“Classic” Volkswagen Print Ad Wins NNI Press Ad of the Year
March 15th, 2013
A ‘cut-out’ style newspaper ad designed to highlight the resale value of Volkswagen cars has been crowned NNI Press Ad of the Year for 2012. The winning ad, which was created by Owens DDB, with media planned by MediaCom, was announced at a special awards ceremony in the Mansion House last night.
This year’s NNI awards were judged by Mark Lewis and Matt Fitch of BBH (London), the creative duo behind the Guardian newspaper’s multi-award-winning ‘Three Little Pigs’ ad, along with Gavin O’Doherty, Marketing Director of Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, and Today FM Chief Executive, Peter McPartlin. Last night’s awards ceremony was hosted by Sunday Independent columnist and TV presenter Brendan O’Connor.
In addition to winning the overall NNI Press Ad of the Year award, Owens DDB’s ‘VW Resale Value’ also won prizes for Best Art Direction and Best Consumer Durables Ad. The agency picked up a further award in the NNI Best Local & Regional category for its ‘Cowboy’ ad on behalf of Skoda.
The overall winning ad was described as “right up there with the classic VW print ads” by judges Mark Lewis and Matt Fitch of BBH London, who recommended that the work be entered in this year’s Cannes advertising festival.
“This is a purely newspaper ad that wouldn’t work in any other medium,” said judges Lewis and Fitch. “It’s really simple but it works on multiple levels. At the end of the day it’s a joke, but it succeeds in getting across a very serious point about the re-sale value of your car.
“The agency could have turned this into an instruction manual but they didn’t – and the results are very smart,” said the judges. “We’d love to have done this ad and if we had, we would definitely be entering it in Cannes; it’s really that good.”
All The Winners And Highly Commended Ads Announced
March 15th, 2013
OVERALL NNI PRESS AD OF THE YEAR
‘Volkswagen Resale Value’ by Owens DDB / MediaCom for Volkswagen
What judges Mark Lewis & Matt Fitch (BBH London) said:
“First of all, this is a purely newspaper ad – it wouldn’t work in any other medium. It’s really simple, really smart and it works on multiple levels. At the end of the day it’s a gag, a joke, but it succeeds in getting across a very serious point about the re-sale value of your car.
There isn’t an ounce of fat on this ad, it’s pared right down to the bare minimum yet it’s still got the brand all over it. They could have turned this into an instruction manual but they didn’t – and the results are very smart.
We’d love to have done this ad and if we had, we would definitely be entering it inCannes, it’s really that good. Maybe the best thing we can say about this ad, though, is that it’s right up there with the classic VW print ads – it definitely reaches that benchmark, and that is very high praise.”
BEST COPYWRITING
‘The Fools’ by Brand Artillery + Leo Burnett / Mediaworks for Glasnevin Trust
What the judges said:
“We know this ad must have been a lot of fun to write because it’s a lot of fun to read. It takes something that’s normally dull and boring and dead (literally) and manages to create excitement and life around it, that’s no mean feat. This ad sets the tone for the experience and hopefully the tour lives up to the promise of this really well-written ad.”
Highly Commended
‘Audi Quattro Christmas’ by Cawley Nea TBWA / MediaCom for AudiIreland
‘Progress’ by DDFH&B / Mindshare for the Jack & Jill Foundation
BEST ART DIRECTION
‘Volkswagen Resale Value’ by Owens DDB / MediaCom for Volkswagen
What the judges said:
“First of all, this is a purely newspaper ad – it wouldn’t work in any other medium. It’s really simple, really smart and it works on multiple levels. At the end of the day it’s a gag, a joke, but it succeeds in getting across a very serious point about the re-sale value of your car.
There isn’t an ounce of fat on this ad, it’s pared right down to the bare minimum yet it’s still got the brand all over it. They could have turned this into an instruction manual but they didn’t – and the results are very smart.
We’d love to have done this ad and if we had, we would definitely be entering it inCannes, it’s really that good. Maybe the best thing we can say about this ad, though, is that it’s right up there with the classic VW print ads – it definitely reaches that benchmark, and that is very high praise.”
Highly Commended
‘Playground’ by DDFH&B / Mediavest forDublinCity Council
‘Spay Drive’ by Rothco for the ISPCA
‘Justice Undone’ by Publicis / Mediavest for TG4
‘Audi Quattro Christmas’ by Cawley Nea TBWA / MediaCom for AudiIreland
BEST MEDIA
‘Justice Undone’ by Publicis Dublin / Mediavest for TG4
What the judges said:
“This ad is devastatingly simple and that’s the whole point. It brings the symbols of justice and liberty to life, these hugely iconic ideals, and has them destroy themselves in the most brutal way. It’s an intriguing concept and something that really makes you want to watch this show. The layout of the ad is perfect too, with the statue on the left and the brooding expanse of clouds adding a real epic-ness to the execution.”
Highly Commended
‘Second Helping’ by Publicis / Mediavest for TG4
‘Bourne Back Page Takeover’ by Bonfire / MediaCom for Universal Pictures
BEST RETAIL
‘Every Day’ by DDFH&B / Starcom for the National Lottery
What the judges said:
“This is a really well art-directed campaign, right down to the detail of the typography for the different days. You get what it’s telling you immediately, that’s the point. And they haven’t fallen into the trap of showing what you could win; these are all about which days you can play and win. Very nicely done.”
BEST B2B
‘Sharks’ by Ogilvy & Mather / Mindshare for Ogilvy & Mather
What the judges said:
“This ad takes a well-known idiom and brings it to life, as a concept it could not be simpler. It’s beautifully clean though, in fact it’s more like art than advertising. It’s also very bold and cocky, at its heart it’s a boast and we love that – they’re dead right to boast about being the best. And what better way for a creative agency to advertise its creativity than with a really creative execution?!”
BEST FINANCIAL
‘Classified Takeover’ by H+A Marketing & PR / Carat for Laya Healthcare
What the judges said:
“We appreciate the effort and time and craft it took to make this ad. They have cleverly got a lot of different information on the page in a way that draws the reader in and provides genuine insight into the brand. In effect there are 40 ads in one going on here, and wherever you go to on the page you get something of value about the brand.”
BEST CONSUMER DURABLES
‘Volkswagen Resale Value’ by Owens DDB / MediaCom for Volkswagen
What the judges said:
“First of all, this is a purely newspaper ad – it wouldn’t work in any other medium. It’s really simple, really smart and it works on multiple levels. At the end of the day it’s a gag, a joke, but it succeeds in getting across a very serious point about the re-sale value of your car.
There isn’t an ounce of fat on this ad, it’s pared right down to the bare minimum yet it’s still got the brand all over it. They could have turned this into an instruction manual but they didn’t – and the results are very smart.
We’d love to have done this ad and if we had, we would definitely be entering it inCannes, it’s really that good. Maybe the best thing we can say about this ad, though, is that it’s right up there with the classic VW print ads – it definitely reaches that benchmark, and that is very high praise.”
Highly Commended
‘Audi Quattro Christmas’ by Cawley Nea TBWA / MediaCom for AudiIreland
BEST FMCG
‘Pint Pass’ by Irish International / Carat for Guinness
What the judges said:
“Another very clean, very simple execution. In terms of the brief, the rugby connection comes across straight away through the image and the line. It works on two levels actually, it’s not just a great branding piece but also a great sponsorship piece. It also has that little reward for the consumer to smile about. One other point – they’ve managed to show a pint without showing a pint. Whoever took the decision not to draw in the lines of the pint glass? That was a good decision.”
Highly Commended
‘Tastes Like’ by Atomic / Mindshare for HB
‘It’s Ours’ by Boys and Girls / Vizeum for Power’s Whiskey
‘Birthday Ad’ by irisLondon/ Universal McCann for Jack Daniel’s
NNI BEST LOCAL & REGIONAL
‘Cowboy’ by Owens DDB / MediaCom for Skoda Ireland
What the judges said:
“A really likeable piece of work, the cowboy has a great look and we loved the grit and the ‘tache, it all puts a smile on your face even before you take a closer look. This ad has a typical Skoda sense of humour and it works very well.”
Highly Commended
Simply M&S Wrap by RKCR Y&R / Kick Communications for Marks & Spencer
BEST PUBLIC INTEREST & INFORMATION
‘Be Smart Scar’ by McCann Dublin / Clear Blue Water for the HSA
What the judges said:
“We’ve seen a lot of scar executions done in a lot of different ways – but never one like this. So straight away it’s got stand-out. Instead of using emotion and making it a very soft appeal, they’ve used very hard-headed, profit-and-loss imagery that any businessman would relate to. There’s a surprising coldness to the ad that really hooks you.”
Highly Commended
‘Playground’ by DDFH&B / Mediavest forDublinCity Council
BEST CHARITY
‘Heartbroken Santa’ by Ogilvy & Mather / Mindshare for the ISPCC
What the judges said:
“This is a stunningly well-written ad, the copy is so inviting and then the revelation that it’s about children (and not, say, the homeless) is so unexpected, it just catches you off guard. You can’t read this ad without feeling a pang of emotion and a desire to help – that’s what the best charity ads do, and this one is right up there with the very best.”
Highly Commended
‘Charity Head Shave’ by Rothco / Clear Blue Water for the ISPCA
‘Spay Drive’ by Rothco, also for the ISPCA
‘Progress’ by DDFH&B / Mindshare for the Jack & Jill Foundation
NNI PRESS ADVERTISER OF THE YEAR
Three Mobile
Shortlisted: Audi; e-Mobile / eircom; The National Lottery; Renault; Sky; Super Valu/Musgraves
NNI PRESS AGENCY OF THE YEAR
Carat
Shortlisted: Initiative; MediaCom; Mediaworks; Mediavest; Mindshare; Vizeum
NNI POP PLANNER OF THE YEAR
Susan Daly (OMD)
Shortlisted: Darren Bracken (Mindshare); Martin Kelly (Initiative); Olivia Murphy (Starcom); Keith Wallace (Mindshare)
NNI Press Ad of the Year 2012 Winners
March 15th, 2013
Congratulations to all the winners of the NNI Press Ad of the Year Awards 2012.
Three Ireland Wins Inaugural NNI Press Advertiser of the Year
March 15th, 2013
Telecoms company Three was named NNI Press Advertiser of the Year for 2012, a new award created to celebrate those advertisers who embrace innovation and creativity in their newspaper advertising strategies.
The shortlist for this award was created through nomination from NNI national newspapers and the winner was chosen by Ms Yvonne Tuohy, lecturer in DIT and consultant.
Three beat off stiff competitions from six other advertisers who were nominated for the award this year. They were Sky, Audi, Renault, SuperValu (Musgraves), National Lottery, E-Mobile/Eircom.
Glittering Celebration of Newspaper Advertising
March 15th, 2013
The newspaper and advertising communities turned out on Thursday night for a fantastic celebration of press adverts led by MC Brendan O’Connor.
Happy Christmas Everyone!
December 18th, 2012
NNI wishes you, your family and friends a very happy Christmas and a festive New Year.
Enjoy all the fun, the gift giving (and receiving) and the break from the daily grind!
We look forward to working with you in 2013.
More Prizes For Great Press Advertising
December 18th, 2012
This year’s NNI Press Ad of the Year Awards will be bigger and better than ever before. Not only will we continue to present awards in all the categories that we did last year, we’ve added a whole rake of new categories to award creative ads and intelligent media planning.
Industry specific categories
For starters, we’ll present awards in a series of industry specific categories. Here’s why – there are lots of clever ads that do a great job within their category but that might find it difficult to compete against ads from categories that more enthusiastically embrace the creative process (or, let creatives run wild, depending on your perspective). So, to give these ads a chance to shine, we’ve created a series of brand spanking new industry categories.
Media categories
In addition, we’ve created media categories to recognise the Press Agency of the Year and an individual media planner with three years experience or less who has proved that they add more than most to the press campaigns that they plan.
We’ll also present a special award to a press advertiser that has consistently supported our industry and engaged with newspapers to create effective campaigns.
How to enter
As in previous years, ads that have been shortlisted in NNI Press Ad of the Month competitions are eligible to enter the competitions for copywriting and art direction. If your ad was shortlisted submit the ad to us on A3 board by January 16th.
January 16th is also the deadline for ads that you’d like to enter in any of the industry specific categories and as per the other creative categories, we’d like to see these ads on A3 board. However, these categories are open to any ad, whether it has been involved in monthly competitions or not.
To judge the media categories we need you to explain what sets you or your agency apart from the others. On the relevant entry forms, we’ve asked you to tell us about a number of campaigns that you’ve been involved with and to answer specific questions about each.
The deadline for the NNI Press Agency of the Year is January 16th. Meanwhile, we ask all planners hoping to win NNI POP (Power of Press) Planner of the Year to submit their entries by February 7th.
Entry forms for each category are available to download here.
So, to recap on those all important deadlines and entry details…
| Category | How to enter |
| From NNI Press Ad of the Month Shortlist | |
| NNI Best Copywriting | Enter through the NNI Press Ad of the Month website www.nni.ie/pressadofthemonth Shortlisted ads should be submitted in hard copy by January 16th 2013 |
| NNI Best Art Direction | Enter through the NNI Press Ad of the Month website www.nni.ie/pressadofthemonth Shortlisted ads should be submitted in hard copy by January 16th 2013 |
| Industry-Specific Categories | |
| FMCG | Enter in hard copy by January 16th 2013 |
| Consumer Durables | Enter in hard copy by January 16th 2013 |
| Financial | Enter in hard copy by January 16th 2013 |
| B2B including Agriculture | Enter in hard copy by January 16th 2013 |
| Retail | Enter in hard copy by January 16th 2013 |
| Public Interest & Information | Enter in hard copy by January 16th 2013 |
| Grand Prix | |
| NNI Press Ad of the Year | Chosen from winners of all above awards |
| Special Awards | |
| NNI Regional Ad of the Year | Enter through the NNI Press Ad of the Month website www.nni.ie/pressadofthemonth |
| Charity/Voluntary Sector | Enter in hard copy by January 16th 2013 |
| NNI Press Agency of the Year | Enter in hard copy by January 16th 2013 |
| NNI POP Planner of the Year | Enter in hard copy by February 7th 2013 |
| NNI Press Advertiser of the Year | Selected from nominations by NNI |
All entry forms are available here.
There’s one more very important date that you should take note of… we’ll present prizes (plus honour and glory aplenty) on March 14th 2013. We look forward to seeing you there!
For more information contact Anna Clarke: aclarke@cullencommunications.ie or 01 668 9099
NNI Calls For A Single Minister For Media
December 18th, 2012
NNI has called upon Mr Pat Rabbitte TD, Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources to extend his portfolio to include all media, not just broadcasting.
The media market continues to evolve and converge. Newspaper publishers are competing for readers and advertising with other media, including public service and commercial broadcasters, as well as aggregators. Therefore, it is essential that the principles of a level playing field are fully and transparently applied so that no one player is afforded a more privileged position. In order to facilitate a more holistic approach to the Irish media market, it is imperative that all media are included in the Minister’s portfolio.
Minister Rabbitte was guest of honour at a dinner hosted by NNI for ENPA last month. Speaking at the dinner, the President of ENPA Mr Ivar Rusdal confirmed that a number of other European countries, including his own Norway, have a dedicated Minister for Media.
The Chairman of NNI Mr Matt Dempsey stated that the media landscape has changed so dramatically, and continues to change at such a rapid pace, that only a dedicated Minister for Media could be expected to keep on top of all the issues currently taking place.
For more information contact Ann Marie Lenihan: amlenihan@cullencommunications.ie or 01 668 9099
Minister Pat Rabbitte TD; Ivar Rusdal, President of ENPA; and Matt Dempsey, Chairman of NNI at ENPA dinner in Dublin.
Irish Copyright Debate Watched Closely By European Newspapers As ENPA Meets In Dublin
December 18th, 2012
In advance of Ireland assuming the EU Presidency next year, the European Newspaper Publishers Association (ENPA), held its general assembly in Dublin last month with delegates from 16 countries present.
The events around this meeting made clear that current copyright review taking place in Ireland is being closely watched at European level.
ENPA and NNI met with the Minister for Communications, Mr Pat Rabbitte TD and Mr Sean Sherlock TD, Minister for Research and Innovation.
At the meeting with Minister Sean Sherlock TD, Mr Ivar Rusdal, ENPA President, echoed the strong concerns already expressed by NNI about the implications of any weakening of Irish copyright law.
Digital environment has increased need for copyright protection
Mr Rusdal advised Minister Sherlock that the digital environment has not reduced but increased the need for copyright protection. “Publishers must be able to rely on copyright protection to develop new business models, to invest in new products and services, and to sustainably deliver content to European consumers.
“Several other European countries are taking legislative and administrative steps to ensure that news publishers are compensated when their material is used for commercial purposes by search engines and aggregators,” he said. “There must be no weakening of the EU copyright framework, which also applies in Ireland, by the introduction of new exceptions or limitations.
Sean Kelly MEP stresses role of newspapers
Mr Seán Kelly, Member of the European Parliament (European People’s Party/ Fine Gael), was a special guest speaker at the ENPA General Assembly.
Mr Kelly, who is currently rapporteur for the report on data protection in the Industry Committee of the European Parliament, stressed the vital role of newspapers and press freedom in democratic society.
Appendix:
Submission to Minister Sean Sherlock TD Ahead of NNI/ENPA Meeting
For further information contact Ann Marie Lenihan: amlenihan@cullencommunications.ie or 01 668 9099
Press Pass Brings Newspapers To Life For Transition Year Students
December 18th, 2012
2012 saw NNI launch its first ever Newspapers in Education (NiE) inititaitive, entitled Press Pass.
Press Pass brought NNI newspapers into Transition Year classrooms in 250 schools around Ireland during a two-week period in September.
In addition, we produced a glossy workbook packed full of extracts and exercises that encouraged students to engage with newspapers.
The final aspect of the programme, or the icing on the cake if you will, was a journalism competition. The winning entries into this competition will be printed in NNI newspapers in spring 2013 and the students will be presented with awards in recognition of their work at a special awards ceremony to be held in Dublin in February.
Glowing feedback
The feedback that we received about the programme has been truly phenomenal. Teachers expressed their gratitude for the initiative and their amazement at the enthusiasm for reading demonstrated by the students during Press Pass.
“They practically grabbed the newspapers each day,” one educator wrote, “It was gratifying to see them reading newspapers rather than just Googling information.”
Press Pass 2013
NNI’s Director for Newspapers in Education (NiE) and Sustainability, Enda Buckley emphasised NNI’s commitment to continuing Press Pass and similar NiE initiatives that support learning and literacy. “Reading newspapers is a fantastic way for young people to improve their reading and writing skills, while also developing ‘real life’ knowledge of our society and our world,” said Buckley, “After the success of this year’s initiative we hope that more schools will register to take part in Press Pass 2013 so that an even greater number of students will benefit from it.”
Schools will be asked to register in spring 2013 to take part in Press Pass, with the programme taking place in the autumn.
NNI is also hoping to embark on other NiE programmes throughout 2013 and beyond, especially if suitable sponsors can be found. So, if you know a company who fits the bill please get in touch with NNI!
For more information contact Enda Buckley: ebuckley@cullencommunications.ie or 086 811 2757
Press Pass was launched by Matt Dempsey, Chairman of NNI; Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn, TD; and Transition Year students from around Ireland.
NNI Journalism Awards Celebrate Newspaper Journalism
December 18th, 2012
This year’s NNI Journalism Awards celebrated newspapers’ most important USPs – high quality content and the people who produce it.
NNI sought entries in 16 categories, including three new categories: Best Headline, Crime & Security Reporter and Sports Columnist of the Year.
The most highly prized award of the celebrations, National Journalist of the Year, went to the Irish Independent’s Presidential Campaign team: Michael Brennan, Fiach Kelly, Cormac McQuinn and Fionnan Sheahan.
Other highlights of the awards ceremony included Marisa Reidy of The Kerryman winning NNI Regional Journalist of the Year and Michael O’Farrell of The Irish Mail on Sunday winning the Scoop of the Year category for his sensational undercover story involving the Quinn family.
Meanwhile, Miriam Lord of The Irish Times made it back-to-back wins by taking the award for NNI Political Journalist of the Year for a second consecutive year.
NNI National Journalist of the Year was won by the Irish Independent Presidential Election Team: Michael Brennan, Cormac McQuinn, Fionnan Sheahan and Fiach Kelly.
The full list of winners:
National Journalist of the Year: Irish Independent Presidential Election Team
Regional Journalist of the Year: Marisa Reidy, The Kerryman
Crime & Security Reporter of the Year: Nicola Tallant, Sunday World
Scoop of the Year: Michael O’Farrell, Irish Mail on Sunday
Critic of the Year: Eileen Battersby, The Irish Times
Political Journalist of the Year: Miriam Lord, The Irish Times
Business & Economics Journalist of the Year: Ian Kehoe, Sunday Business Post
Commentator of the Year: Dermot Bolger, Irish Daily Mail
Columnist of the Year: Justine McCarthy, The Sunday Times
Feature Writer of the Year: Philip Nolan, Irish Daily Mail
Young Journalist: Jennifer Bray, Irish Daily Mail
Newspapers in Education: Titanic supplement, Irish Independent
Headline of the Year: “Tiocfaidh Ar Lamh”, Irish Daily Star
Sports Reporter of the Year: Ewan MacKenna, Irish Examiner
Sports Columnist of the Year: Eamonn Sweeney, Sunday Independent
Showbiz Journalist of the Year: Alexandra Ryan, Irish Mail on Sunday
Best Design & Presentation: Irish Daily Mail
In addition, two special awards were presented to great newspaper men who left us during 2012. An award for Outstanding Contribution to the Newspaper Industry was presented to Aengus Fanning RIP, the late editor of The Sunday Independent. A special award, Supreme Wordsmith, was created this year to honour the great sports columnist, Con Houlihan who died in 2012.
The NNI Journalism Awards were a fantastic celebration of newspaper journalism. You can read the winning entries and the citations about each here.
90% Of Ireland’s Newspapers And Magazines Recycled
December 18th, 2012
Ireland now enjoys one of the highest levels of newsprint recycling that has been achieved anywhere in the world. The latest annual recycling survey commissioned by the Green Press Partnership (GPP) shows that 90 per cent of our newspapers and magazines were recovered and recycled in 2011.
The results, which were validated by international consultants RPS, show that Ireland’s rate of newsprint recycling has risen from 28 per cent in 2002 to its current level of 90 per cent in just 10 years.
“The Irish press industry has made a huge effort and financial commitment to eliminate waste from the newsprint supply chain,” said Liam Kavanagh, Managing Director of The Irish Times and Chairman of the GPP. “These results are also a tribute to the Irish public, who continue to read and recycle our newspapers and magazines every day of the week,” Mr. Kavanagh added.
The GPP survey also showed that the amount of newsprint going to landfill reduced by more than 50 per cent in the past 12 months.
“When you consider that as recently as 2002, Ireland was recycling just 28 per cent of its newsprint, it shows how much progress we as an industry have made in the area of recycling,” said Enda Buckley, Sustainability Director of National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI). “This is a wonderful environmental success that really confirms Ireland as a global leader in the field of newsprint recycling. In recycling, 80 per cent is generally considered to be the benchmark for excellence so to have gone beyond that is something we can be very proud of.”
For further information please contact Enda Buckley: ebuckley@cullencommunications.ie or 086 811 2757
Local & Regional Newspapers Celebrated At National Level
December 18th, 2012
Over 50 weekly paid-for titles participated in Local Newspaper Week events through October 5th – 9th. The celebration of local newspapers was co-ordinated by NNI Local & Regional Newspapers and the Regional Newspapers and Printers Association of Ireland (RNPAI) with support from our media partner Newstalk.
The week commenced with a symposium at DCU in Dublin where delegates were addressed by key newspaper industry figures including Ashley Highfield, CEO Johnston Press; Joe Webb, Chief Executive (Island of Ireland), INM; Frank Mulrennan, CEO, Celtic Media Group; and Per Axel Kock, MD Polaris Media, Norway.
Each of the 50 local and regional titles involved carried a regional-specific 16 page supplement that included the results of an IPSOS/MRBI survey exploring readership trends and preferences. Various community activities, school tours and special presentations took place throughout the week, whilst Newstalk broadcast from newspaper offices around the country. On the 8th of October, the RTE Nationwide programme was dedicated to Local Newspaper Week.
The week was a true celebration of Ireland’s great tradition of quality regional newspapers and we hope to build on its success in 2013.
For further information contact Enda Buckley: ebuckley@cullencommunications.ie or 01 668 9099
Unfair Competition In Irish Media Market
December 18th, 2012
NNI continues to call for restrictions on RTE’s commercial activity and a clearer definition of its public service remit.
The scope of RTE’s public service remit has been unclear for many years. Its public service activities have been mixed up with commercial activities, in particular on the RTE website, to the extent that the State broadcaster is now effectively using the proceeds of the licence fee to become a news publisher and win further advertising revenue.
Newspaper publishers invest millions in generating content and are currently exploring every avenue to create viable digital business models. RTE uses public funding to generate content and can therefore offer it for free on its website whilst using it to generate commercial revenues.
NNI believes that RTE should be confined to its public service remit and that this should be clearly defined. Given the level of license fee funding RTE receives, there should be clear limits on its commercial activity, which must be transparent and at arms length.
RTE’s website should be restricted to its broadcast activity with no advertising allowed and no links to other commercial websites such as dating, cars etc.
ENPA Urges Irish Government To Support Alignment Of EU VAT Rates For Print And Digital Newspapers
December 18th, 2012
Whilst printed newspapers can avail of reduced VAT rates throughout Europe, online newspapers are taxed at the standard rate. (In Ireland, the VAT rate on the printed newspaper is 9 per cent whilst the standard rate of 23% applies to digital newspapers.)
In Dublin last month, the President of ENPA Mr Ivar Rusdal, asked the Irish Government to use its influence at European level to address this inconsistency.
“A single reduced rate of VAT should be applied to both printed newspapers and their digital editions,“ he said. “Publishers are being encouraged to embrace the digital age and to invest in the online space; an alignment of VAT rates at the lowest possible level would assist publishers in expanding their digital offerings.”
Does The Growth Of Tablet Ownership Herald A New Age For News Publishers?
December 18th, 2012
The iPad is less than three years old but can any of us who own one remember how we got on without it? The tablet is already changing how we consume media and yet tablet use would appear to be in its infancy.
56 million tablets were sold last year and this figure is expected to grow to 665 million, or 21 per cent of all internet users globally by 2016, according to Gartner.
Irish consumers have welcomed the tablet with open arms. In fact, 41 per cent of people reported that they hoped to own a tablet device in 2012 (RedC/WIN – Connecting the World: Mobile and Social Media Trends).
So, what does this mean for news consumption in Ireland? Certainly, there is significant potential for news publishers to take advantage of the greater usability that tablet devices provide over desktop, laptop and smart phone devices.
Tablet ownership increases news consumption
In its recent World Press Trends 2012 report WAN-IFRA stated that more than half of tablet owners say that they consume news on their tablet daily and 30 per cent say that they spend more time with news than they did before purchasing the tablet.
It is even more encouraging to read within the findings of a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism that 14 per cent of tablet news users have paid directly for content on their devices.
Pew presents a range of promising statistics from the US market. Amongst these are findings that demonstrate that tablet users are not just scanning headlines. 73 per cent of adults who consume news on their tablet read in-depth articles. 19 per cent read in-depth articles daily.
Tablet ownership strengthens the news experience
Both WAN-IFRA and Pew’s findings suggest that users employ tablets and other mobile devices to strengthen their news experience and furthermore, that they now get news from a range of different platforms in different instances.
In this respect, Pew’s The Future of Mobile News report makes some very interesting observations.
Firstly, it notes that the introduction of new devices and formats does not necessarily replace old technology but rather that we are seeing the advent of a new multi-platform news consumer.
The report found that 50 percent of tablet users also read news in print; 54 per cent of tablet users get news on their smartphone and 25 per cent get news in print, on their desktop, tablet and smartphone.
A second encouraging finding is that mobile devices are actually leading to an increase in news consumption overall and that the increase in news activity is found to be heaviest amongst those who get news across all four platforms.
Pew’s report suggests that the new multi-platform news consumers tend to be more engaged news consumers and as a result, may offer the greatest potential for news organizations.
Find out more
Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism:
The Demographics of Mobile News
NNI Press Ad Of The Year Awards 2012 Will Be Bigger And Better Than Ever Before
October 2nd, 2012
You know and love the NNI Press Ad of the Year Awards and so do we. This year we’ve decided to share that love and add more categories that will involve more people in the awards programme.
So, let’s start with the elements of the awards programme that you’ll recognise from previous years… NNI Press Ad of the Month has been moving along nicely since January and has produced an interesting shortlist of press ads and some very exciting monthly winners. Meanwhile, the regional competition has been collecting entries throughout the year.
As in previous years, these ads will move forward and compete for the much-coveted NNI Best Copywriting and NNI Best Art Direction awards and, for ads published in NNI regional titles, the NNI Regional Ad of the Year awards.
But, this year, the competition won’t end there. No sirr-ee.
• Changes for creative agencies
• Changes for media agencies
• Changes for advertisers
• Changes for everyone
NNI Press Ad Of The Year 2012 – Changes for Creative Agencies
October 2nd, 2012
We want to give even more awards to great creative ads. Here’s why – there are lots of clever ads that do a great job within their category but that might find it difficult to compete against ads from categories that more enthusiastically embrace the creative process (or, let creatives run wild, depending on your perspective).
So, to give these ads a chance to shine, we’ve created a series of brand spanking new industry categories. Yippee!
It doesn’t matter whether you’ve entered the ad into the NNI Press Ad of the Month competition already or if you are entering it for the first time. You can even enter ads into more than one category if you like – we’re feeling generous.
As long as your ad ran in at least one NNI newspaper during 2012 it’s eligible to compete. Entries into these categories should be made in hard copy on or before January 16th 2013.
The winners of all of the creative categories, including Best Copywriting and Best Art Direction will be eligible to win the grand prix, NNI Press Ad of the Year 2012.
See the full list of categories here.
NNI Press Ad Of The Year 2012 – Changes for Media Agencies
October 2nd, 2012
Once we’d decided to expand the competition we got really excited and tried to think of the best way to bring even more people within the NNI Press Ad of the Year Awards family.
We already present awards to the media agencies on the basis of their spend on press advertising, but until now we’ve never awarded media agencies or planners on the basis of HOW they invest their clients’ money.
This year, we’ve created two new awards to honour the strategists who make press work for their clients: NNI Press Agency of the Year 2012 and NNI POP Planner of the Year (for planners who have less than three years experience in the business).
The competition for these awards will seek out the most creative strategies, the best use of budgets and the campaigns that garnered the best outcomes.
You can find out more about the criteria for entry and entry deadlines on our website.
NNI Press Ad of the Year – Changes For Advertisers
October 2nd, 2012
With all of the celebrations that we have planned it would be unforgiveable to leave out the businesses that fuel the ad industry – the clients. So, this year we’ll be presenting a very special award for NNI Press Advertiser of the Year.
The shortlist for this award will be created through nomination by NNI national newspapers. A shortlist of brands will be invited to submit a short entry to explain the benefits that they have achieved through press advertising in 2012.
If you’re in the running you’ll hear from us in January 2013.
NNI Press Ad of the Year – Changes For Everyone
October 2nd, 2012
The 2012 competition promises to be more exciting than ever and we can’t wait to begin the judging process. This year, because we will be presenting more awards, judging will be completed by a judging team. The team will include experience on the creative and the media strategy side.
We’ll leave it up to you to make the judges’ jobs easier by showing them some really great press advertising – best of luck and see you at the NNI Press Ad of the Year Awards in March 2013!
NNI Press Ad of the Year 2012 – How To Enter
October 2nd, 2012
From NNI Press Ad Of the Month Shortlist
NNI Best Copywriting
NNI Best Art Direction
Enter through the NNI Press Ad of the Month website, with shortlisted ads to be entered in hard copy by January 16th 2013
Industry-specific Categories
FMCG
Consumer Durables
Financial
B2B, including agriculture
Retail
Public Interest & Information
Enter in hard copy by January 16th 2013
Grand Prix
NNI Press Ad of the Year
Chosen from winners of the above awards
Special Awards
NNI Regional Ad of the Year Enter through NNI Press Ad of the Month Website
Charity/Voluntary Sector Enter in hard copy by January 16th 2013
NNI Press Agency of the Year Enter in hard copy by January 16th 2013
NNI POP Planner of the Year Enter in hard copy by January 16th 2013
Rub Shoulders With Some of Ireland’s Most Influential Opinion-Makers
October 2nd, 2012
The NNI Journalism Awards seek to celebrate outstanding, original journalism that informs, entertains and occasionally infuriates Ireland’s 3 million newspaper readers.
2011 marked the inaugural NNI Journalism Awards and the programme was a resounding success. Winners included Simon Carswell, Senan Molony, Miriam Lord, Kathy Sheridan, Kieran Shannon, Tom Lyons, Brian Carey, Colette Browne, Martina Devlin, Patrick Freyne, Fiach Kelly, Jennifer O’Brien and Geraldine Kennedy (Outstanding Contribution to the Newspaper Industry).
This year, we have received an even larger number of entries. Our esteemed judging panel are currently reading almost 600 entries in 16 categories and working towards selecting their shortlist.
The awards will be presented at a gala lunch in Dublin’s Four Seasons Hotel on October 25th. The event will be attended by the cream of Irish journalistic talent across news, business, politics, features, opinion, sports, arts, and newspaper design and presents an excellent opportunity to network with some of Ireland’s most influential opinion-makers.
Currently, we have a limited number of tables and seats available to book. Any table bookings made before October 12th will avail of our special early bird rate, which represents a discount of almost 15%.
| Standard rate for a table of 10 | €1,750 |
| Early Bird Special – Book before October 12th | €1,500 |
To book a table or individual seat please contact:
Ann Marie Lenihan amlenihan@cullencommunications.ie
Or
Anna Clarke aclarke@cullencommunications.ie
T: 01 6689099
Categories
- National Journalist of the Year
- Regional Journalist of the Year
- Feature Writer of the Year
- Crime & Security Reporter of the Year
- Best Headline of the Year
- Columnist/Commentator of the Year
- Critic of the Year
- Newspapers in Education Initiative/Supplement
- Young Journalist of the Year
- Political Journalist of the Year
- Business & Economics Journalist of the Year
- Sports Reporter of the Year
- Sports Columnist of the Year
- Showbiz Journalist of the Year
- Scoop of the Year
- Best Design & Presentation
Judging panel
- Michael Brophy (Chairman), chief executive, Independent News & Media (Northern Ireland)
- PJ Cunningham, formerly deputy editor, Sunday Tribune
- Noirin Hegarty, former editor independent.ie and Sunday Tribune
- Michael Denieffe, group managing editor, Independent Newspapers
- Aine Hegarty, editor, Irish Sunday Mirror
- James Laffey, editor, Western People
- Michael McNiffe, editor, Irish Sun and Sun (Northern Ireland)
- Fintan O’Toole, columnist and deputy editor, The Irish Times
- Brenda Power, columnist, Irish Daily Mail and The Sunday Times
- Tin Vaughan, editor, Irish Examiner
- Michael Wolsey, editorial director CNS
- Danny Smyth, senior deputy editor, Irish Daily Star
- Mairead Lavery, editor, Irish Country Living and Irish Country magazine
- Neil Leslie, managing editor, Sunday World
For further information see www.nni.ie/journalismawards
Welcome To The Summer Issue Of In The Press
July 19th, 2012
Welcome to the summer issue of NNI’s In The Press newsletter. In this issue we update you on our ongoing programmes and initiatives, explain why you should advertise in newspapers and highlight the importance of the newspaper sector in Ireland.
In addition, we have introduced a new Industry Trends section through which we’ll inform you about trends and key developments happening in the newspaper and new media industry internationally.
We hope that you find this newsletter informative and we look forward to working with you over the coming months.
NNI Press Ad Winners Highlight The Power Of Press
July 19th, 2012
Since we updated you in our last issue of In The Press, NNI Press Ad of the Month has celebrated three equally creative, although very different adverts, each of which showcased the power of press advertising.
Our most recent winner, ‘Little Bastard Tweet’ by Ogilvy & Mather/Mindshare for ISPCC mobilised readers to take action and get involved in the campaign to stop child abuse.
The ad called upon newspaper readers to send a tweet to destroy an installation in the Copper House Gallery. The ad worked. 1,000 tweets were sent, triggering the detonator and blowing up the piece.
The May winner, Carlsberg Nostalgia by Irish International/Carat for Carlsberg drew on newspapers’ ability to capture moments and freeze-frame history. The team used archive pages from the Irish Independent that celebrated historic footballing successes to build excitement around this summer’s European Championship.
Our April winner drew on print advertising tradition, with a simple and effective advert that promoted the Volkswagen brand. The ad, by Owens DDB/MediaCom for Volkswagen highlighted the resale value of a Volkswagen-branded car. Our judges described it as “charming” and “refreshing”. The ad demonstrated how newspaper advertising can filter out the noise to focus the reader upon the core message.
NNI Press Ad of the Month July will accept entries until August 9th. Enter now here.
Entries Invited For NNI Journalism Awards 2012
July 19th, 2012
The second NNI Journalism Awards competition is now open and accepting entries.
“The awards benefit journalism by celebrating the fine quality of the work featuring daily in the Irish print media and by demonstrating the standard of writing, research, integrity and old fashioned entertainment that it’s possible to achieve on the tightest deadline,” said Brenda Power, a member of the NNI Journalism Awards judging committee.
Journalists are invited to enter work in 15 categories, including three new categories: Best Headline of the Year; Crime & Security Reporter of the Year; and Sports Columnist of the Year.
To be eligible, the work entered must have been published in an NNI title between September 1st 2011 and August 31st 2012.
“What we’re looking for in every winning entry, regardless of category, is stylish, elegant, lively writing, combining clarity with function so as to make the subject matter, whether it is the arts, politics or sport, alive , engaging and vital for the readers,” said Power.
An additional award will be presented to a person deemed by the judging committee to have made an “Outstanding Contribution to the Newspaper Industry”.
Full criteria for entry can be found on the NNI Journalism Awards website.
Building on the success of inaugural competition
Last year’s competition was a huge success and attracted a staggering 550 entries.
Announcing the NNI Journalism Awards for 2012, NNI Chairman Matt Dempsey said the response to last year’s awards highlighted the healthy state of newspaper journalism in Ireland.
“Last year’s entry underlined the amazing diversity in journalism today, from investigative reporting in crime, finance and other areas to specialist writing across a range of topics,” Mr Dempsey said. “We’ve tried to reflect that diversity in the format of our awards, hence the addition of three new categories for 2012.
“At a time when there’s so much news to report, with online access ensuring that more eyes and ears are tuned into newspapers than ever before, it’s fitting that we honour the writers and reporters who help us to understand what is happening in the world,” Mr Dempsey said.
Find out more and enter here.
Rub shoulders with the people who make the news
Tables are available for sale to those who would like to attend this year’s NNI Journalism Awards and rub shoulders with the most influential amongst the fourth estate.
The event is a day-time event, including late lunch and presentation of awards.
Date: 25 October 2012
Venue: Four Seasons Hotel, Dublin 4
For information about pricing and availability please contact Ann Marie Lenihan amlenihan@cullencommunications.ie
Why You Should Advertise With Newspapers
July 19th, 2012
Your advertising euros are precious. You want to put them to the best effect, so why should you advertise with newspapers?
We asked the advertising managers from Ireland’s national newspapers to explain what makes newspapers an effective and dynamic medium for advertising.
- Brand power
“Newspapers are a chosen, purchased media that offer huge coverage (82% of people read newspapers). They facilitate brands with short lead times for advertising (24 hours) to target by title or section of the newspaper. Newspapers, and more importantly Independent Newspapers, are a trusted brand; this offers a platform for your brand to be positioned in a trusted environment.”
Rob Kinsella, Independent Newspapers rkinsella@independent.ie
- Extensive reach
“Newspaper advertising allows you to reach a receptive, guaranteed audience who has actively purchased a product. They engage with this product daily. They trust its sources and believe that the editorial environment adds credibility and legitimacy to the brand being advertised.
It provides the opportunity to target your customer through specific ad placement in relevant sections. Newspaper ads are proven to create traffic, move product and establish brands. Quite simply, newspaper advertising works!”
Aidan Forde, Irish Examiner aidan.forde@examiner.ie
- A unique relationship
“Over 80% of Irish Adults read a newspaper; far more than our counterparts across Europe. The Irish have a unique relationship with their newspaper of choice; they value their time with it, they have paid for it, they have interacted with a real person to buy it – they have personal investment in it.
Newspapers provide a platform to infiltrate this head space and create a powerful opportunity to connect.”
Karl Byrne, Associated Newspapers karl.byrne@assocnews.ie
- Highly effective
“Newspaper advertising is highly effective, measured and targeted. Through The Irish Times reader panel of over 2,000 readers, The Irish Times can measure how our advertisements and articles are read, understood and acted upon. Our average advertisement recall since the start of 2011 is 56%, and our average purchase intention is 14% of those who saw the advertisement.”
Aidan Bolger, The Irish Times abolger@irishtimes.com
- 3 million people can’t be wrong
“Irish people have a special affinity with their newspapers. Even at a time when all brands are under extreme financial pressure, nearly 3 million people (over 80%) still read a newspaper. Advertisers continue to use our title, quite simply because it works.”
Andrew McDermott, Sunday World andrew.mcdermott@sundayworld.com
- Start a national conversation
“Newspapers provide the perfect environment to provoke a national conversation about current issues, allowing advertisers to reach millions of readers and to target key opinion formers. The newspaper is the original social media.”
David Monaghan, News International david.monaghan@newsint.ie
- A portfolio of quality products
“Newspapers give a voice to the community, and are trusted by their readers. Brands have an opportunity to tap into this very personal relationship and receive credibility by association. According to research carried out for Mirror Group in 2011, our readers see ads as providing a service rather than interfering with the user experience. When it comes to building brands there is no medium like print.
However, newspapers are adapting to the changing media landscape. As an industry we are developing new channels all the time through digital, e-editions and social media, all the while providing a portfolio of quality printed products for our readers.”
Peter Barry, Mirror Group Ireland peter.barry@irishmirror.ie
- Niche targeting
“The Sunday Business Post is second to none when it comes to the reporting, analysing and commenting on economic and political issues that affect Ireland. It is a niche title that is specifically aimed at those involved as key decision makers in business. Subsequently it has a very high percentage of consumers in the ABC1 social category, which makes it ideal for advertisers to re-enforce a message with this vital social group.”
Alistair Lewis, The Sunday Business Post alewis@sbpost.ie
- Proven results
“So why use press? Reach, flexibility, immediacy, credibility and engagement are just some reasons. More importantly however are results. Numerous recent case-studies have shown how press advertising improves brand equity and increases sales. For example, print added to a TV and digital mix will deliver significantly better results than TV and digital alone.”
Neil Walsh, Irish Daily Star neil.walsh@thestar.ie
- No bounce
“You should advertise with newspapers because readers take time out to read the paper. There is no facility to turn off, turn down, skip or pause.”
John Grogan, Irish Farmers Journal jgrogan@farmersjournal.ie
15,000 Students To Receive Free Newspapers As Part of NNI Press Pass
July 19th, 2012
A total of 288 schools, representing around 15,000 students, have registered to take part in our new NNI Press Pass initiative. Press Pass was developed by NNI to help increase media literacy by encouraging students to engage with newspapers.
All participating schools now have the opportunity to nominate a local newsagent to supply free newspapers to them for the period of the initiative.
The NNI Press Pass team is currently compiling a 32-page Press Pass workbook. This will contain newspaper articles and exercises designed to enhance the students’ media literacy skills and critical thinking while also giving them a greater appreciation for newspapers and their content.
The Press Pass initiative will culminate in a national writing competition. Schools will select the best essays/articles on news, features, sport, opinion/analysis and photojournalism for consideration by a panel of judges.
Provincial winners and the overall national winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in early 2013 and all winning articles will be published across the NNI titles.
It is envisaged that a comprehensive survey into student attitudes towards newspapers will form part of the NiE initiative. This presents an opportunity to engage directly with this hard-to-reach audience and as a result, research-sponsorship opportunities are available.
For further information contact Enda Buckley: ebuckley@cullencommunications.ie
Local Newspaper Week Is Coming To Your Local Area!
July 19th, 2012
October 8th marks the beginning of ‘Local Newspaper Week’. Local Newspaper Week is a new initiative created by NNI Local & Regional and the RNPAI to promote one of the ‘lifebloods’ of communities around the country – the local newspaper.
Amongst other activities, Local Newspaper Week (LNW) will feature a symposium in DCU; a full-length programme on RTE, which will be broadcast on October 8th; and a special supplement. A comprehensive marketing plan will include advertising and will be supported by our media partner, Newstalk. Meanwhile, local newspapers throughout Ireland will celebrate the week with their own in-house activities.
All of these great events and activities will encourage advertisers and consumers to continue supporting local newspapers. So, from October 8th make sure to pick up your local newspaper!
For further information contact Enda Buckley: ebuckley@cullencommunications.ie
Newspaper Industry Helps to Promote a Clean Ireland
July 19th, 2012
Mr Phil Hogan T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and Matt Dempsey, chairman NNI launch new environment advertising campaign
By working together our industry is changing people’s behaviour and helping to protect the environment. We are helping to promote a clean Ireland and increasing our own recycling rates.
Through significant investment in new systems and technology designed to optimise environmental efficiency, NNI and our Green Press Partners have transformed our environmental performance in recent years, particularly in relation to paper recycling.
A number of other initiatives including environment standards protocols for the press industry and a ‘wholecopy returns’ scheme operated by newspaper wholesalers have also been implemented.
As a result, our national newsprint recycling rate exceeds 80%, one of the highest in the world.
Keep Ireland Clean
As part of the industry’s voluntary PRI (producer responsibility initiative), we have provided the Department of the Environment with free advertising space to the value of €300,000 in support of environmental issues.
A new DoE ad campaign – “Keep Ireland Clean” – is scheduled to run in national newspapers during July, August and September.
New Survey Highlights Huge Contribution Of Newspaper Industry To Irish Economy
July 19th, 2012
Ireland’s newspaper industry generated €830 million in revenue in 2011, according to a survey carried out by NNI. The survey underlined the economic contribution of the press industry and highlighted the importance of copyright to the well-being of the sector.
The survey, produced through collaboration between NNI, Newspaper Licensing Ireland (NLI), the Regional Newspaper Publishers Association of Ireland (RNPAI) and independent publishers found that Ireland’s newspaper industry generated a total of €829.68m in revenue in 2011, including VAT of €110.79m.
An important employer
Furthermore, the study demonstrated that the industry is a vital employer. A total of 4,494 people are employed full-time in the newspaper industry in Ireland, including 3,419 people who are employed within publishing houses (of which 2,096 are editorial staff) and a further 1,075 work in printing and distribution.
Wages across the industry totaled €251.71m in 2011, while freelance journalists and contributors were paid an additional €40m approx. in fees. In addition to turnover and employment figures, newspaper publishers purchased €272m worth of goods and services in the past year.
5.2m newspapers sold every week
The survey also found that more than 5.2 million newspapers are sold every week from more than 4,000 retail outlets in the Republic of Ireland (that’s in addition to over 1.5 million free distribution newspapers).
In addition, numerous people now access newspaper content online as well as in print. The JNRS has already begun research to quantify just how many people read content online and will report on this in early 2013.
Copyright protects newspaper industry
The figures show that newspapers are a key contributor to Ireland’s economy – a point the Government would do well to heed as its Copyright Review Committee continues to assess submissions made by stakeholders.
Original content is the USP of the newspaper industry and it’s interesting to note that in spite of the recession and digitisation of the market, NNI national newspaper circulation has held up remarkably well over the past decade. Ireland’s appetite for news has never been stronger.
Unfortunately, newspapers’ ability to generate revenue and thus to invest in quality content is threatened by new entrants into the market, as NNI’s Frank Cullen points out.
“New entrants to the media market, including search engines and news aggregators, are not only flouting copyright in respect of newspaper content, they are then exploiting that content to attract advertising revenue for themselves – a double whammy for the publishers who paid for the content in the first place,” says Cullen.
This view was recently shared by Ms Androulla VASSILIOU, European Commissioner responsible for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth when she addressed the General Assembly of ENPA (European Newspaper Publishers Association):
“We all know that copyright underpins investment in quality editorial content.
“The fact is, digitisation, far from reducing it, has actually increased the need for copyright protection. Nowadays new business models allow bringing copyright-protected works to much larger audiences. But all too often news content developed and financed by newspaper publishers ends up being used by third parties as an added value for their commercial services.
“On this, I am firmly of the opinion that news aggregators and technology platforms need to respect newspaper copyright on the Internet.”
This argument is at the heart of NNI’s stance on copyright; that unauthorised exploitation of third party content is hurting the newspaper industry – and threatening the jobs that rely on the sector.
For further information see Newspaper Licensing Ireland.
NLI Hosts PDLN Annual Conference
July 19th, 2012
Database and licensing organisations from around Europe, as well as special guests including ENPA, Google News and the Linked Content Coalition came together recently at a conference hosted by Newspaper Licensing Ireland (NLI).
Newspaper Licensing Ireland (NLI) played host to the sixth and latest Press Database and Licensing Network (PDLN) conference in Dublin. Delegates heard a range of presentations on the theme: ‘From Print to Web – Local Media Monitoring to International Media Monitoring Solutions’.
The conference also featured the inaugural PDLN ‘Connect Content’ Forum. During the Forum representatives from 11 leading global media monitoring businesses discussed priorities for the development of improved user solutions.
Established in 2008, the PDLN joins companies and organisations that are owned or controlled by publishers and which operate in the field of licensing articles from newspapers and periodicals and/or providing digital articles for electronic press reviews. Three new members were admitted to the network during this conference, bringing total membership of PDLN to 25.
Commenting on the event, newly-elected PDLN president Andrew Hughes from the UK Newspaper Licensing Agency said: “The continued growth of PDLN shows our commitment to creating better solutions for users of media monitoring services worldwide. We look forward to working with all industry parties to design and implement simple and effective solutions which respect the roles of content users and publishers”.
About NLI
Newspaper Licensing Ireland Ltd provides simple, effective and inexpensive copyright compliance solutions for businesses and organisations wishing to legally access, copy, and use Irish newspaper content (both print and online) for commercial purposes. For further information see www.newspaperlicensing.ie.
A Revenue Model For The Digital Age
July 19th, 2012
Whether you believe in their efficacy or not, paywalls are proliferating across the digital media landscape, with a variety of models now in operation.
Paywalls, or digital subscription services if you prefer, are not new. The Wall Street Journal was the first major newspaper to implement a paywall, in 1997. As of last spring the newspaper had over 522,000 paid digital subscribers, according to ABC.
The Financial Times launched its current pay model in 2007 and ABC recorded 267,000 digital subscribers at the end of 2011.
Both of these newspapers provide specialist content. Skeptics have long maintained that paywalls can’t work for general news websites as readers will merely bounce off to another site where they can access news for free.
For this reason, The New York Times’s metered paywall, introduced in spring 2011, has been celebrated as a successful model that could be replicated by other mainstream newspapers. In one year The New York Times grew its online subscriber base to 450,000.
The New York Times began by allowing free access to 20 stories per month from a single computer. Readers who accessed articles through email, blogs and social media were allowed to view stories even if they had already read their free quota of stories. The NYTimes.com homepage remained open and free to browse.
A year into the new subscription model and emboldened by their initial success, the Times restricted the number of stories that could be viewed for free to 10, with further stories still available through email, blogs and social media.
Paywalls go global
Over recent months paywalls have gone up at many large US newspapers including the LA Times, where a metered model has been introduced; at the Providence Journal and across Gannett’s 80 community news websites. The PEW Research Centre recently put the total number of US dailies with digital subscription models at 150, although estimates of how many are currently in operation range as high as 300 (AP).
Australia’s two national dailies both now operate paywalls. The Australian introduced a paywall at the end of last year and at around the same time, The Australian Financial Review relaxed what had been a particularly tough paywall to allow print subscribers have free access to its website and cut the price of access by half across the board.
In June, Fairfax announced that it will introduce paywalls for the online editions of its Metro publications, the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, both of which will follow the metered model.
Across Europe, paywalls are popping up at newspapers of varied focus and size.
France’s LeMonde operates a model whereby many articles and features are available for free but readers must pay to access unique content.
Germany’s, Berliner Morgenpost Online operates a paid-model that is free to print subscribers and which places just some of its content behind the wall.
In the UK market, News International’s The Times and Sunday Times launched hard paywalls in 2010. These sites ask users to pay for access for a given time period and offer packages starting from £1 for 30 days access to The Times and £2 per week to the Sunday Times, including the printed publication.
The Independent introduced a part paywall in 2011 for readers outside the UK, citing the free availability of BBC news as one reason why it didn’t make sense to ask the British public to pay for access to the newspaper’s online content.
Norway has an unusual situation in that local and regional newspapers maintain a particularly strong position. In this market, paywalls have been introduced at a number of local newspapers’ websites. Although they operate a variety of approaches, most offer a selection of articles for free, with payment requested to access additional content.
At home, The Sunday Business Post launched a paywall in late 2011. At the same time it invested in its digital offering, redeveloping its website and launching apps for iPad and iPhone. Much of the content found at businesspost.ie is available for free however users must pay to access premium content published by the Sunday title.
News media landscape evolving
The widespread adoption of paid subscription models across the web is evidence that the news media landscape is evolving.
Paywalls may not yet have provided the keys to the proverbial kingdom but as paywalls become more prevalent there will remain fewer plausible alternatives that offer the same level of high quality content.
Where content remains free to access you should take advantage of this while you can. Indications would suggest that it’s unlikely to remain free in the longer term.
NNI highlights importance of copyright protection in further submission to copyright review group
July 19th, 2012
NNI made a further detailed submission to the Copyright Review Group in June on its consultation paper on copyright and innovation. The submission examined the role and value of copyright to the newspaper industry, the financial contribution made by the industry and the threat to thousands of jobs if publishers cannot rely on copyright protection for their content.
Our submission once again refuted the damaging mis-conception referred to in the review terms of reference that portrayed copyright as a “barrier to innovation.” Copyright law exists not to obstruct innovation/creativity, but to protect it.
The thousands of people employed in the creative industries who create original content for newspapers, TV, film, music, software etc depend on that protection and, without it, their work will have no value..
Irish newspaper publishers are investing millions in creating quality content written by some of the best writers and journalists in the world. Without adequate copyright protection, particularly in the online sphere, that investment will no longer be viable, a view confirmed by the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Ms Androulla Vallisiiou.
“….. copyright underpins investment in quality editorial content.
“…. Nowadays new business models allow bringing copyright-protected works to much larger audiences. But all too often news content developed and financed by newspaper publishers ends up being used by third parties as an added value for their commercial services.
“On this, I am firmly of the opinion that news aggregators and technology platforms need to respect newspaper copyright on the Internet.”
May 2012, address to ENPA General Assembly.
The NNI submission can be read here.
Expanded NNI Journalism Awards for 2012
April 19th, 2012
New categories in sport, crime reporting and headline-writing, plus expanded judging panel for 2012 awards
NNI Journalism Awards Winners 2011
The success of the inaugural NNI Journalism Awards has prompted NNI to feature three new categories in the 2012 competition and to expand its judging panel to deal with what is expected to be an increased volume of entries.
The three new categories are: Sports Columnist of the Year; Crime & Security Reporter of the Year; and Best Headline of the Year. Their addition brings the total number of categories to 16, including a special award for ‘Contribution to the Industry’.
Announcing the NNI Journalism Awards 2012, NNI Chairman Matt Dempsey said the response to last year’s awards (the inaugural competition attracted a staggering 550 entries) underlined the healthy state of journalism in Ireland.
“Last year’s awards were a great success and a resounding affirmation of the fact that newspapers invest more in content than any other medium,” said Mr Dempsey. “Quality journalism is the USP of our industry, and it’s the main reason that 4 out of 5 Irish adults regularly read newspapers, with 2 out of 3 of these spending more than three hours a week reading their newspapers.
“Last year’s entry also underlined the amazing diversity in journalism today, from investigative reporting in crime, finance and other areas to specialist writing across a range of topics,” Mr Dempsey went on. “We’ve tried to reflect that diversity in the format of our awards, hence the addition of three new categories for 2012.
“At a time when there’s so much news to report, with online access ensuring that more eyes and ears are tuned into newspapers than ever before, it’s fitting that we honour the writers and reporters who help us to understand what is happening in the world,” Mr Dempsey said.
See the full list of categories in the 2012 NNI Journalism Awards here.
See 2012 judging panel here.
Articles first published in an NNI title between 1 September 2011 and 31 August 2012 are eligible for entry.
Read full details about each category and how to enter here.
For further information email Ann Marie Lenihan
E: amlenihan@cullencommunications.ie
NNI Press Pass to Bring Newspapers into Classrooms in 2012
April 17th, 2012
Individual NNI publishers have been involved in educational initiatives for many years. Recently, NNI newspapers have come together through the NNI Young Reader Committee with a view to using newspapers to promote literacy amongst young people.
Press Pass is the first initiative to come out of this committee that school-goers will become familiar with.
Press Pass is aimed at transition year students. It will enable them to discover more about newspapers and journalism, without cost to their school. Press Pass will take place during the last week of September and the first week of October 2012.
In advance of the beginning of the programme time, schools that have registered to take part will receive a workbook. This workbook will contain exercises that aim to improve literacy levels by increasing engagement with newspapers and through extra-curricular work. In conjunction with the exercises set out in the workbook, during the first week of September (the first week of Press Pass) the same schools will be entitled to collect free copies of each of the NNI newspapers from their local newsagents.
One of the most exciting elements of Press Pass is a national writing competition. Students will be invited to write an essay or article and the best entries will be published in all of the daily NNI titles in early 2013.
The initiative has already garnered widespread support and has been backed by the Department of Education. Registration is currently open to schools with transition year programmes and 150 schools have already registered.
The deadline for registration for Press Pass is May 04 2012.
Make sure that your school knows about Press Pass and takes part in this exciting new initiative.
Schools can register here.
Newspapers Now Have Greater Reach Than Ever
April 17th, 2012
The Joint National Readership Survey 2011 has shown that newspapers remain a vital and relevant part of Irish society. In fact, more than 80% of adults in Ireland regularly read a national newspaper.
And, despite the economic difficulties that the country currently finds itself in, newspaper readership remains steady across the spectrum of demographics. Readership levels for adults are highest amongst those working full time (82%) however this figure dips only slightly (80%) amongst those who are not working.
Furthermore, readership amongst young people remains strong. Almost 80% of 19-24 year olds and more than 70% of 25-34 year olds read a newspaper on a regular basis.
In recent years, many people have begun to read newspapers electronically, sometimes in addition to their print newspaper and in other cases, in exclusion. Thanks to the increase in ways in which people can access newspapers, many newspapers now have greater reach (in ‘eyeball’ terms) than ever before.
During 2011 the JNRS conducted a pilot study to inform future research into digital readership. Based of the findings of this study and additional research into how digital newspaper readership is measured around the world, from June 2012 the JNRS will be augmented to include research into digital readership.
Regular newspaper readers
Investors read newspapers: 90% of people who own stocks and shares read a newspaper regularly
Car buyers read newspapers: Almost 85% of people who plan to buy a car within the next 12 months read a newspaper regularly
Job seekers read newspapers: 76% of those who plan to change jobs within the next 12 months read a newspaper regularly
Travel enthusiasts read newspapers: 86% of people who stayed in a hotel last year read a newspaper regularly
Internet users read newspapers: 80% of people with access to the Internet in their home read a newspaper regularly
Newspaper readers spend time with their newspaper: Half of all newspaper readers spend over 3 hours every week reading their newspaper
See JNRS 2011 Topline Data here
Read the full press release here
A Global Perspective: Take-Aways from the 22nd World Newspaper Advertising Conference
April 17th, 2012
Newspaper executives and newspaper advertising experts gathered in Prague, Czech Republic on March 1st and 2nd 2012 to discuss how to protect and grow advertising revenues. They shared success stories and their projections for the future of newspapers. Here are some of the most interesting quotes from the two-day event.
“Most, if not all, of you will be seeing some growth in print advertising. It’s patchy, but we appear to be in a recovery mode. Some of you might not feel like that yet, but that’s the way things appear to be going.”
Eamonn Byrne, Managing Director, Byrne Partnership (UK) [seen Left]
“Don’t forget newsprint – it pays all our salaries. Just remember you have to grow beyond it as well.”
Peter M. Zollman, Founding Principal, AIM Group and Classified Intelligence (USA)
“We’re really investing in video. Video is the fastest growing segment for ad revenue in North America.”
Devin Slater, Art Director, Globe and Mail (Canada)
“There is no one device winner that we should all focus on as publishers.
“No single device and no single front page. No front page can drive as much traffic as the users themselves through their own behaviour.”
Jakob Unger, Content Director, Centrum Holdings (Czech Republic)
“If you put all the print (titles and editions) together, we have about 67 million readers.
“We are there on print, online, radio. With so many verticals in hand, you become an agency. We have had some phenomenal results by taking all our verticals to a client. They all complement each other. We strongly believe in a 360-degree approach.”
Shailesh Gupta, Director Marketing, Jagran Prakashan (India)
“By adopting CPC [cost-per-click] you are losing revenue, you are losing brand-awareness campaigns, you are helping to distort your market. Please don’t do it, even if your inventory is not all sold.”
Peter Olás, Sales and Managing Director, ETarget SE (Slovakia)
“If you have the right content, the real art of making money online is [to] be able to sell that.”
Rob Patterson, Group Managing Director, Friday Media Group (UK)
The 64th World Newspaper Congress and 19th World Editors Forum will take place on 2-6 September 2012 in Kiev.
Read more about the events in Kiev here
Media Agencies of the Year
April 17th, 2012
In addition to celebrating creative advertising, the NNI Press Ad of the Year Awards 2011 gave us an opportunity to celebrate the media agencies who plan and book newspaper advertising.
For the second year running the big prize went to Mindshare who were presented with the award for NNI Advertising Agency League Number 1 Agency.
In 2011 Mindshare recorded an advertising spend of almost €13 million with NNI national newspapers.
Meanwhile, Starcom received the award for Highest Increase in Advertising Spend, with an increase of almost €800,000.
PHD was presented with the award for Highest Percentage Increase in Advertising Spend. PHD’s advertising spend with NNI national newspapers increased by 49% year-on-year.
See the NNI Agency League Top 20 Agencies here.
NNI Press Ad of the Month 2012 Kicks Off
April 17th, 2012
The Lucky One by McCann Fitzgerald/Clear Blue Water
2012 has already produced three worthy winners in NNI Press Ad of the Month competitions.
The January competition went to McCann Erickson and Clear Blue Water for their ad, The Lucky One, for the Health & Safety Authority (HSA). The Lucky One draws attention to the deaths and injuries that occur on farms in Ireland.
Laurence O’Byrne of Ogilvy & Mather and Mary Murray of OMD acted as judges for the NNI Press Ad of the Month January competition.
Laurence highlighted the ad’s successful use of black and white photography and said that for him, this is what helped the ad to stand out as the strongest piece of print for the month.
Mary said: “A very memorable ad, made stronger for being a real farmer.”
Rugby Pass by Irish International/Carat
February was won by Irish international and Carat for an ad called Rugby Pass, created for Guinness. Speaking about Rugby Pass, judge Paudge Donaghy of DDFH&B said: “Good print ads are simple really.”
Ken Nolan of Mindshare (also a judge) said: “An instantly engaging execution that makes best use of the format.”
Curious by Boys and Girls and Vizeum
Curious, an ad by Boys and Girls and Vizeum for Brancott Estate (Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard) won the March competition for an ad that used a QR code in a very creative manner.
The judges of the March competition were Maxine Hands of Zenith Optimedia and Cathal O’Flaherty of Javelin.
Maxine said that the ad piqued her curiosity and commented: “I loved the idea of actually using a QR code as the ad rather than just tagging it on.”
Cathal said: “A nice, fun idea, well executed.”
Meanwhile, the April competition is open for your ads. Enter your best ads published in an NNI title in April here.
All of the ads shortlisted in the monthly competitions will go forward into the NNI Press Ad of the Year competition.
See every winner, every month on our Facebook page.
Between the Lines – NNI Student Seminar at DIT
April 17th, 2012
On an unseasonably warm March afternoon NNI held a well-attended seminar at DIT Aungier Street. The theme of the event was ‘Between the Lines – Newspapers in Print and Online’.
Our key speakers were Noirin Hegarty, Editor, independent.ie and Viv Maher, Online Sales Manager, The Irish Times.
Noirin spoke about the key attributes required of journalists. She compared the skills that journalists employed when she left college with those required of journalists today and assured the students that although the format in which their work will appear may have changed, the core requirements have not.
She painted a picture of the modern journalist as a media multi-tasker who can adapt to produce work for print and online, often in both written and video form. She said that although changes to the news media industry have ensured that journalists must do more varied work and often produce more work in a shorter time-frame, there are great opportunities for young people in newspaper journalism.
Viv discussed newspaper advertising, in print and online. She encouraged students to be aware of future trends but to focus their energies on what they could do for clients in the here and now. Viv used examples of multi-media campaigns that The Irish Times has created for clients to illustrate how creativity can increase effectiveness.
Following our main speakers, Enda Buckley and Anna Clarke, both from NNI, shared some key data about newspaper readership and told the students about some of the initiatives and programmes with which NNI is involved, including Newspapers in Education (NiE) and the NNI Press Ad of the Year and NNI Journalism Awards programmes.
The feedback from this event was extremely positive and we hope to run further student seminars later this year.
Would you like to learn more about the newspaper industry? If you would like us to arrange a seminar for your organisation please email Anna: aclarke@cullencommunications.ie
World Press Freedom Day 2012 Celebrates Transformative Power of Media Freedom
April 17th, 2012
May 03 is World Press Freedom Day. Established in 1993 by the United Nations General Assembly, World Press Freedom Day takes place annually on May 03 and celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom.
World Press Freedom Day gives us an opportunity to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.
The theme of the 2012 Day is “New Voices: Media Freedom Helping to Transform Societies”.
One of the most important elements of the celebrations is the presentation of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2012. This prize honours the person, organisation or institution that has made a notable contribution to the defence and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, particularly if this involved risk. The award is marked by a ceremony and the winner will be presented with an award of $25,000.
The World Press Freedom Day 2012 Conference will take place in Tunis, Tunisia from May 3-6. The event will include lectures, round table discussions and workshops. The subjects for discussion will include regulation and self-regulation of media space; journalism ethics in transitional situations; journalism 2.0 and democracy; the decriminalization of speech; and social media, amongst other topics.
Find out more about World Press Freedom Day here.
NNI Press Ad of the Year 2011
April 17th, 2012
Neil Dawson at the NNI Press Ad of the Year Awards. Photo Chris Bellew / Fennells
The NNI Press Ad of the Year Awards 2011 provided a great night out for the newspaper and advertising communities. On March 8th 2012, we ate, we drank, we made merry and we celebrated the best press advertising of 2011.
The big winners on the night were:
NNI Press Ad of the Year 2011 – Boys and Girls/Mediavest for Slimsticks for their ad, Kill Your Cravings
NNI Best Copywriting 2011 – Ogilvy & Mather/Mindshare for TV3 for their ad, Family Home
NNI Best Art Direction 2011 – Publicis QMP/Mediavest for TG4 for their ad, Scealta Atha Cliath
NNI Regional & Local Ad of the Year 2011 – Irish International/Mediavest for the Road Safety Authority (RSA) for their ad, Cannabis
Every year we ask an internationally recognised creative to pick the best ads of the year. This year we were delighted to welcome Neil Dawson, executive creative director, BETC (London) as our international judge. Neil has won the Grand Prix at Cannes twice (back-to-back!) and he knows a thing or two about what makes a good ad.
Here’s what Neil had to say about the ads: “It was a very interesting competition to judge and a lot of work was really bright and unexpected. Some of it even made me laugh out loud, which doesn’t happen all that often.”
Check out the winning ads here.
And see your friends and colleagues at the event here.
Concerns for NNI Over Copyright Review
April 17th, 2012
The current review of Irish copyright law has serious implications for the newspaper industry and NNI is preparing a submission to the Copyright Review Committee ahead of the May 31st deadline.
Our submission will incorporate an analysis of the financial contribution of the newspaper industry (focussing in particular on employment), as well as an examination of the role and value of copyright from a newspaper publisher’s perspective.
Of particular concern is the fact that the terms of the review have incorrectly – and damagingly – portrayed copyright as a “barrier to innovation”. This is patently untrue. Copyright law exists not to obstruct innovation/creativity, but to protect it.
The thousands of people employed in the creation of original content – not only journalism but music, film, books, photography, software, advertising, etc – rely on intellectual property rights to safeguard the value of their work. If those rights are weakened or loosened, the value of the work diminishes or disappears altogether.
In the case of the newspaper industry, if publishers cannot rely on copyright protection for their content, particularly in the online sphere, then the incentive to invest in quality journalism and disseminate that content online would dramatically reduce.
This would not only threaten existing, indigenous jobs within the newspaper sector; it would also jeopardise the availability of reliable news content, which is fundamental to a free press and a healthy, functioning democracy.
The Copyright Review Committee published an initial consultation paper incorporating more than 100 submissions which can be read here.
NNI Journalism Awards Off To a Flyer
December 18th, 2011
One of the big success stories of the newspaper industry’s year was the inaugural NNI Journalism Awards, which took place at Dublin’s Four Seasons hotel in late October.
On a cold afternoon in the capital, Ireland’s fourth estate turned out in force to celebrate our finest scribes. Simon Carswell, financial correspondent for The Irish Times, was crowned NNI National Journalist of the Year 2011.
Simon’s award came in recognition of “an extraordinary body of work” relating to the financial crisis, including an exclusive interview with former Anglo chief David Drumm and an article explaining how the notorious bank guarantee came into place.
“He brought us inside the very rooms where the banking deal was hammered out,” is how Michael Brophy, Chairman of the NNI judging panel, put it. “He has helped us to understand why things have happened in the way they have happened.”
In total, 13 national and regional journalists received NNI awards, including Fiach Kelly of the Irish Independent (Young Journalist of the Year), Senan Molony of the Irish Daily Mail (Scoop of the Year) and Jennifer O’Brien of the Irish Sun (Showbiz Journalist of the Year).
On a day when the principles of good journalism took centre stage, it was fitting that the special award for Outstanding Contribution to the Newspaper Industry went to former Irish Times editor Geraldine Kennedy.
Introducing her as “a doughty figher for the freedom of the press”, NNI’s Frank Cullen had the honour of presenting Geraldine with her award.
See the full list of winners here, and a gallery of photos from the big night below.
500+ entries submitted
A total of 546 entries were submitted to the NNI Journalism Awards website. This was far beyond our expectation and was a superb response considering the awards were the first of their kind to be run by NNI.
Guest of honour at the Four Seasons was the Minister for Communications, Pat Rabbitte TD, who presented the gongs in tandem with then-NNI Chairman, Paul Cooke. Our guest speaker was Simon Kelner, former editor of the UK Independent.
2012 awards in the autumn
Having done the proverbial business, the NNI awards organising committee – in particular the judging panel – have returned to the day jobs.
The 2012 NNI Journalism Awards will take place next autumn. Everything you need to know about entries, categories, eligibility, dates and other stuff will be announced in due course, via the website and our e-zine.
Needless to say, the next one’s going to be bigger and better.
Watch out for it.
www.nni.ie/journalismawards and Twitter: @journoawards
Creativity Adds Up in NNI Monthly Competition
December 18th, 2011
It’s hard to believe the NNI Press Ad of the Month awards are only in their second year. Last year’s competition created a lot of positive ripples in ad-land, but in 2011 the response has been truly amazing.
So far this year, and that’s before we begin to count entries to the December competition, agencies have submitted no fewer than 192 entries – more than we received throughout the entire calendar year 2010.
Why the surge? We reckon our awards night at the Four Seasons last spring may have something to do with it. Good food. Good craic. And of course, good work – clean copy, dazzling design and powerful press ads that inspire others to aim high.
It’s been really exciting to see the new crop of entries every month. The standard of creativity continues to impress us and our fantastic judges, who have had a tough job choosing the winners each month.
After careful consideration (and some mediation) they have chosen 10 winners to date, and a total of 87 ads have now been shortlisted for the NNI Press Ad of the Year Awards. A big thank you to everyone who helped to judge the monthly competitions.
The jury is currently reviewing November’s crop of ads and the December competition will close on January 13th, so we’re expecting to add a few more good ‘uns to the shortlist before the competition closes.
Which brings us to the NNI Press Ad of the Year Awards. We’re looking forward to welcoming the industry back to the Awards (Mark II) next spring, when BETC’s creative chief Neil Dawson will announce his picks in categories including copywriting, art direction, regional advertising, plus of course the grand prix, NNI Press Ad of the Year.
There’s still time for you to get involved. The closing date for entry of ads published in NNI newspapers during December is January 13th. Enter now, get yourself shortlisted, and you’ll have booked your place at the NNI Press Ad of the Year Awards 2011.
The winners of the NNI Press Ad of the Year will be announced on 8 March 2012 at Dublin’s Four Seasons Hotel – we hope to see you there!
See the ads shortlisted for the NNI Press Ad of the Year 2011
And
Enter the NNI Press Ad of the Month December here
NNI Press Ad of the Month Winners (January-October 2011)
January – ‘Josh’ by Ogilvy for Make a Wish Foundation
February – ‘Clarkson’ by Owens DDB/Mediacom for Skoda
March – ‘Feis Ceoil’ by Irish International for ESB
April – ‘Fuseboard’ by Irish International/Mediavest for RSA
May – ‘Hand’ by Ogilvy for ISPCC
June – ‘Doing Our Bit’ by Young Euro/Carat for Bulmers
July – ‘Incredible Shrinking Quote’ by Publicis QMP for FBD Insurance
August – ‘Helipad’ by Irish International/Carat for Guinness (Diageo)
September – ‘Mr Jack’s Birthday Bottle’ by Iris Worldwide/Universal McCann for Jack Daniel’s
October – ‘Happy Halloween’ by Ogilvy/Mindshare for ISPCC
Stay up-to-date, follow us on Twitter @nnipressad or Like us on Facebook @NNI Press Ad of the Month.
NNI Press Ad of the Year 2010: The Eyes Had It
December 18th, 2011
What do you remember of the big night? Mario Rosenstock giving it the full Enda? Julian Borra not giving “a flying arse” what anyone said about his beloved Churchill? (The nodding dog, not the former PM.) The inevitable post-show sortie to Coppers?
What most people remember about the night is the eyes. Those eyes. Yep, more than anything else, the 2010 NNI Press Ad of the Year awards were all about Publicis QMP’s now-iconic ‘Seven Signatures’ campaign, in all its stark, starey-eyed glory.
It was ironic that a TV broadcaster should win our inaugural press award, but as almost everyone in the room acknowledged, it was a seriously worthy winner.
“Truly outstanding,” said Paul Cooke. “Stopped me in my tracks,” said Julian Borra. Forget worthy winner – there was only ever going to be one winner.
But there were others, of course. Ogilvy & Mather secured a memorable double in the Best Copy stakes, for ‘Metsu’ (National Gallery) and ‘Bloomsday’ (ISPCC), while ‘Ship’ by Publicis QMP (Beamish & Crawford) shared the Best Art prize with stablemate ‘Seven Signatures’. And bloom won the Local/Regional award for ‘Lost Laptop’ (Fujifilm).
It was a fun night. We love those nights, rubbing shoulders with the boys and girls who do the creating. And in the middle of a tough year, it’s great to put aside the other stuff and celebrate the ads that do us all proud.
Neil Dawson to judge 2011 awards
That’s what we’ll be doing again this year, except this time the runners and riders will have a new judge to impress: Mr Neil Dawson of BETC.
Neil is one of the few creatives on the planet to have won back-to-back Cannes Grand Prix (for his Phillips series ‘Carousel’ and ‘Parallel Lines’) while his world-famous ‘Wedding’ ad on behalf of VW (left) has been named as “the most awarded print ad ever”.
Neil, in other words, is the man. He’s our man. And he’ll be here on March 8th to unveil his selections… and make someone’s night.
Will that someone be you? If you’re not already in the mix, you have until January 13th to enter the 2011 NNI Press Ad of the Year awards (December competition).
See which ads have already qualified here.
And enter here.
Stay up-to-date, follow us on Twitter @nnipressad or Like us on Facebook @NNI Press Ad of the Month.
NNI Calls for Full Review of Digital Media Market in Ireland
December 18th, 2011
NNI has called on the Minister for Communications, Mr Pat Rabbitte TD, to conduct a “full and reasoned review” of the digital media market in Ireland.
The media market continues to evolve and converge, and newspaper publishers now find themselves competing for readers and advertising revenue with a range of other media that includes public service and commercial broadcasters, as well as search engines and aggregators.
It is essential, therefore, that the principle of competing on a level playing field is fully and transparently applied so that no one player is afforded a more privileged position.
In calling for this review, NNI is asking in particular for a thorough examination of RTÉ’s commercial activity in the context of its public funding, whilst also addressing the urgent need for a clear distinction between the State broadcaster’s public service and commercial activity.
For example, RTÉ, with the benefit of a dual-funding model, generates its content with public funding but then uses that content for commercial gain on its multi-platforms, paying only the cost of transfer into other formats.
Meanwhile, newspaper publishers are investing millions in content generation but are struggling to identify effective charging models for digital content. The potential for newspapers to generate digital revenue remains very limited, particularly in the context of RTÉ offering free content on www.RTE.ie.
NNI has asked the Minister for Communications to examine any unfair commercial exploitation by RTÉ of the digital space in which it competes with newspapers and other media players who do not receive public funding for news and other content.
We will continue to press for a review of the digital media market and will update you as developments take place.
Recycling Success
December 18th, 2011
It’s been another hugely positive year on the environmental front, with the annual national newsprint recycling survey (audited by RPS) showing an all-time high recycling rate of 80.22%.
It’s the first time that our newsprint recycling rate has passed the 80% mark, and means that the volume of Irish newsprint being recycled has more than TREBLED in less than a decade.
Well done to all concerned – publishers, retailers and distributors in particular.
The achievements of the Irish press industry were acknowledged by the European Recovered Paper Council this year, who awarded a commendation to the Green Press Partnership (GPP) as part of the 2011 European Paper Recycling Awards.
The GPP, which represents a group of six newspaper and magazine bodies, including National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI), was formed to reduce waste and increase efficiency in Ireland’s newsprint supply chain.
The 2011 survey also showed that more than 72,000 tonnes of newsprint had been taken off the ROI market in the past two years. This reduction represents a shrinkage of one-third of all newsprint going to market.
Newspaper recycling “in good hands”
Buoyed by the good news contained in the RPS survey, we immediately devised a press ad campaign to highlight the progress made in this important area.
Conscious of the collaborative effort behind such an excellent result, we made a point of thanking all stakeholders for their contribution – retailers, distributors, wholesalers, local authorities and of course all the loyal NNI readers in whose good hands our products continue to be read – and recycled.
Waste Policy Submission
In response to a Department of the Environment waste policy discussion document earlier in the year, NNI, through the Green Press Partnership (GPP), compiled a list of the many environmental achievements and initiatives spearheaded by our industry.
In essence, as our response pointed out, we have implemented all the working components of a self-regulatory PRI (Producer Responsibility Initiative) – and the results have been excellent.
On the European front
The European Commission is keen to introduce Ecolabel for both newsprint and printed editions with a view towards April 2012 as the proposed date for entry into force.
ENPA’s position is that newsprint and printed newspapers should be outside the scope of the Ecolabel. Readers’ purchases are based on the content of newspapers, not on the paper. ENPA (European Newspaper Publishers Association) is preparing two briefing papers to explain why the Ecolabel is not appropriate for the press sector.
NNI Establishes ‘Young Reader’ Committee to Oversee National NiE Programme
December 18th, 2011
Newspapers in Education (NiE) is an important, worldwide industry initiative that you’re going to be hearing more about in 2012. As the name suggests, it works to create educational tools designed to enhance students’ literacy and communications skills, while getting them – and keeping them! – interested in reading newspapers.
Newspapers are used in the classroom to provide lessons in basic reading, politics, science, social studies, geography and critical thinking. NIE can be carried out at all levels of education and the lessons are designed to tie in with the national school curriculum.
Students learn how to access, analyse, and evaluate newspaper content, as well as how to have an effect on and even create that content themselves. Reflecting on and discussing both newspaper content and the information process leads to a better understanding of and a stronger involvement in society. So, while improving media literacy, NIE also serves as a means to improve citizenship, as recent research has shown in several countries.
When did NiE start?
The concept of using newspapers in schools has been around for centuries, but The New York Times set up the first formal NIE programme in the 1930s. Since then, newspapers all over the world – including many Irish publishers – have started similar programmes. Today, there are more than 730 NIE programmes internationally, both print and e-editions.
So what is NNI doing about NiE?
NiE is part of our long-term strategy; it’s compatible with all levels of education and it’s something we feel can help with the Government’s stated aim of “radically improving the literacy and numeracy standards achieved by our young people”.
Enda Buckley (NiE director), along with members of the NNI Young Reader committee, have met with a delegation from the Department of Education, including the Principal Officer responsible for curriculum and literacy, to discuss the implementation of a national NiE programme for school goers throughout Ireland.
Press Pass
The second week of May 2012 has been ear-marked as ‘Press Pass’ reading week.
A newsletter, outlining a week’s worth of activities, will be delivered to all Transition Year teachers (570 in total) throughout the country. Schools will be invited to register and will then be entitled to collect free copies of each NNI title from local newsagents.
One of the most exciting elements of Press Pass is a national writing competition. Students will be asked to compile an essay/article and the best articles will appear in the pages of all daily NNI titles.
The Department of Education has backed our ‘Press Pass’ proposal, and we’re in the process of fine-tuning the initiative with the assistance of the National Transition Year (TY) coordinator, TY teachers and students.
With the successful implementation of ‘Press Pass’ it is envisaged that initiatives of longer duration will be introduced for the school year of 2012/2013.
We’ll keep you posted!
Young People Continue to Pick Up a Paper
December 18th, 2011
The perception that younger people no longer read newspapers may not be as accurate as some would have us believe.
The latest JNRS figures (2010/11) show that an impressive ¾ of 15-24 year olds in Ireland “regularly read a newspaper.”
The data, sure to come as a boost to publishers keen to attract and retain a youthful audience, shows that 75% of all students and 77% of 15-24 year olds regularly read a newspaper.
“Like in other countries, our young people source their news and information from a variety of media including the internet, social media and television,” said NNI’s Frank Cullen. “Unlike most other countries, our young people are also extremely enthusiastic readers.”
More generally, but on an equally positive note, the figures show that Irish readers are extremely loyal. 64% of those surveyed pledged loyalty to their newspaper and stated that they would not change.
The JNRS 2010/11 (released August 2011) also shows that:
- 9 out of 10 adults who own stocks and shares read a newspaper regularly
- 8 out of 10 people who have insurance, a pension or health policy and those who have a mortgage/credit union or bank account read a newspaper regularly
- More than 8 out of 10 people who plan to buy a car in the next 12 months read a newspaper regularly
- 8 out of 10 people who plan to buy or sell property read a newspaper regularly
The JNRS 2011 report is due to be released as a full electronic report on February 16th 2012.
Print Advertising Revenues Stabilising?
December 18th, 2011
Although advertising revenues continued to decline during the first half of 2011, there were signs that the market is beginning to stabilise.
The most recent figures to have been verified with advertising agencies (January-June 2011) demonstrate an 8% decline in advertising revenues to NNI national titles, when compared with the same period in 2010.
During this period, total agency revenue was found to have declined by 7.6% year-on-year, while direct revenues were down 9.15% when compared with the same period in 2010.
Each of these numbers represents an improvement on the 2010/2009 comparison for the January-June period.
Although any decline in advertising revenues is of course unwelcome, the fact that revenue is not down any further during this period of extreme economic uncertainty is positive and something that we can take heart from.
It’s also important to note that two national newspapers, the Irish Star on Sunday and the Sunday Tribune, closed down during the period in question. The Irish Star on Sunday closed for business in January 2011 and the Sunday Tribune was forced to close its doors in February 2011.
It is our belief that when greater stability returns to the market, NNI newspapers will be able to return to growth in the important print divisions of their businesses, while continuing to expand in the digital area.
We’ll be issuing our advertising revenue figures for the period January-December 2011 in February 2012.