Some things to look at:
Enterprise Ireland on their LinkedIn use.

Interesting idea. Clever in my view. Communicorp do an app for McDonald’s integrating their radio stations while helping to sell burgers. Integration, clever.

Boom. People spend more time on mobile apps than the web.

European Advertising Certificate. Interesting idea. Written exam though…

Doing SEO for Google Plus.

There is no Insight button.

Want to sponsor an Irish iPad game/story?

Their agency was Doyle, Dane and Bernbach and their line was:
Avis is only No. 2 in rent-a-cars. So why go with us? We try harder.

The first bit is obviously true. The second bit, perhaps over time it became so. What it does though is make people assume that someone that’s not first won’t be resting on their laurels but maybe the top brand would. We like to support the underdog.

Apple in the early 80s saw the giant threat that IBM was/others say it was conformity was the threat and created the iconic 1984 ad when they launched the Macintosh with the line:
On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like “1984.”

Apple were saying they are your tool to smash conformity. A good position. Ironic given their dislike of consumers customising their Apple gear.

I’ve been trying to find a link to it and failed but there was a t-shirt company who when they launched also started creating knock-off versions of their own gear and selling them at markets. The idea was that the fake versions tell people the brand must be big enough/famous enough that they’re now having their stuff faked. Their brand is now positioned with Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike etc. and that feeds in to the “real” brand obviously being on the same ladder as all these other brands. Clever yes, sneaky yes.

Unfortunately in Ireland there’s not a lot of clever positioning. It seems to be about copying someone else and laying in the same arse dent on the sofa as everyone rather than doing your own thing. Still, this means massive opportunities for anyone that wants to take on the status quo.

Do you have a QR code reader on your phone?

Yes 229 - 65%
No 93 - 27%
A what now? (Don’t know) 28 - 8%

What type of phone did they have?
iPhone (any type) 188 - 54%
Android based smartphone 114 - 33%
Nokia 26 - 7%
Windows Phone 6 - 2%
Blackberry 7 - 2%
Other 9 - 3%

Which platform likes QR codes more?
74.5% of Android owners had QR readers, 69.6% of iPhone owners had QR readers.

The results to me were surprising, the small marketing and tech industry drenched network would not represent the general masses but I still would not have thought the amount of people with QR code readers on their smartphones were so high.

We’re looking for an Irish music fan (or a team) to check out unsigned Irish bands that are playing this event and write about them. We especially want your views on Irish bands that could be worth discovering. We will pay your reasonable expenses for the weekend if you need to travel to Dublin for it and we’ll pay for your ticket(s) too.

We’d prefer you too to write on your own website/blog about these bands/artists. The content is yours, we will not own it, you can do what you want with it but we will have the right to use it on one of our own websites now or in the future. Fuck copyright or something.

If you’re interested in this, send an email with exact subjectline: Hardworkingmusic to damien@mulley.ie State your name, your location. You then have one paragraph of four or less sentences (of average length) to say why you want to do this. You must additionally link to writing about bands already, Irish ones are a bonus. We are not looking for any particular style of writing. Loving every band ever just because you went to free gigs won’t cut it however.

Of note:
Exact subjectline as we have a filter set up. Any more than four sentences, we delete your email without reading it properly. Any attachments like Word docs or PDFs, we delete your email without reading it fully. A pattern is emerging isn’t it?

I was wondering do people Google for Facebook.ie and Twitter.ie instead of the proper .com addresses and it seems yes, quite a lot of people do for Facebook.ie at least. Maybe there should be a redirect from Facebook.ie?

The below searches seem common enough:
www.Facebook.ie
ww.facebook.ie
Facebook.ie login

You can choose a day of training on the usual suspects, a day of consultancy or a mix that you choose.

Few simple rules: the company does not work for telcos, political parties or alcohol companies. You can’t resell this to someone else or make this a premium event that you get payment for. Still lots of opportunities there.

What it is:
This course will be run in Cork City. Social Media or Digital Marketing or Online Marketing is using mostly web tools to market and communicate with people online. As more and more people use the web for everything, a small or giant company can market to a global audience. Right now it’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google search and ads but it might be something else in a year or two. The basics though will remain the same.

The course has been designed based on feedback from businesses that have attended previous courses I have done (both day-long and weekly courses) and is quite practical in nature. Bring a laptop if you can, we’ll have desks, power and wifi for you. Detailed documentation will also be provided.

Day 1: (May 23rd) Social Media Overview

Overview of current social media trends
Search Optimisation and Website Structure
Facebook for Business
Twitter
LinkedIn

Day 2: (May 24th) Advanced Social Media
Blogging and Content Creation
Advanced Facebook – Facebook Pages customisation, Facebook Places
Devising a Marketing Plan

What it is:
Social Media or Digital Marketing or Online Marketing is using mostly web tools to market and communicate with people online. As more and more people use the web for everything, a small or giant company can market to a global audience. Right now it’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google search and ads but it might be something else in a year or two. The basics though will remain the same.

The course has been designed based on feedback from businesses that have attended previous courses I have done (both day-long and weekly courses) and is quite practical in nature. Bring a laptop if you can, we’ll have desks, power and wifi for you. Detailed documentation will also be provided.

Day 1: (May 16th) Social Media Overview

Overview of current social media trends
Search Optimisation and Website Structure
Facebook for Business
Twitter
LinkedIn

Day 2: (May 17th) Advanced Social Media
Blogging and Content Creation
Advanced Facebook – Facebook Pages customisation, Facebook Places
Devising a Marketing Plan

Facebook Places for Ireland finally launched today. Some of the nerdier types have been waiting for ages to get to play with this. (Some even nerdier ones did all kind of hacks with networks toe be able to check in).

What does it mean for an individual?

More stalkeridge! You can now see where you friends are and with whom, if they wish to share this information. You can tell your friends where you are now, show them pictures from that location etc. As Facebook Places matures you will be able to avail of deals in locations near you or go to the locations based on offers.

What does it mean for a business?

If you claim your Place/location you can merge it with an existing Business Page. When someone checks in, their friends see this, might click on through and see your business details. If people are frequenting your business, why not give them the option of telling their friends? The average Irish person has 160 friends on Facebook. That’s the potential audience every time someone checks in to your location on Facebook. The longterm goal with this is Facebook Deals. Check in, get 20% off, win prizes and so on. Rewards for being loyal.

Right now: As a business, get your physical location created or claim it and enable people to check in. Get some Facebook Stickers made too to encourage people to check in!

Here are some of the frequently asked questions on Facebook Places.

The above pic is me outside Facebook HQ in Dublin with a giant Places icon. Courtesy of Made In Hollywood Props.