Morrow Goes POP!

Morrow Communications’ resident pop svengali, Marty Byrne was back in his element this week when working behind the scenes at Cool FM’s annual Jingle Ball pop party. The 11 act concert saw over 8,000 screaming fans pack the Odyssey Arena for a chart topping line-up featuring the likes of McFly, Shane Filan, Rebecca Ferguson and Union J.

Marty was in charge of the backstage media room, as well as negotiating media partnerships, artist liaison for press interviews and dealing with all press enquiries in the run up to the event. The media room saw Northern Ireland’s top bloggers, showbiz reporters and press photographers meeting the acts for a round of quick-fire questions and photos just before they went on stage.

Jingle Ball 2013 was a huge success, with tickets for the 2014 gig already available to purchase and the event quickly establishing itself as Northern Ireland's top pop event of the year.

Speaking of the experience, Marty described his work on Jingle Ball 2013 as putting the ‘fun’ into ‘a fundamentally long day’ and confirmed he will now be adding “ability to look unimpressed in the face of X-Factor finalists,” “hobnobbing with Matt Cardle” and “blushing in the presence of Harry Judd” to his Linked-In profile.

For more pics of the backstage area and all the on stage antics, check out www.coolfm.co.uk

Tree Time...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas down at Morrows... Can you beat our speedy elves?

Sowing Seeds for Movember

Movember has been on everyone's lips this month and we have been delighted to have supported our new client Germinal Holdings Ltd on their fantastic campaigns to support the Movember Charity, which aims to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

Here in Northern Ireland, seed specialist Joseph Morton Ltd had one message for local farmers this autumn - size does in fact matter - when it comes to moustaches at least! Hoping to inspire local farmers to support the charity, the company has cultivated an impressive 120m long grass moustache in a Co. Londonderry field.

The field, which belongs to a Ballykelly farmer, contains an Aber High Sugar Grass and red clover mix which was shaped into a giant version of the Movember moustache logo using an agricultural mower by Morton’s North West Technical Sales Representative, William McCollum.

As well as raising awareness of men’s health issues and fundraising amongst staff, Morton’s is calling on local farmers to grow their own moustache during November, and is offering a prize of £500 worth of Morton’s products for the most impressive ‘mo’. Morton’s will also donate £500 to the Movember charity on the winner’s behalf. Entrants are invited to take pictures of their ‘before’ and ‘after’ facial hair at the start and end of November and send them to info@josephmorton.co.uk

Meanwhile British Seed Houses, also owned by Banbridge based Germinal Holdings, has also gone big to show its support for Movember by giving the world famous Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset a grass moustache.

The huge mo added a rakish look to the imposing 180 ft tall landmark grown from British Seed Houses’ Grade A grass seed. The ancient naked giant is a protected site owned by the National Trust, which gave special permission to allow him to sport a mo for the first time. It is fair to say that helping to promote these campaigns has been a 'Mo'st enjoyable experience !

Action Stations for Nature

We have been delighted to have supported the East Border Region’s Action for Biodiversity Project, which is part funded by the European Union’s INTERREG IVA Programme. The project is aimed at helping create a richer and more diverse environment in the East Border Region of the island of Ireland, through raising awareness of biodiversity and the need to protect it – and has supported over 80 local conservation projects over the past three years.



Campaigns delivered have included the 'Give an Hour to Nature' campaign coinciding with the clocks going back at the end of October as well as the development and promotion of a 'Winter Wonderland’ online nature guide, based on public nominations of the top spots for enjoying nature in the winter months received through facebook at www.facebook.com/actionforbiodiversity .

A Month at Morrows…

We’ve recently welcomed a host of new faces to our team at Morrow Communications – new faces which we’ll be introducing over the next few weeks. Today we’re introducing you to two of our new PR Account Executives Suzie McDonald and Kerri Smith.

Suzie and Kerri were chosen to join our growing PR team after a competitive recruitment process and both bring something unique to our business. Here they give their highlights from their first month at Morrows…

Suzie McDonald

I joined the Morrow’s team mid-October on the back of their recent haul at the CIPR NI Pride Awards (an impressive 5 gold and 5 silver awards for those of you who don’t know!) and couldn’t be more excited to join the award-winning team.  My Sunday night previous to starting was of course riddled with the usual mixed emotions of excitement, nervousness and mild nausea (only joking!)  However, any negative emotions I had were quickly dispelled upon walking into the rather slick (purple) Morrow Communications offices situated in picturesque Holywood…

My next few weeks were jam-packed and fun-filled! I learnt a lot about the nuts and bolts of PR– the everyday tasks that make up the industry –news releases, photo calls, issuing, conference calls, tone, language, dealing with the media and clients, getting creative – the works.  The experienced team were my trusty guides for my journey and nothing was too much to ask.

Highlights for myself in the month have included working on the Age NI campaign with Flahavan’s Oats, ‘Like Your Grandparents Used to Make’,  where I worked on a photo call using an adorable 5 year old – who said you should never work with kids or animals? 

I also enjoyed travelling out to the sticks to search for gold!  Not entirely true unfortunately…it was for a picture for the ‘Tellus Border Project’ – who knew there was gold in Monaghan?  I also enjoyed the ‘Food and Drink Show NI’ where I was guided through Moy Park sampling and goodie bags, as well as witnessing the Events team host the highly successful ‘CIM Awards’ – phew I’m tired even just writing it!

I can honestly say I have loved my first month and it has made me even more passionate about the industry.  I cannot thank every single member of the Morrow’s team enough for making me feel so welcome and for being so friendly and always having an ear to listen or a helpful piece of advice to offer.  I can’t wait to get stuck in to even more client accounts, keep learning and continue on my Morrow’s journey…

Kerri Smith

It’s hard to believe I joined the Morrow’s team a month ago. I’ll admit I was a bit nervous the night before, so it was a relief when it took all of a few seconds to settle my nerves. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming to Suzie and I, and we began with a tour of the office - plus all the necessary housekeeping notes.  

Soon enough I was settled at my desk reading through information on clients whose teams I would be joining, trying to get to grips with all the technical terminology and recent activity. I’ve always been fond of jumping in at the deep end - which happens to be a useful personality trait in the communications world-  as before the first week was up I had phoned over a dozen different picture desks, learnt the basic break down of press advertising, I could also identify different varieties of grass seed and had spoken to quite a few local councils about the ‘Give an hour to nature’ campaign!

It’s only been month but I really enjoy getting up for work in the morning, I enjoy thinking about the possibilities that the day will bring and the variety of clients I will be working with. I’ve quickly bonded with the rest of the team with talk of entering the marathon relay and even a shared allotment that apparently is in need of a visit.

Overall, I have to say the thing I love most about working at Morrow’s is that no two clients are the same and no two days are the same – in the morning I can be proof reading a catalogue on different varieties of grass seed and by the afternoon I can be on the beach with a photographer capturing images of coastal walks to promote getting people outdoors and exploring nature!

Marketing Excellence!

The Morrow’s event team recently managed The CIM Ireland Marketing Excellence Awards. Now in their fourteenth year, these prestigious awards are designed to recognise and reward the best marketing achievements across business sectors in Ireland and to fly the positive value of marketing to both businesses and society. 

Hosted by broadcaster and journalist Claire McCollum, the gala ceremony took place at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Belfast with the winning companies taking home a bespoke Grainne Maher designed trophy. The winning and highly commended companies can be viewed online at the CIM Awards website. 

New for the 2013 awards was the “People’s Choice” award, where we encouraged finalists to engage with their own clients, customers and staff to vote for them via an online poll! It was a very close competition but the winner this year was The Ulster GAA and The Michaela Foundation with “The Match for Michaela.” A very worthy recipient! 

A special thanks also to the awards sponsors: Invest Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Tourist Board, TotalMobile and Ulster Business School as well as our event partners: Corporate AV Hire, Ramada Plaza Belfast, Northside and Bradbury Graphics, 3Sixty and NIMMS.

Ten for Ten: Morrow’s show their Pride at 10th Annual CIPR Awards

A total prize haul of 5 gold and 5 silver awards marked another fantastic year for Morrow Communications at Friday’s CIPR NI Pride Awards. Our work for clients such as Open Farm Weekend, Asda and Glens of Antrim Potatoes, was recognised with gold awards as well as our very own Kelly Maguire being named as the region’s Outstanding Young Communicator.

The team also celebrated winning 5 silver awards for our work for Irwin’s Bakery, Invest NI’s Propel Programme and Moy Park – as well as the silver in Outstanding Public Relations Agency. Overall, we brought home an award in every category we entered, another endorsement of our ability to hit the target with our communications.





And the Gold Award winners were:

• Best Not for Profit Campaign: Open Farm Weekend 2013 - From farm to fork
• Best Community Relations Campaign: Asda - Community Life
• Best Low Budget Campaign: Glens of Antrim Potatoes - From famine to feast
• Best Consumer Relations Campaign: Glens of Antrim Potatoes - From famine to feast
• Outstanding Young Communicator 2013: Kelly Maguire

 

And the Silver Awards went to:

• Best Corporate and Business Communications Campaign: The Propel Programme - Propelling Entrepreneurial Success
• Best Use of Media Relations: Moy Park - Revealing Northern Ireland’s best kept secret in GB
• Best Use of Digital: Irwin's Bakery - Bread the Irish Way
• Best Integrated Campaign: Irwin's Bakery - Bread the Irish Way

As anyone who was there on the night can testify, the same gold standard also applied to our moves on the dancefloor as Team Morrow dropped some awesome shapes. A special mention goes out for Sarah Stitt’s Moonwalk, Martin Byrne’s Running Man and of course, Seona McGrath’s twerk-tastic performance.

The 10th year of the Pride Awards made for an unforgettable night but due to the many bottles of champagne on the table some portions of the night were unfortunately more forgettable than others. Especially the last hour or so.

Here’s to Pride 2014!

Call for new talent to join our AV production team

The Morrows AV production team are growing and we are looking for some enthusiastic and talented people to fill the following roles.

Producer / Director  

Morrow Communications is currently looking for a video producer/director to join its AV Production team in Holywood, Co Down. Specialising in corporate production, including on-line videos, marketing DVDs, educational films and interactive media, we need someone who can take a brief and use their creative skills and editorial judgement to produce visual material which meets our clients’ production needs within a defined budget.

You must have excellent organisational skills and the ability to conduct interviews, direct a crew and, on occasions, self shoot and edit material on Final Cut Pro.

Applicants should meet the following essential criteria:

• At least 3 years’ production experience
• Excellent organisational skills
• Experience managing budgets
• Experience managing multiple projects to tight deadlines

Desirable criteria:

• Experience editing on Final Cut Pro
• Experience in a commercial or business environment
• Ability to self-shoot
• Third level qualification in relevant subject

This is a full- time position covering maternity leave. Competitive salary offered. Please send a CV and covering letter explaining why you would be suitable for the role and sample(s) of your work to Moya Neeson m.neeson@morrowcommunications.com by 5pm on Monday 16^th September.

Editor

Morrow Communications are looking for a technically skilled enthusiastic individual with a passion for multimedia and video. He/ she must be able to learn quickly and be able to support our in-house producers and editors with the production of corporate videos and multimedia output. The successful candidate will work on a variety of different projects from editing web video content to designing graphics for client productions .The role would require thorough knowledge of Final Cut Pro and associated software.

This is a first class opportunity for someone with a real interest in multi-media production and the development of other applications and platforms for our Production, PR and Event clients. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to further develop this role as the digital capacity of the business expands.

Applicants should have the following essential criteria:

• At least 1 years’ experience editing
• Thorough working knowledge of Final Cut Pro and associated software
• Ability to organise workload and manage the demands of multiple projects

Desirable criteria:

•   Experience developing graphics on Adobe After Effects or similar
•  A working knowledge of data management
• Direct client experience

This is a full- time position. Competitive salary offered. Please send a CV and covering letter explaining why you would be suitable for the role and sample(s) of your work to Kate Finn k.finn@morrowcommunications.com by 5pm on Monday 16^th September.

Putting DEAC on the Map

Morrows are delighted to be working with the District Electoral Areas Commissioner on the current review of District Electoral Areas (DEAs) which will be used in future local government elections across NI. The Commissioner has already published his recommendations which look at the make up and naming of electoral areas for the new 11 Councils, or Local Government District areas as they are formally known.

These proposed DEAs represent the key building blocks for future local government elections and not only take into account the reduction in Councils themselves but the resulting reduction in wards across NI from 582-462. Among other things the provisional recommendations will consider whether DEAs will be made up of 5, 6 or 7 wards as per the legislation. As each ward effectively (albeit indirectly) represents a seat on Council this represents an important piece of work which is likely to interest both political parties and the electorate.

As well as organising and managing the planned 9 public inquiries taking place across the province during August and September, we are supporting the Commissioner on his media relations throughout the review.

My Time at Morrows- Emma Devlin

When I graduated Queen’s University, armed with a degree in English and French, I hadn’t the slightest idea what I wanted to do. As career goals go, saying “Booker-Prize-by-twenty-five” to a friend when you’re thirteen just doesn’t cut it. Besides, I was 23 and that stellar writing career wasn’t going in quite the direction I’d hoped (read: going nowhere). I knew I wanted something dynamic, something creative, something fulfilling. But what?

Looking for some inspiration, I signed up to the GAP programme, a work experience scheme for graduates, who placed me with Morrow Communications for three months. With no prior experience in Public Relations (“you make people look good, right?”), I knew I was in for a huge learning curve.

Luckily, the staff at Morrow’s are a friendly bunch, and from day one I felt included in the team. With their guidance, I worked on client projects for companies like Moy Park, which gave me a unique opportunity to see the kind of hard work and preparation that goes into every successful PR campaign.  

I made the most of my time at Morrow’s, and I think I’ve learned a lot about the industry. For example, I have a much better idea of the relationship between PR and the media. Before I began at Morrow’s, the only thing I knew about PR professionals was that they sent press releases to journalists. Writing press releases, attending photocalls and contacting newspapers for myself has taught me that there is much more to it than that.

I’ve got plenty of memorable moments to choose from. From going to a pop-up farm to glamming up a pair of rubber gloves for a photo-shoot, no two days were ever the same. But if I had to choose, it would be the first time I saw one of my press releases appear in a local newspaper. While it wasn’t a big story, I took a lot of care to make it as lively and engaging as I could. It was a lot of fun to write – I got to exercise my pun muscle – and seeing it in print was hugely gratifying. 

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the Morrow Communications team. I feel privileged to have been placed with a talented and hardworking group of people who made a complete novice like me feel welcome. This experience has not only given me valuable insight into the PR industry, but also helped to shape my goals for the future.

Emma Devlin

It's Time To Celebrate Ireland's Marketing Achievements!

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Ireland is now open for entries.  CIM is calling on all businesses to enter the acclaimed CIM Ireland Excellence Awards 2013 to showcase their successful marketing campaigns.

The CIM Ireland Excellence Awards 2013, supported by Invest NI, provides an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the positive impact individuals and organisations have had within their particular industries. There are 17 award categories that take into account industry, campaign and individual achievements and CIM is encouraging businesses from all sectors to enter the awards whether private, public or social economy sector and....entry is free.

Dr. Vicky Kell, Director of Trade from principal sponsor Invest NI said, “The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Ireland Excellence Awards 2013 are one of the most prestigious awards in Ireland.  It is essential that companies in Northern Ireland develop effective marketing strategies to help them access new customers and compete successfully in export markets. Previous applicants have stated going through the process of applying helps you review and validate your approach.  Winning a CIM award can help your company stand out from the competition and we would encourage companies of all sizes to enter this year’s awards”.

Winners will be recognised by CIM at a highly anticipated awards ceremony taking place at the Ramada Plaza Hotel on 7th November hosted by broadcaster Claire McCollum..

Chair of the Ireland board of CIM Christine Watson said, “Marketing is undergoing a revolution – a recessionary climate and a growing marketer’s tool box that includes new digital platforms, that in themselves are ever-changing, brings both challenges as well as opportunities to our profession. Winning a CIM Marketing Excellence Award means that you have created results that deliver real business benefits.  

Click here for more details.  The closing date for award entries is 27 September 2013.

Pride without Prejudice

We are delighted to have been shortlisted in no less than 10 separate categories in this year's CIPR Pride Awards which celebrates the best work of the local PR/Communications industry. The categories include:

• Best Corporate and Business Communications Campaign
• Best Not for Profit Campaign
• Best Community Relations Campaign
• Best Low Budget Campaign
• Best Consumer Relations Campaign
• Best Use of Media Relations
• Best Use of Digital
• Best Integrated Campaign

We are also thrilled that our very own Kelly McKee is shortlisted in the 'Outstanding Young Communicator' category, and that we have once again made it onto the the 'Outstanding PR Consultancy of the Year' list - the seventh such time that we have been shortlisted in the last 8 years. 

All fingers and toes will be crossed on the night of Friday 11th October that we can pick up a few more gold and silver awards to add to our collection and who knows, even retain our Consultancy of the Year title. One thing is sure that whatever happens we will be letting our hair down !  

O-fish-ally a successful event!

The Morrows Events team recently managed the Flavours of the Foyle Seafood Festival, on behalf of Derry City Council Tourism Department.

The two day event featured live cookery stalls hosted by North West Chefs where visitors could try and buy dishes with ‘Flavours of the Foyle’.  A host of family fun and "brill"-iant entertainment was on offer including a Loughs Agency touch tank, live music and ‘fishy’ street entertainers.

Working with our partners – Food NI, we also created a ‘Theatre of Food’ featuring live cookery demonstrations of signature dishes, hosted by celebrity chefs Paula McIntyre and Brian McDermott.

The Flavours of the Foyle Seafood Festival saw over 10,000 visitors (not even squidding..!) over the two days – almost doubling the expected figures and judging by the amount of ‘Gone Fishing’ signs at the end of each day – visitors certainly got a taste of Northern Ireland – “Our Food So Good”.

Pardon the fishy puns..but we had a whale of a time.. 

A European Events Team!



Morrow’s Events team have just returned from Dublin where they successfully managed the EuroSME 2013 Conference on behalf of Enterprise Ireland and the European Commission.  The two-day event focused on Horizon 2020, the EU’s upcoming framework for Research and Innovation and the conference provided an opportunity for delegates to have their say and to help shape the innovation agenda.

320 delegates from 20 European countries travelled to Dublin with the main conference proceedings taking place within the historic grounds of Dublin Castle as well as a gala dinner at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham.  Keynote speakers included Sean Sherlock TD, Clara de la Torre, Director of Research and Innovation at the European Commission as well as Keary Crawford from the Growth Strategy Co based in Washington D.C. and Anne-Lise Kjaer, a futurist and founder of Kjaer Global Ltd.

View a short conference highlights video here:

Have you got what it takes to join our winning team?

‘CIPR Outstanding Consultancy of the Year’ Morrow Communications is looking for a number of energetic graduates to join its growing team. 

Based in Holywood Co. Down, Morrow Communications is one of Ireland’s leading integrated communications consultancies representing well-known clients across the public, private and voluntary sectors. 

We believe in diversity – so all degree backgrounds will be considered- however you must have a keen interest in current affairs and the media, excellent communication skills and a willingness to learn.

To meet our growing client needs, we’re particularly interested in people from an agricultural/ agri-food background at this time so if you’re from farming stock let us know… But don’t worry if you’re a city slicker with an interest in all things technological - we want to hear from you too!

Interested? Send your CV and a covering letter to mail@morrowcommunications.com by Friday 19^th July. 

Showers don’t deter Open Farm Weekend crowds

Despite some bad weather, the UFU’s Open Farm Weekend initiative enjoyed a fantastic turnout recently with nearly 10,000 people visiting real, working farms to learn more about farming and local food. The event, now in its second year, saw a large increase in participating farms and an even larger increase in people visiting a farm, many for the first time on the weekend of the 15^th and 16^th of June.

Morrow Communications ran an integrated communications campaign for the project involving media relations, social media management and advertising across TV, radio, online and local press titles. The campaign ran in two distinct phases - the first targeting the agri-sector to encourage participation in the event from potential host farmers and young farmers and the second to drive awareness and understanding of the event with the consumer, which ran just ahead of the main event. Morrow were also tasked with managing the project’s online presence and providing on-farm teaching aids to help relate the “field to fork” message to farm visitors.

The OFW team at Morrows were delighted to see attendance figures this year soaring far beyond those of Open Farm Weekend 2012 - in total 9,690 people visited participating farms this year - an almost 100% improvement on 2012 figures. 

Barclay Bell, Deputy President of Ulster Farmers’ Union said, “The weather conditions were certainly challenging for some of our farmers on the Saturday. But I was delighted to see first-hand that this didn’t deter the people of Northern Ireland from coming out in their thousands to make the most of Open Farm Weekend!”

The 2013 initiative saw 19 real working farms opening their gates to the public to learn more about where their food comes from and to get a “behind the scenes” look at a real, working farm. Each event was as unique as the farmer, with some providing fascinating guided tours and others hosting eating challenges, barbecues, games and petting zoos. 

Open Farm Weekend is a project by Ulster Farmers’ Union and is supported by The Department of Agriculture’s Regional Food Programme and Business in the Community NI, on behalf of The Prince’s Countryside Fund and is sponsored by Bank of Ireland UK and NFU Mutual.

SENTINUS Vs POTUS

Clashing directly with the recent G8, President Obama's visit to the Waterfront Hall,  and the associated (and over-hyped) traffic chaos in Belfast city centre, is the type of nightmare scenario that would give most event organisers sleepless nights. Yet despite this, hundreds of young innovators and their teachers from across Northern Ireland still attended NI’s Largest Science Fair – the Sentinus Young Innovators Exhibition –at the nearby Odyssey Arena. 

While Obama was eloquently suggesting that NI's future lay in the hands of the younger generation within the Waterfront Hall (and by association, not those of our comparatively ageing politicians, media and business leaders that also managed to snaffle a ticket), the Odyssey was meanwhile bursting with the very thing he must have had in mind.

As exemplars of what is required to drive forward a strong knowledge based economy in Northern Ireland, these young primary and secondary school students(and their excellent teachers) were at the Odyssey from early on - with their innovations and experiments in tow. Keen to avoid the expected traffic problems and with many travelling long distances from all parts of Northern Ireland they were not going to be deterred by the presence of Presidents or Prime Ministers. They have a passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) and were determined to showcase their excellent innovations. It was also an opportunity to meet and learn from fellow innovators from all traditions and to test themselves against their peers.

While it was a hugely successful event with many remarkable inventions and innovations on display, unfortunately not all the news was good on the day.  Sentinus Chairman, Jim Stewart took the opportunity to express serious concerns about the current statutory curriculum commitment to STEM subjects in Northern Ireland. Speaking at the event he said;

“The presence of the G8 countries here today brings into sharp focus the economic standards that NI must aspire to and that is particularly apparent in their commitment to the promotion of Science Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects in their schools.  Within Northern Ireland we have unfortunately been falling behind in this global race and the current curriculum commitment to the delivery of STEM subjects in our schools fall far short of what is needed to compete with the strongest economies in the world. In many primary schools STEM subjects are barely given lip service while in secondary schools there is no requirement for students to take STEM subjects, with the exception of maths, at GCSE level. If we are to compete with the best in the world we must inspire and enthuse more young people, like those attending the Young Innovators Event today, to see the importance of STEM subjects. Our concern is that we are barely able to meet the needs of current employers seeking such skills and if we are serious about becoming a strong knowledge economy, it is imperative that we act now and prioritise STEM on our school curriculum.”

With G8 mania behind us, this is a challenge that our politicians and leaders would do well to tackle. Developing a knowledge based economy is recognised as a critical part of our future economic aspirations and instilling an interest and passion for STEM subjects in our young people is a fundamental building block. Some have said that Northern Ireland has always had an innovation gene - but even accepting that was the case,  it would appear that we need to rediscover it and to ensure it is embedded in our young people's DNA.    

Business Editor at the Belfast Telegraph, David Elliot  picked up on this point in a recent editorial where he said; "That news needs more urgent attention than anything which came out of G8 and should be the big take away from everything which has gone on this week."  

Hopefully these words and those of Jim Stewart will not be lost in the G8 afterglow.