Mint Media & Communications Ltd

Slap on the knuckle for Channel 4?

adminmint — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:11:55 +0000

It was supposed to shine a sympathetic light on a community that often claims it is the victim of prejudice and unwarranted abuse…….

The advertising campaign for Channel 4's new series - Photo: JANE MINGAY

……But Channel 4’s Big Fat Gypsy Weddings has been accused of causing racism.

The hit documentary series, which follows gipsy couples as they prepare to get married, has led to a row after an advertising campaign for the second series used the words “Bigger. Fatter. Gypsier.” emblazoned across the image of gipsy girls.

The London Travellers Unit and two members of the London Assembly wrote to Channel 4 and lodged complaints with the Advertising Standards Authority over the use of the word “gypsier”, likening it to other terms more widely accepted as racist and abusive.

“We wonder if Channel 4 would have been so ready to use adverts with similarly compromising phrases for other ethnic groups: ‘Jewisher’ or ‘more Asian’ or ‘Blacker’,” the unit said in a letter to Channel 4 executives.

It also complained about the tone of the series, which has become synonymous with extraordinary frothy dresses and sexually innocent teenagers dressing in provocative outfits.

Gipsies told the unit that they found the programme “insulting and degrading” and that it was turning them “into something we are not”.

The organisation asked Channel 4 to remove the advertisements and make a public apology to the gipsy community.

John Biggs, a member of the London Assembly, took a similar stand. “The simple transposition is to a race issue. It you were to say this is my Great, N—– Wedding, it would be considered simply unacceptable,” he said.

“Gipsies and travellers are [already] pretty close to being bottom of the heap in terms of the abuse they receive. Channel 4 should show greater respect and restraint.”

Mr Biggs and Jenette Arnold, a fellow assembly member, said in a letter to the broadcaster that the advertisements were “totally inappropriate, offensive and disrespectful” and called for them to be removed.

“The content of these advertisements will encourage further ill feeling and discrimination against travellers from parts of the settled community,” they wrote.

Channel 4 said the word “gypsier” reflected the unparalleled “insight” of the series.

“The word refers to the fact that this series offers even greater access and insight to the communities featured and the terms ‘gipsy’ or ‘gypsier’ are not being used in a negative context,” a spokesman said. “The advertising campaign builds on the celebratory nature of the first series of Big Fat Gypsy Weddings.”

Julie North, the assistant editor of The Travellers’ Times, the only specialist publication for gipsies, said the word should be treated like any other term for ethnicity. She said it caused “a lot of grief within the community”.

Source: Telegraph

By Katherine Rushton

6:50AM GMT 16 Feb 2012

JNRS Results via The Irish Times

adminmint — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:54:43 +0000

NEWSPAPER READERSHIP in Ireland has declined by 2.4 per cent year-on-year, according to the Joint National Readership Survey published this month, February 2012.

The JNRS report for 2011 shows that 2.89 million adults, or 81 per cent of the adult population, read the print editions of newspapers in the period. This compared with readership of 2.96 million a year earlier, representing 84 per cent of the adult population.

The Irish Times had an average daily readership of 310,000 people in the period, down from 339,000 in 2010.

The Irish Independent had an average daily readership of 477,000, down from 539,000 a year earlier, while the Examiner’s readership grew by 6,000 to 181,000. The Irish Daily Mail’s readership was 145,000, down 3,000.

The Daily Mirror fared best among the daily titles, growing its readership from 192,000 in 2010 to 214,000 in 2011. The Irish Daily Star had readership of 373,000, down 12,000, while the Irish Sun’s readership fell 2,000 to 275,000.

Among Sunday titles, the average readership per issue of the Sunday Independent was 939,000 in 2011, down from one million a year earlier. The Sunday World had 819,000 readers, down 2,000. The Sunday Times had an average readership of 386,000, down from 418,000 in 2010, although it recorded increases in the readership of its Magazine, Culture and Style supplements.

The Sunday Business Post’s readership was 154,000, down from 187,000.

The Irish Sunday Mirror grew its readership from 141,00 in 2010 to 183,000 in 2011. The Irish Mail on Sunday also saw its readership increase, recording an average of 338,000 readers per issue, up 9,000. It is likely that both titles picked up readers in the wake of the closure of the Irish News of the World last July.

The Irish Times had 163,000 Dublin readers, the highest number of any Irish morning title. Some 82 per cent ofIrish Times readers are classed in the ABC1 social group, the largest percentage of any national title.

Among The Irish Times supplements, the Saturday Magazine attracts 365,000 readers on average per issue, while the Ticket has an average readership of 214,000. Readership of Health Plus stands at 299,000 readers per issue, up from 285,000.

Millward Brown Lansdowne, which compiled the report, suggested there was some evidence of a tendency among readers of daily titles to shift from regular to occasional readership.

Frank Cullen, co-ordinating director of the National Newspapers of Ireland, said readers had remained “remarkably loyal” to newspapers despite Ireland’s economic difficulties, with high readership rates even among the younger “digital” generation.

“Newspaper publishing is all about original content; we place a very high value on quality, original journalism, and I think the latest JNRS shows that most people in Ireland do as well,” he said.

The popularity of newspaper magazines suggested they were seen increasingly as representing good value for money, he added. “They have become a central part of the newspaper offering.”

Christmas a Resounding Success at Hanleys of Cork

adminmint — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:19:25 +0000

We have always thoroughly enjoyed working with Hanleys of Cork. This year, just like every other year, Hanleys pushed the boundaries with their generosity. Parking doom and gloom at the entrance of Hanleys is advisable. In fact it is a requirement to working with the great team there. €1 from every tree sold was donated to the Childrens Ward in CUH, but they didn’t stop there. Hanleys also decorated the ward in time for Christmas, for those children not lucky enough to be greeting Santa from their homes. We also ran a “Hanleys Christmas Heroes” competition on a local radio station in a bid to lift the mood of Cork at the special time of year that is Christmas. Our winner received a complete fit out, inside and outside, of their homes for the festive season!

This year our advertising was focused on expanding outdoor spend by combining some specifically placed 48 sheeters, as well as utilising some 6 sheet posters in the more popular shopping centres. This combined with targeting coffee cups in family friendly cafes and stores enabled us to target their exact demographic visually. We reduced print spread overall and tried to utilise our knowledge of Hanleys demographic in order to target same more innovatively.

Both Hanleys and Mint Media were thrilled with the results. In a year that unfortunately saw many retailers suffer and close their doors, Hanleys recorded one of their best seasons to date in their long history! Needless to say, we are chuffed to bits and looking forward to our future with Hanleys!

JNLR Results for 2011

adminmint — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:09:35 +0000

The latest JNLR/Ipsos MRBI report into radio listening is published. It covers the 12-month period from January to December 2011. The latest results show daily radio listening at 85% – that is 85% of all adults listening every weekday. A total of 15,600 people were interviewed during the survey period by Ipsos MRBI, on behalf of JNLR – Joint National Listenership Research - that is funded by all national, regional and local stations, BAI, AAI, and IAPI.

85% of Irish adults listen to the radio on an average day – 58% (=) tuning into their local or regional station and 47% (+1) listening to a national station. Among the younger 15-34 year market 82% listen daily. Irish audiences continue to listen to a significant amount of radio daily – tuning in, on average, for almost 4 hours per day during the prime 7am to 7pm time (Irish Adults listening Mon-Fri). In terms of share of all minutes listened, national radio has 47.6% share of all minutes (plus 1%) while local/regional radio holds the majority share position with 52.4%. Looking at the various regions throughout the country, national radio holds the majority share position in Dublin (57.1%), the Dublin Commuter belt (57.7%), the Multi-city areas (52.1%) and the North East/Mid region (51.7%) while local/regional radio is in the majority in the other regions

throughout the country. Among the younger, 15-34 year old audience across the country, local/regional radio holds the national majority share position at 62.4% (-1%) versus 37.6% (+1%) for national radio. In particular, the local/regional

group holds a strong share position among this age segment in Dublin, 70.5%; Cork, 64.4%; the Multi-city region, 65% and the Dublin Commuter region, 67.6%. Considering the 35+ age segment, national radio holds the majority share,

51.5% (+1%). In regional markets, national radio maintains a strong share position in Dublin, 68.8%, the Dublin Commuter region, 68.4% and in the Multi-city area, 59.4%. Local radio continues to be a strong performer in the individual radio

markets across the country – in many areas reaching more than 40% of the local adult population daily (particularly in the south and west). In Mayo, the Shannonside area and Donegal Nth, more than 50% of the adult population tune in daily. In particular, on the criterion of share of minutes listened during prime 7am to 7pm, Highland Radio, Tipp FM, Radio Kerry, MWR and Shannonside 104FM hold the majority share position in their franchise areas.

Source: BAI

A Ban On Alcohol Advertising Looming?

adminmint — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:51:25 +0000

The Association of Advertisers in Ireland has responded to the publication today of a report by the Department of Health calling for an extensive range of prohibitions and restrictions on the advertising of alcohol products. The report was the outcome of the National Substance Misuse Strategy Group, chaired by the Department of Health.

Addressing the publication, Ed McDonald, chief executive of the Association of Advertisers in Ireland, stated: “Advertising is an important element in how any company, business or organisation promotes its products, services or messages. And that applies to all such organisations, not just the business ones, and not just to alcohol companies. Publishing an ad is no guarantee that it will make the product a success or that it will persuade consumers to buy the product.”

McDonald said that misuse of alcohol and the issue of under-age drinking are rightly matters of concern to society in general and that the alcohol industry shares this concern, and would support practical measures on these matters. “It is vital to clearly assess the causes of the problems and who they affect and then to target suitable actions to deal with the problems, but a blanket approach that includes banning advertising won’t achieve the needed results. The experience of bans and prohibitions in other countries says that bans don’t work”.

Noting that the report calls for statutory legislation to control or restrict alcohol advertising as a means of reducing alcohol misuse and under-age drinking, McDonald said: “The terms of the Review Group included the commitment that its outcomes would be evidence-based. But the report does not do this. It quotes a small number of studies as evidence but ignores the huge body of research that shows contrary evidence. It is essential that proposals for new policy development in any activity should be evidence-based, and that it should address the issues at the heart of the problem or issue. No evidence that advertising causes alcohol misuse or under-age drinking or increases the sale of alcohol is presented. In fact, there is much evidence to say that the greatest influences on under-age drinking come from young peoples’ peers and parents and their general environment. It is worth noting in this regard that with little advertising behind it, wine sales have increased very substantially over recent years while beer, which accounts for the largest proportion of advertising, has actually seen its proportion of the market decline. That clearly suggests that advertising is not necessarily, not uniquely or even the major driver”.

Mr McDonald said there was “very extensive” regulation of alcohol advertising in Ireland, with a wide array of codes of practice. He pointed out: “Over the past decade, out of the total amount spent on all advertising, alcohol advertising has been less than 5pc of the total advertising spend in each year, and all of this is subject to very close scrutiny under the codes of practice in force.”

McDonald also noted that the alcohol industry is a very substantial contributor to Irish society through jobs and investment and to other sectors of the economy such as the agri sector through the provision of necessary ingredients, and to export success.

“Marketing is essential for the life of any business, and it is an extremely difficult and intense task. It doesn’t just happen. It has to be worked at. Successful marketing is fundamental to our need for jobs; without the successful marketing the jobs wouldn’t exist or survive”, he concluded.

Source: Business and Leadership Jan 2012

The Zipyard

admin — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:25:57 +0000

We provide the Zipyard with a wide range of services, from creative design to print management, media booking and pr. The Zipyard is an exciting franchise operation, with stores in Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK and we love working with the brand.

Hanleys of Cork

admin — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:12:09 +0000

Hanleys of Cork is a client, we, at Mint Media very much like working with. We plan media campaigns for Hanleys as well as encompassing our digital services within these campaigns. To date, Hanleys of Cork has used the full list of services offered by Mint Media and our parent company (www.ilovecake.ie) and it has been a great experience for all encumbered. We look forward to working with the Hanleys of Cork team this year and into the future!

We will again deliver unique and innovative marketing campaigns by utlising the information we have gained about their specialised store and service. Currently we are reviewing all marketing material for the initial 2 seasons of 2012.

PeoplesRepublicOfCork.com

admin — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:46:46 +0000

We were commisoned by the people at www.peoplesrepublicofcork.com to create a new theme that would fit with their brand and execute the design for their outdoor campaign to promote their new smartphone app.

JNLR Figures released by BAI – Feb 2011

admin — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:00:35 +0000

The results from the Ipsos MRBI JNLR survey covering the period January 2010 – December 2010 were released on Thursday 17th February 2011.

The survey results indicated that 85% (same) of the adult population was listening daily to a mix of national, regional, multi-city and local radio throughout the country.

For the purposes of comparison, figures for this survey period were compared with the October 2009- September 2010 figures. The main changes and highlights are as follows:

National Reach and Market Share

Listenership of 57% (-1) was recorded to any multi-city/regional/local radio service.

The weekday reach figures for RTÉ Radio 1 increased to 25% (+1) while figures remained unchanged for Today FM (13%), Newstalk (8%) and RTÉ Lyric FM (3%). RTÉ 2FM recorded a figure of 13% (-1).

With regard to market share, a figure of 53.6% (-0.2) was recorded for any multi-city/regional/local station in the 7a.m.-7p.m. period.

RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ Lyric FM recorded slight increases in market share at 22.7% (+0.6) and 1.7% (+0.1) respectively. Today FM retained a market share figure of 9.3%. Decreases were recorded for RTÉ 2FM at 8.2% (-0.5) and Newstalk at 4.0% (-0.1).

Christmas 2011 at Hanleys

admin — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 19:20:02 +0000

Christmas 2011 was the most exciting year yet at Hanleys of Cork. With their biggest Christmas store to date opening, we combined both local and national press, radio and TV pr with targeted advertising across online media, outdoor platforms, on press and radio. We also combined both Hanleys social media platform and radio outlets to promote several competitions, the main being: Hanleys Christmas Heros. Hanleys recorded one of their best Christmas seasons yet in 2011 and all whilst spreading some much needed Christmas cheer.