supplied by 

advertisers in this Survey 

Who’s Who In PR 

Bracken Public Relations 

www.brackenpr.com 

(01) 677 3277 Staff: 3 

Contact: Brendan Bracken 

Established by Brendan Bracken in 

1991, the agency carries out PR 

assignments for state bodies, 

financial institutions, professional 

services firms, second- and thirdlevel 

education providers, community 

and voluntary organisations and 

technology, pharmaceutical and 

energy companies. 

Burrell Marketing 

& Publicity 

www.burrell.ie 

(01) 676 1711 Staff: 5 

Contact: Rebecca Burrell 

Specialist in consumer and lifestyle 

PR. Clients include Irish Distillers 

Pernod Ricard,Tommy Hilfiger, Max 

Factor, Olay, Clairol,Aussie Haircare, 

Pepe Jeans London, Fairy, Daz, Bold, 

Pandora Jewellery, Hugo Boss 

watches and the Brooklodge Hotel. 


www.carrcommunications.ie 

(01) 772 8900 Staff: 33 

Contact: Donal Cronin 

One of Ireland’s longest-established 

communications companies, Carr 

Communications’ expertise spans 

strategic communications, public 

affairs and public awareness 

campaigns. Says the firm: “We have 

a standout reputation for handling 

media crises and preparing clients 

for media.We also have a separate 

medical communications team.” Last 

year the agency received the award 

for Best Media Relations Campaign 

at the Awards for Excellence in 

Public Relations. 

Conway Communications 

www.conwaycommunications.ie 

(01) 707 1704 Staff: 4 

Contact: Kerryann Conway 

A consumer specialist established 

five years ago. Clients include 

Siemens, Absolut Vodka, Jacob’s 

Creek, Dublin City Business 

Association and Temple Bar Cultural 

Trust. 

Corporate Reputations 

www.corporatereputations.ie 

(01) 661 8915 Staff: 9 

Contact: Niamh Boyle 

The agency offers advisory services 

ranging from reputation 

measurement and management, 

high-level public relations and 

media relations strategies, and 

stakeholder communications to 

leadership profiling and crisis 

communications management. 

Drury 

www.drury.ie 

(01) 260 500 Staff: 20 

Contact: Anne-Marie Curran 

Drury was founded in 1989 to 

specialise in providing 

communications support and advice 

to corporate, business and public 

sector decision makers. The 

company is one of the largest fullservice 

public relations agencies in 

the Irish marketplace. Current 

clients include McDonalds, HP, 

Greencore Group Plc, Vodafone, 

Paddy Power Plc and CRH Plc. 

Edelman 

www.edelman.ie 

(01) 678 9333 Staff: 22 

Contact: Mark Cahalane 

Elevate PR 

www.elevate.ie 

(01) 662 5652 Staff: 10 

Contact: Emma Kelly 

Established 10 years ago, Elevate 

has a consumer and digital focus, 

and clients include Nokia, Curves, 

Moët Hennessy, RTÉ and TK Maxx. 

Recent account wins include Seat, 

Dublin Contemporary and 

Carzone.ie. 

The agency is currently offering 

SMEs of NGOs a chance to win a 

€10,000 PR campaign. See 

www.facebook/elevatepr. 

FD 

www.fd.com 

(01) 663 3600 Staff: 12 

Contact: Paul McSharry 

FD provides full-service consultancy 

support in communications strategy 

development, media relations 

support, corporate and financial PR 

including capital markets and 

investor communications, public and 

regulatory affairs, stakeholder 

engagement, crisis and issues 

management, media training, 

industrial relations communications 

and public consultation services. 

Sister company K Capital Source 

is a specialist in capital market 

communications and advisory. FD 

Ireland is part of FD International, 

a global player in financial and 

strategic communications. 

76

Fleishman-Hillard 

www.fleishmaneurope.ie 

(01) 618 8444 Staff: 30 

Contact: Rhona Blake 

Founded in Ireland in 1990, 

Fleishman-Hillard is one of Ireland’s 

largest communications consultancies.The 

full-service offering spans 

consumer and brands, business 

communications, corporate, 

technology and public affairs and 

healthcare.The FH Boutique 

specialises in lifestyle and retail 

project work. Clients include Aviva, 

Ulster Bank, Bord Gáis,Volkswagen, 

Audi, Proctor & Gamble,Abbott, 

Superquinn, Butlers, Communicorp 

and William Fry. Fleishman-Hillard 

has more than 80 offices around the 

world and this year the company 

was voted Pan-European Agency of 

the Year for the second year running 

by the Holmes Report. 

Grayling 

www.grayling.com 

(01) 669 4900 Staff: 6 

Contact: Rachel Sherry 

Grayling has offices in 70 locations 

across 40 countries and is the 

second-largest independent PR firm 

in the world.The consultancy has 

been operating in Ireland for over 25 

years and clients include Allianz 

Worldwide Care,The Tall Ships Races 

Waterford, Sports Surgery Clinic, 

Bulmers and Radio Nova. 

H+A Marketing & PR 

(021) 466 6200 

www.hagroup.ie 

Contact: Anne Marie O’Sullivan 

Heneghan PR 

www.hpr.ie 

(01) 660 7395 Staff: 7 

Contact: Nigel Heneghan 

Established in 1990, Heneghan PR is 

one of Ireland's leading independent 

public relations companies, 

representing Irish and international 

businesses across a wide range of 

sectors.The agency’s PR services 

span consumer, corporate, business 

and financial, healthcare, industrial 

relations, crisis/issues communications, 

and public affairs and 

political communication. Clients 

include Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, 

Irish Food Processors, Henkel, NTR, 

Opel Ireland, Procter & Gamble, 

Rentokil Initial, St Michael’s House, 

11850, BB’s Coffee & Muffins, 

Bitbuzz and Blueface. 

Hill & Knowlton 

www.hillandknowlton.ie 

(01) 662 6930 Staff: 8 

Contact: Kieran O’Byrne 

Hopkins Communications 

www.hopkinscommunications.ie 

(021) 4272200 Staff: 11 

Contact: Mark Hopkins 

The Cork agency’s services include 

corporate and consumer PR, brand 

management, sponsorship, CSR 

projects, B2B and event management. 

Hopkins is also engaged in 

media buying, print and design, 

online marketing and promotional 

campaigns. Clients include Barry & 

Fitzwilliam, Co-op Superstores, Bon 

Secours Health System, Munster 

Rugby, Nevada Bobs, Express 

Kitchens, Heiton Buckley and St 

Luke’s Home Foundation. 

Kennedy PR 

www.kennedypr.ie 

(01) 476 2000 Staff: 12 

Contact: Deirdre Kavanagh 

Established in 1991 by Caroline 

Kennedy, the agency specialises in 

consumer PR, working with retailers 

in luxury, hospitality and lifestyle 

sectors. Clients include Brown 

Thomas,Tiffany, Nespresso, Miele,The 

Merrion Hotel, Mater Foundation, 

Dylan Bradshaw and Ashford Castle. 

MKC Public Relations 

www.mkc.ie 

(01) 703 8600 

Contact: Laurie Mannix 

Murray Consultants 

www.murrayconsult.ie 

(01) 498 0300 Staff: 30 

Contact: Pat Walsh 

Murray Consultants is a full-service 

PR agency with expertise across 

media relations, corporate and 

financial communications, consumer 

and brand PR, public affairs/political 

lobbying, investor relations and 

corporate governance, CSR, 

sponsorship, community relations, 

crisis and change management, 

public information programmes and 

internal communications. The 

agency’s consumer and digital 

offering is provided via MCsquared, 

which was established last year. 

Clients include Kelloggs, Cadbury, 

Davy, Deloitte, Coolmore, Tullow, 

Skoda and Glanbia. 

Ocean PR 

www.oceanpr.ie 

(01) 614 0075 Staff: 4 

Contact: Elisabeth Fitzpatrick 

Consumer specialist whose clients 

include Triton, Houseworks, 

Remington, Russell Hobbs, Messrs 

Maguire, LA Make Up Academy and 

Husqvarna. The firm expanded in 

2010 through the acquisition of 

Providence PR. 


offers all the PR services 

you’d expect and some you 

might not. Services include event 

management, launches, sponsorship 

campaigns, media relations, and 

print and design management. 

Not looking for a long-term PR 

campaign No problem! We will 

work alongside you to find a 

solution for your project. 

O’Hea PR 

www.oheapr.com 

(01) 660 8524 

Contact: Roisin O’Hea 

Former journalist Roisin O’Hea 

established O’Hea PR seven years 

ago, and the agency specialises in 

strategic media relations campaigns 

for clients. Says the firm: “We set out 

to get results for our clients in a 

fresh-thinking and innovative way 

and become part of their team.” 

Clients include Renault Ireland, 

TomTom, Caulfield McCarthy Group 

and Gemini. 

O’Leary PR 

www.olearypr.ie 

(01) 678 9888 Staff: 6 

Contact: Mari O'Leary 

This independent agency has a 

focus on consumer, lifestyle and 

youth communications. Says the 

firm: “We offer a 360 approach 


To find out more, please visit our website 

www.plunkettcommunications.com, follow us on facebook 

or Linkedin, email sharon@plunkettcommunications.com 

or call us on 01 2807873. We'd love to hear from you! 

Find us on 

Plunkett Communications is a member of the PRCA, 

and based at 62B York Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin. 

< excites 

< creates 

< welcomes 

< inspires 

77

Kieran O’Byrne, 

Hill & Knowlton 

78 

incorporating digital marketing, 

brand building, online and 

traditional media relations, and 

event management.” Clients 

include Avon, Direct Selling 

Association Ireland, Electronic Arts, 

E&J Gallo Winery, L’Oreal, Mattel 

and Merlin Motor Group. Recent 

client wins include Amway, Sally 

Hansen and YorkTest. 


www.prireland.com 

(01) 676 9575 Staff: 5 

Contact: Paul Allen 

Founded in 1992, principal Paul 

Allen is one of the top players in 

the public affairs arena. Says the 

firm: “Our team tackles the issues 

and translates your needs into 

goal-driven, highly focussed PR 

campaigns. We have the skill, 

experience and insight to help you 

create and execute cutting-edge 

communication strategies.” The 

RACHEL DALTON 

COMMUNCIATIONS 

BIG AGENCY 

THINKING WITHOUT 

THE BIG AGENCY 

PRICE TAG! 

To Learn More about RD | Communications 

contact Rachel Dalton: 

T: 01 678 7990 F: 01 678 7851 

E: info@rdcommunications.ie 

W: www.rdcommunications.ie 

RD | C 106 Lower Baggot Street Dublin 2 

agency’s website is one of the best 

in the sector at explaining what the 

firm does. 

Pembroke 

Communications 

www.pembrokecomms.ie 

(01) 649 6486 Staff: 20 

Contact: Michael O’Keeffe 

Established in 1981, and now part 

of the Publicis QMP Group, the 

agency’s team has expertise in 

corporate communications, public 

affairs and crisis management as 

well as consumer and lifestyle PR, 

social media, sports PR, 

sponsorship negotiation and 

activation and event management. 

In addition to the Dublin office, 

there are six people employed in 

sister firm OMF Publicity in Cork. 

Account wins in the past 12 

months include UPC, Dublin Zoo, 

Visit Scotland, Dublin GAA, Swim 

Ireland and Novartis AMD 

Awareness Week. 

Pivotal Communications 

www.pivotal.ie 

(01) 669 7684 Staff: 7 

Contact: Liz McGonigal 

The agency specialises in PR, 

promotions, event management and 

customer-loyalty programmes. 

Clients include Brown Thomas, 

Malones of Dublin, Glenisk, 

Powergreen Technology,Astellas 

Pharma and Wexford Fruit 

Producers.The firm says it has had 

four new account wins this year. 


www.plunkettcommunications.com 

(01) 280 7873 Staff: 6 

Contact: Sharon Plunkett 

The agency provides a full public 

relations service including media 

relations, public relations advice 

and event management. Its areas 

of expertise are consumer, travel, 

fashion retail, healthcare, corporate 

and hospitality. Says the firm: “We 

have an energetic and fresh 

approach to achieving results and we 

work hard to ensure our clients’ 

messages reach their target 

audiences.” 

PR Wise 

www.prwise.ie 

(01) 293 2072 Staff: 6 

Contact: Cathy Riordan 

PR Wise has offices in Dublin and 

Cork. Cathy Riordan and Jamie Good 

lead B2B,Tech and Consumer PR 

while consultant Sean O’Riordain 

heads up the corporate PR side 

of the agency. Clients include 

Panasonic, Motorola, IrishJobs.ie, 

MS Ireland, Irish Traditional Italian 

Chippers Association and 50s 

fashion label Charlotte and Jane. 

Recent project work includes Typetec 

and MaybeFriends.com. 

Q4 

www.q4pr.ie 

(01) 475 1444 

Contact: Jackie Gallagher 

RD Communications 

www.rdcommunications.ie 

(01) 678 7990 Staff: 3 

Contact: Rachel Dalton 

This boutique PR consultancy says 

it “delivers big agency thinking and 

execution without the traffic or 

hierarchical constraints of a 

process-driven larger agency. 

Consequently we can generate 

quicker results and a faster return 

on PR investment. Clients can 

expect hands-on, senior 

consultancy, a focus on results, 

deep industry insights as well as 

creativity, accountability and 

exceptional value.” Account wins 

over the past year include health 

and beauty distributor Pamex, the 

Orthodontic Society of Ireland, 

MarketSpreads.ie and Ballynatray 

Estate. 

Simpson Financial & 

Technology PR 

www.simpsonftpr.ie 

(01) 260 5300 Staff: 5 

Contact: Ronnie Simpson 

Boutique agency that specialises in 

technology, financial services and 

B2B digital marketing. Through its 

membership of global network 

Eurocom Worldwide, Simpson 

offers international reach for Irish 

tech, B2B and knowledge-based

firms. The agency recently formed 

a strategic alliance with SEO 

specialist New Century Media to 

provide B2B exporters with a 

service to boost their Google 

search ranking in English-speaking 

markets. Client wins over the past 

year include Cisco and Suntico. The 

agency was named as Ireland’s 

Outstanding Small PR Consultancy 

in the 2010 PR Excellence Awards. 

Slattery Communications 

www.slatterycommunications.ie 

(01) 661 4055 Staff: 20 

Contact: Padraig Slattery 

The agency’s expertise spans 

corporate, crisis management, 

financial, IT, brand and experiential 

marketing, marketing to mums, 

health, music, sport and 

sponsorship. Specialist offerings 

include its new media practice 

Engage Online. Slattery was 

designated Ketchum’s affiliate 

Agency of the Year 2010. 

Walsh Public Relations 

www.walshpr.ie 

(01) 661 3515 Staff: 10 

Contact: Jim Walsh 

This long-established agency 

works with clients in virtually 

every sector, notably food agribusiness, 

lifestyle, health, pharma, 

tourism and travel, building and 

construction, financial, toys, 

manufacturing, the state sector 

and NGO. Over the past year the 

firm has strengthened its digital 

and social media skills and formed 

an association with a software 

design company to combine 

traditional PR services with digital 

and social media input. 

Weber Shandwick 

www.webershandwick.com 

(01) 676 0168 Staff: 12 

Contact: Mary McCarthy, 

Siobhan Molloy 

Key practice areas are corporate 

communications, consumer 

marketing, digital 

communications, public affairs, 

crisis and issue management and 

technology. The agency is part of 

Weber Shandwick Worldwide 

which has offices in 77 countries 

and was named Global Agency of 

the Year by The Holmes Report. 

Clients include Irish Medicines 

Board, MasterCard, Samsung, 

IKEA, Nestle, Irish Hotels 

Federation and Food Safety 

Authority. 

Wilson Hartnell 

www.whpr.ie 

(01) 669 0030 

Contact: Brian Bell 

OTHER PR AGENCIES 

WITH BUSINESS FOCUS 

AE Consulting 

Contact: Aileen Eglinton 

Aiken PR 

Contact: Claire Aiken 

Aspire PR 

Contact: Ann Marie Sheehan 

BespokeWithDirection 

Contact: Neil O’Gorman 

Business Talk 

Contact: Peter Mitchell 

Bvisible 

Contact: Bernice Burnside 

Business Management 

Communications 

Contact: Barry Ahern 

Carlton Baxter 

Contact: Carlton Baxter 

Casey Communications 

Contact: Patrick Casey 

Comit Marketing 

Contact: Barry Chapman 

Communications Clinic 

Contact: Anton Savage 

Communications Group 

Contact: Eugene Grey 

Communique 

Contact: Peter Finnegan 

Cullen Communications 

Contact: Frank Cullen 

D'Arcy Marketing & PR 

Contact: Noreen D’Arcy 

DHR Communications 

Contact: Catherine Heaney 

Duffy Rafferty Communications 

Contact: Michael Rafferty 

Dynamics Public Relations 

Contact: Puffin Moynihan 

Engage Ireland 

Contact: Sarah Bohan 

Gibney Communications 

Contact: Ita Gibney 

Gordon MRM 

Contact: Ray Gordon 

Host PR 

Contact: Tim Magee 

Hume Brophy 

Contact: John Hume 

Insight Consultants 

Contact: Michael Parker 

Keating & Associates 

Contact: Joanne Coffey 

Limelight Communications 

Contact: Kathryn Byrne 

Limetree 

Contact: Ann Corcoran 

Mary Crotty Public Relations 

Contact: Mary Crotty 

McGovern Public Relations 

Contact: Sarah McGovern 

Morrow Communications 

Contact: Peter Morrow 

O’Herlihy Communications 

Contact: Jill O’Herlihy 

Power PR International 

Contact: Victoria Shorten 

Presence Communications 

Contact: Sinéad Ryan 

Project PR 

Contact: Caroline Martin 

Quinn Garvey 

Contact: Anthony Garvey 

Reputation Inc 

Contact: John Keilthy 

Revolve 

Contact: Aisling Cooney 

Setanta Communications 

Contact: Michael Moloney 

Smarts 

Contact: Leontia Fetherston 

Thinkhouse 

Contact: Jane McDaid 

Travel Media 

Contact: Michael Collins 

Unicorn PR 

Contact: Valerie O’Reilly 

Wall 2 Wall 

Contact: Toni Wall 

Visit Ireland’s Leading Luxury & 

Lifestyle Consumer PR Agency 

at 

www.kennedypr.ie 

Call Caroline Kennedy 

Managing Director 

(01) 476 2000 

79

47 meeting rooms intro Feb 07 - Business Plus Online

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?