October 20, 2010 by Christine
We have been lucky to work with some really great clients and having such clients makes the hard work all the more worthwhile and rewarding. On first meeting a prospective client it would be easy to promise the sun, moon and stars – to say that “Of course you’ll get the front page” and “Next stop, Late Late Show”!
However, to do this in most cases is misleading and will in the long term only serve to disappoint the client.
Managing expectations is something which DMpr takes very seriously. Working with a broad spectrum of clients over the past number of years has taught me to be realistic with clients from the outset. There is no point in charging for something when you know that both the media and the public will not be interested in the story. So here’s the challenge – do you look for a new angle or do you hold off until the story is stronger – or, (and this is something which DMpr just DOES NOT DO) do you do the work half heartedly, knowing that this will never land!?
DMpr will never over promise and under deliver. It damages reputation and most of all, disappoints the client. I have turned down work because I knew that the story just was not strong enough to warrant my input and I value people’s time and money. When you deal with DMpr you are guaranteeing that your budget will be maximised, that you will not be led astray to fork out for a service which you may not need at that point and most of all that you are working with someone that is as excited about your business as you are.
DMpr takes your business personally.
Category: DMprTags: Choosing a PR company, Christine Duggan, Cork PR, DM, DMpr, honest pr, PR blog, PR Cork | Comments (0)
September 22, 2010 by Christine
There is just 8 days left to enter the West Cork Hotel’s Wedding competition for the ultimate prize of a dream day to the value of €10,000. There is more than €20,000 worth of prizes up for grabs in the competition which seeks to find a couple funny enough to claim the prize! Entrants must show the West Cork Hotel their fun side in their entry form by submitting pictures/poems/video clips or anything that will make the judges smile and make your entry stand out from the rest – it’s that easy! The winning couple will win a wedding to the value of €10,000 and four runners up will receive prizes worth €2,500 each. Judges are looking for fun entries that show the couples personality so get creative – it’s not everyday you have the opportunity to win such an amazing prize!
Further information is available on www.westcorkhotel.com and on their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/WestCorkHotel?ref=ts
Category: DMprTags: Christine Duggan, Cork PR, DMpr, PR blog, PR Cork, Skibbereen Wedding, wedding competition, weddings, West Cork Hotel, West Cork Hotel Wedding Competition, West Cork Weddings, Win a wedding | Comments (0)
September 15, 2010 by Christine
It looks like the recession is taking its toll on wedding couples as much as everyone else! DMpr recently carried out a survey for The West Cork Hotel with results showing that 47% of couples have had to reduce their wedding budget, proving that prospective brides and grooms are feeling the pinch for what will be one of the most memorable days of their lives. To alleviate this pressure, The West Cork Hotel, who, as it happens are this year also celebrating 100 years of weddings in beautiful West Cork are giving away over €20,000 worth of prizes to couples getting married in the next 12 months.
One lucky couple will win a wedding to the value of €10,000 and four runners-up will also receive prizes worth more than €2,500 each towards their wedding day in the hotel.
The competition is launching today on the hotel website www.westcorkhotel.com and the West Cork Hotel Facebook page. Couples are being asked to finish the line “Shoulda Booked the West Cork Hotel Because…” tell why you would love to win the prize and attach a pic to your entry form. Five finalists will be chosen where the public will vote for them on Facebook with the winners being announced at a special showcase event in the hotel on Saturday Ocotber 9th. The competition is sure to attract entries from couples all over the country so the more you can make your entry stand out the better!!
The pictures here were taken by the wonderfully talented Miki Barlok – we had such fun setting up these shots and coming up with the creative and the results speak for themselves. Keep an eye out for more to be used for billboards and advertising in the coming weeks – they are amazing – almost as amazing as the chance to win your wedding for free in the beautiful surroundings of West Cork and its best hotel!
Category: DMprTags: Christine Duggan, Cork PR, DMpr, Miki Barlok, PR blog, PR Cork, Skibbereen, wedding competition, weddings, Weddings West Cork, West Cork, West Cork Competition, West Cork Hotel, West Cork Hotel Wedding | Comments (0)
September 7, 2010 by Christine
Today marks the launch of a book dedicated to Irish singles. The It’s Just Lunch Guide to Dating is Ireland’s only guide to meeting your match with hundreds of tips for single Irish men and women!
We worked with actress Leigh Arnold for the photoshoot on Grafton Street with photographer Leon Farrell (Photocall Ireland) who did a great job. Again, DMpr sought to do something different so commissioned Fran from Made in Hollywood to make a large polystyrene book and with the help of Darren Gale from Sweet Dreams Ireland we tracked down an authentic bow and arrow to use in the pictures also. The use of props in photocalls adds a further visual angle to the story which is important in making the story stand out and is also great for future use on promotional material and websites.
Anne-Marie Cussen of It’s Just Lunch Ireland edited the book and has spent much of the past two years to get this far. Anne-Marie recognises the need to be different to stand out from the rest so is a real pleasure to work with.
The It’s Just Lunch Guide to Dating is available through Eason and online at amazon.com and retails at just €12. It is a move away from the traditional “how to nab your man” dating books and rather focuses on tips for both sexes to meet their match while demystifying the old ideas of what you “should” be doing when single!
To get your hands on a copy of the book simply like the new DMpr Facebook page here! http://www.facebook.com/pages/DMpr/145166392185052?ref=mf#!/pages/DMpr/145166392185052?ref=sgm
Category: DMprTags: Anne-Marie Cussen, Christine Duggan, Cork PR, Dating Book, Dating Ireland, DMpr, It's Just Lunch, It's Just Lunch Guide to Dating, It's Just Lunch Ireland, Leigh Arnold, Leon Farrell, Photocall Ireland, PR blog, PR Cork, Single in Ireland | Comments (0)
August 31, 2010 by Christine
The Clarion Hotel Cork are in early preparations for this year’s Cork International Jazz Festival with an amazing line up for the ever popular weekend 22nd – 25th October. The main acts this year are The Jive Aces and The Slammers Maximum Jive Band on the Saturday night in the hotel’s Pegasus Suite. The Jive Aces are described as the UK’s Number 1 Jive Band and have performed on numerous occasions on TV in the UK and across Europe. They also performed in the world renowned Royal Albert Hall earlier this year. The Slammers Maximum Jive Band are a high energy group that will keep revelers rocking until the small hours of the morning. So get your dancing shoes on and grab your ticket from the Clarion for just €20. A night not to be missed!
Category: DMprTags: Christine Duggan, Clarion Hotel Cork, Cork Jazz Festival, Cork PR, DM, DMdesign, DMpr, PR blog, PR Cork | Comments (0)
April 12, 2010 by Christine
Friends of the RTÉ (Vanbrugh) String Quartet Highlight their campaign to save the Cork performing Group Pic: Daragh McSweeney Provision
When The Friends of Vanbrugh got in contact to help them with their campaign to save the RTÉ (Vanbrugh) String Quartet DMpr immediately got behind the cause. The RTÉ String Quartet are hugely talented musicians and we are extremely lucky to have them in Cork. They travel extensively throughout the country, bringing their amazing talents to places that would otherwise be forgotten by the other RTÉ groups. The disappointing part is that their budget has been cruelly slashed by over 40% by RTÉ in the past while approximately 300 Dublin-based RTE musicians have had just a 5 per cent pay cut.
The Friends of Vanbrugh wanted to step up their campaign and highlight the problem so DMpr came up with the idea for the shots posted here. Daragh McSweeney from Provision was the photographer and did an amazing job. It goes to show what a creative idea and a great photographer can do. The top picture featured on page 2 of The Irish Times on Saturday 27th March with other pictures used in other local publications including The Cork Independent bringing further support to the people behind the campaign.
You can lend your support to the campaign by becoming a fan of the “Save the Cork RTÉ String Quartet from the Dublin 4 Hatchet” page on Facebook.
Category: DMprTags: Christine Duggan, Cork Photographer, Cork PR, DM, Gerard McCarthy Photography, PR blog, PR Cork, RTÉ String Quartet, Vanbrugh Quartet | Comments (1)
March 30, 2010 by Christine
It is part of my job to meet with prospective clients to find out about their business and come up with new ways for them to grow through the use of creative PR. Creativity is the key to a successful PR campaign and is something which I feel very strongly about. If there doesn’t seem to be an interesting angle I work hard to come up with something to excite and capture the attention of the public.
In the current climate, it is unfortunately all too easy for companies to believe that there is no budget – everybody can feel the pinch of the economic environment. There is only one way to release that pressure and that is to step up, do something different and make a positive change in your mindset for the good of your business.
It seems to be an age old problem in the PR world that time and effort can be wasted on proposals as you are freely giving ideas with little comeback on the ownership of same. In an unfair world, there is little to stop someone from saying that your ideas are in fact theirs – that is unless you copyright your work…
When this is the case, PR proposals and ideas legally become the intellectual property of the creator;
“The colloquial description of intellectual property is that it comprises all those things that emanate from the exercise of the human mind, such as ideas, inventions, poems, designs, music, etc. Intellectual property is therefore about creative ideas. Dissemination of these ideas benefits society and stimulates further creative activity.” (Irish Patents Office)
The moral of the story is to copyright your work and hope that you are dealing with honest people to respect your intellectual property.
Category: DMprTags: Christine Duggan, Cork PR, DMpr, PR blog, PR Cork, PR Proposal | Comments (2)
March 10, 2010 by Christine
Procrastination – we’re all guilty of it, in particular when it comes to business. The thought of doing something new or different to what’s been done in the past can be an unnerving experience. What if it won’t work out? Will people see us differently? Will we get a return on investment? The list of questions can be never ending – and so procrastination sets in. “Next week” becomes the word of the day and tomorrow is always too close! True, times are tough and it can be difficult to take the plunge and try something different. But isn’t that just the point? If a business doesn’t do something different then you can be sure that your competition will, leaving you even further behind. It’s a never ending spiral of time and opportunities just flying by while you are scratching your head and your business is laying dormant. Now is the time to do something different to stand out from the crowd. As the saying goes – If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten – and it’s definitely fair to say that everybody wants their business to be the best that it can be.
Today, do something different. Run a promotion, set up a twitter account, update your website, hold an event…or hire creative and unique PR and design consultants (ahem!) Whatever it is, do something today that can make a change to your bottom line – it will make you feel good and your business will thank you for it!
Category: DMprTags: Christine Duggan, DMdesign, DMpr, PR blog, PR Cork | Comments (0)
March 3, 2010 by Christine
I believe one of the main factors to success is enthusiasm. I love leaving a meeting filled with positivity and drive and this really only happens when you meet people who are passionate about what they do. People who seem unafraid to do something different are usually the ones who succeed in the long term. I love my job when I meet prospective clients (as I did today) who trust that creativity can be the key to great things and I look forward to hopefully working with them in the coming weeks and months. It all involves cupcakes and gorgeous food – need I say any more?…YUM!
Category: DMprTags: Christine Duggan, Cupcakes Cork, DMpr, PR Cork | Comments (0)
March 2, 2010 by Christine
As learning to communicate is one of the first skills we learn when we enter the world, one may be easily fooled in to thinking that we are all masters of it. I could speak for hours about the importance of open communication in both working life and personal life. Working with a range of clients over the past number of years, the most important thing that I have learned is to keep the lines of communication as open as possible – even when things go wrong!
It is all lovely to run to media contacts with good news and although it is of course more difficult to report bad news it is often still as important as the positive stuff. In the past number of weeks I have seen and heard of the annoyance of people who are kept outside the loop when things go awry. All of a sudden they are met with silence – nothing. How does this reflect on the company or organisation then? The fact of the matter is, the next time you have a story to tell, chances are it will be ignored because the very people you rely on will be too peeved to bother with you anymore.
Moral of the story? Keep interested parties in the loop when times are bad and good….Brian Cowen for one can take note!!
Category: DMprTags: Christine Duggan, DMpr, PR blog, PR Cork | Comments (0)
