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.

Awarding Excellence - Morrow Events win contract with CIM

Morrow Events Team

Morrow Events team have recently secured a contract with The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) to manage and deliver the Ireland Marketing Excellence Awards for the next three years.

Our work will include revitalising the awards programme, recruiting entries from companies across Ireland, securing sponsorship and delivering a world class gala awards event later this year.

We are very excited and honoured to be working in partnership with CIM to deliver this prestigious and well respected awards programme. We are currently in the initial planning stages - so watch this space about how to get involved!

Next week, CIM are hosting a seminar in partnership with CIPR on Tuesday 19th February in Titanic Belfast at 12noon - Business Change in a Digital Age - with keynote speakers Múirne Laffan, RTE's Managing Director for digital and Krishna De, an award winning communications strategist, commentator and mentor.

Places are still available to book (from £10 - £20) and is a CPD category 10 event. Find out More. 

Fool's Gold

It’s that time of the year again when jokey journos and comically-minded communications consultants engage their prank-gland to think up the most attention grabbing April Fool’s stunt – all in the hopes of capturing the eyes and imaginations of the world (and of certain picture editors).

April Fool’s Day stretches back as far as 536BC and, as with any long-standing tradition, the world of marketing and communications are keen to use the event to engage the hearts and minds of the public. The April Fool’s news story has become a very modern tradition and shows no sign of abating.

We’ve all been reading our Sunday papers with a more cynical eye this morning as some headlines will be even more unbelievable than usual. Let us know your favourite promotional April Fool’s story and in the meantime here are a few of Morrows’ favourites from the archives:

In April 2010, BMW combined Westminster election fever with the annual prank day by announcing it was offering posh politicos the chance to customise the iconic BMW logo on their vehicle’s name badge to reflect their political persuasion.

Whether anyone took it seriously or not, it was a timely communications stunt which gained incredible coverage for the German car brand.

In the same year, Virgin Media managed to highlight its ongoing modernisation of Britain’s rural broadband network with this clever bit of animal husbandry.
According to the story these highly-trained ferrets were the secret weapon in laying fibre-optic broadband cables in underground pipes across the UK. We particularly love the “ferret at work” hazard sign.

In 1998 Burger King advertised a new addition to its menu – The Left Handed Whopper. The new product was exactly the same as the existing whopper but with all of the condiments rotated by exactly 180 degrees.Despite admitting the hoax on April 2^nd the fast food chain were still fielding enquiries from meat-loving southpaws for weeks after the USA Today ad appeared. Proof, if it were needed, that press advertising still had power?

In 2010 again – a vintage year for April Fool’s PR – ill-fated high street department store Woolworths announced the first negative calorie confectionary with its Diet Cola bottles. The popular penny sweets had been given a new twist with artificial sweeteners resulting in zero calorie content, meaning the energy required in chewing and digesting them burned more calories than they produced – finally giving sweet-toothed dieters the perfect excuse to hit the pick 'n' mix and hit it hard.



Whatever this year brings, April Fools’ stunts should always come with a warning. PR stunts in general can backfire with overtly commercial attempts gaining poor coverage and big costs for clients – but when they deliberately play with the gullibility of their audience a backlash can all too often result. It’s good to take creative risks...as long as they’re calculated creative risks.

But who wins best April Fool’s "PRank" this year? Virgin Volcanic and their trips to the centre of the earth? YouTube’s DVD delivery service? Who promotionally punk’d you the best?