MediaPLUS: Nominations announced for the annual AIM awards
MediaPLUS is your weekly update on all that matters in media and marketing
Diageo , Allianz and Bank of Ireland top the list of finalists for the 2025 All-Ireland Marketing Awards (AIM), organised by Marketing Institute Ireland (MII).
Diageo has seven nominations, Allianz six, Bank of Ireland five and six further companies each have three entries shortlisted, including AIM newcomer Lakeland Dairies
ExtraG.ie, dmg media Ireland's Irish-language news, sport and entertainment site, has been nominated in the Gradam Margaíochta le Gaeilge category.
BusinessPlus.ie will sponsor the B2B Marketing Award, which will this year will be contested by EY, Pinergy, Kerry, Ergo and Lakeland Dairies.
The full list of nominations can be found HERE.
Glass ceiling still intact in advertising
The Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland (IAPI) has warned that women are not reaching senior roles in the communications industry.
Additionally, 56% of men believe efforts to promote women’s equality have gone so far that they now discriminate against men, according to an IAPI/Ipsos B&A study.
The research on evolving gender attitudes was published to coincide with the launch of IAPI's 202 Female Future Fund.
While women dominate our entry-level workforce by almost 2:1, we see a dramatic decline within senior roles, with double the number of men versus women over the age of 45," said Siobhán Masterson , CEO of IAPI.
Ipsos B&A CEO? Luke Reaper said: “Despite improvements over time, Ireland remains an unequal society with women still more disadvantaged on many key indicators: earnings, political representation, and senior roles.
"Results from the recent Ipsos B&A ‘Backlash’ and ‘Toxic Masculinity’ reports point to a significant struggle on the ‘equality project’ where men, especially young men, feel they are being asked to do too much to support female equality."?
Lidl arrives in Carrigstown
A Lidl Ireland store is being erected in the fictional Dublin suburb of Carrigstown as part of a three-year product placement deal with RTE soap opera Fair City.
Construction of the Lidl set is underway at RTé studios in Donnybrook, and it will feature in Fair City for the first time over the summer.
The realistic Lidl shop interior and exterior has been designed by the retailer in collaboration with RTé, and will feature a modern welfare area for employees and a Deposit Return Machine as well as a Lidl bakery.
An estimated 600,000 viewers watch Fair City on television on a weekly basis, and the programme has a further 100,000 viewers on streaming.
"We are thrilled to welcome?Lidl?as the new on-screen store in?Fair?City. Their commitment to supporting local communities aligns perfectly with the spirit of Carrigstown, and we’re excited to bring this partnership to life on screen," said Brigie de Courcy , executive producer of Fair?City.
"The shop is a central meeting point for the community and this collaboration opens up exciting new storytelling possibilities.
"The beloved Renee Phelan will soon take up her new position as Store Manager at?Lidl?Carrigstown. We look forward to seeing how?Lidl’s presence enhances the vibrant world of?Fair?City?for our viewers."
Deirdre Ní Choistín appointed TG4 DG
Deirdre Ní Choistín has been appointed director general of TG4 following competitive public recruitment process.
She will succeed Alan Esslemont when she steps down in April, becoming the fourth director general of the Irish-language station since its launch in 1996, and the first woman to hold the role.
Ní Choistín was appointed as TG4's first head of news and current affairs in 2022, and was handed responsibility for developing a strategy and vision for the division.
She is also editor of the current affairs series Iniúchadh TG4?and of children’s news service?Nuacht Cúla4.
Ní Choistín started with TG4 in 1999 and worked as a producer and director for 14 years. She established the MOLSCéAL online news and entertainment platform in 2017.
Prior to her appointment as head of news and current affairs, she was TG4's communications manager from 2019 to 2022 where she implemented a new multi-platform communications strategy.
Moorhead and Fleming join Connelly Partners
Sam Moorhead and Mikey Fleming have joined Connelly Partners as co-creative directors.
The pairing previously worked for TBWA\Ireland , Boys + Girls and Verve where they established the award-winning in-house agency Showrunner, and they have worked with brands such as Three Ireland , Aldi, ?koda Ireland , Lyons, Mr. Tayto , Vhi and the LEGO Group .
Connelly Partners has recently secured the creative accounts for Waterways Ireland , 爱尔兰国立高威大学 and The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth (DCEDIY).
Its clients also include Birra Moretti, Coors, ESB , Expressway, Epilepsy Ireland and My Milkman . The agency employs 50 people in Dublin
“Connelly Partners is on a roll, strengthening our end-to-end offering across strategy, creative, production, social and digital,” said Vaunnie Sweeny McDermott , managing director of Connelly Partners.
Our integrated approach based on really understanding the customer journey has powered our momentum, driving strong business results for our clients.
“Sam and Mikey’s long-standing partnership has earned them a reputation for crafting campaigns that are anything but ordinary and built on solid strategy. Their creativity combined with the power of AI is exactly what we need to continue driving commercial success,” she adds.
Oscars livestream letdown
The Oscars' US streaming debut was blighted by technical issues. More than 34,000 users reported problems accessing the livestream on Hulu within 30 minutes of the ceremony starting on Sunday.
As the programme overran, the Hulu stream cut off for some users before the announcement of Best Actress, the penultimate award of the evening, which went to Mikey Madison for Anora.
Disney subsidiary ABC reportedly pays $100m per year to broadcast Hollywood's biggest night as part of an eight-year deal that will expire in 2028.
According to Deadline, ABC's exclusive negotiating window to extend the deal has now lapsed and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will shop the ceremony to other networks and platforms.
US viewership for the 2025 Oscars totalled 19.7m viewers, a five-year-high, as Anora beat Conclave and The Brutalist to Best Picture.
The total represents a 1% increase from last year after viewers on mobile devices and personal computers were added in. Excluding those viewers, the total came to 18.1m, a 7% decline year-on-year.
AD LAB – Gas Networks Ireland
Every week, Amárach and Future Proof Insights share exclusive findings from their PRIZM+ ad testing service showcasing best practice creative advertising in Ireland.
This week, this Ad Lab Report takes a look at Gas Networks Ireland’s latest campaign which delivers a serious message wrapped in humour, featuring an anxious badger in a construction site.
The ad urges anyone planning excavation work to check for gas pipelines first.
The mix of humour and urgency holds attention, creating a compelling contrast between entertainment and a safety message that needs to land.
For more on this click HERE.
To read the full article on BusinessPlus.ie just click here
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