Avantis Health launches Global Health & Dental Price Index

Embargoed for publication Tuesday May 3rd

Monday , May 2nd, 2011

Avantis Health launches Global Health & Dental Price Index

  • Cost comparisons show savings of up to 70% when treatment is purchased in other Western European countries such as the UK, Spain, Norway and Germany
  • Savings of up to 30% can be achieved by shopping around within Ireland

Avantis Health, Ireland’s only ‘self-pay’ healthcare purchasing specialist, has today (Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011) published the first Avantis Health Global Health & Dental Price Index.  The index, compiled by Avantis Health throughout Q1 2011, compares treatment costs, globally, for a range of elective procedures under the following categories:

  • Dental
  • Elective surgery
  • Eye surgery
  • Cosmetic Surgery

Launching the bi-annual initiative, Avantis Health Director, Orla Fahy said “The Avantis Health Global Health and Dental Price Index will show Irish patients that they can make significant savings on their health and dental care, by merely shopping around in Ireland with substantial savings possible if they are willing to travel abroad for treatment.”

“For example” she added, “patients requiring a simple dental implant (with crown) can save over 50% by undergoing the treatment in another European country. Patients requiring common but more invasive procedures, such as knee replacements or cruciate ligament repair, can make similar savings in the same way.”

“Savings in cosmetic surgery are also particularly evident” added Ms. Fahy.  “A tummy tuck procedure can cost 79% less without even traveling outside Europe, while breast augmentation could cost 54% less by taking a flight to Belgium.  Many Avantis Health members have even built their treatment into their sun holiday!”.

“Patients who don’t want to travel outside Ireland can also make significant savings, up to 30% in some cases” added Ms Fahy.  “Our research comparing prices in Ireland shows significant variation between treatment providers.  Patients can simply contact us and we will find them the best value in the country.”

With specially trained health purchasing staff, working with a network of over 100 approved treatment providers in Ireland, Europe and farther afield, Avantis Health takes the worry out of treatment purchase either at home or abroad. Consumers can compare treatment costs and get quotes for over fifty procedures. Avantis have negotiated significant discounts for its members as it purchases for all its members and therefore gets “bulk discounts”. Membership of Avantis Health is free.

Avantis works with the patient and his/her medical advisor to source the best value, best quality treatment.

More details about the Avantis Health service and self-funded healthcare are available on www.avantishealth.com.

Please see below for full Avantis Health Global Health & Dental Price Index

Notes:

About this survey: Prices quoted are average procedure costs as provided by hospitals and dentists, from various countries on a “self pay” basis. Self pay is defined as a non-insured patient funding the treatment.  Treatment costs differ among individual treatment providers and all prices have been converted to Euro. Taking changes in exchange rates, prices should be seen as indicative.

Disclaimer:

  • The survey is provided purely for information purposes
  • There are other consideration other than price when purchasing treatment – these have not been considered as part of this report
  • This report does not constitute a recommendation for any country or provider.

About Avantis Health: Avantis Health Limited specialises in healthcare treatment purchasing for self pay business and personal customers.  Consumers can compare treatment costs and get quotes for over fifty procedures. Avantis have negotiated significant discounts for its members as it purchases for all its members and therefore gets “bulk discounts”. Membership of Avantis Health is free. Avantis Health has a provider network in eleven countries, including Ireland, who quote for healthcare treatments for Avantis Health members.

Avantis Health is a wholly owned Irish company supported by Enterprise Ireland.  Established in Dublin in 2007, Avantis already offers self-funded healthcare purchasing products across Europe.  The Avantis Health team includes health cost containment professionals with in depth experience in the field of Managed Care. Its ever increasing global network of approved suppliers has over 100 Healthcare providers, including Hospitals, Clinics, Dentists and Health Centers.

For further information please contact Emily Tully, Emily Tully PR & Online Communications on 086 385 6225 or email emily@emilytully.com

Price Index Findings

Basket 1 – Dental

Tooth Extraction
Country Price € Saving
Ireland 90
UK 75 17%
Cyprus 73 19%
Greece 75 17%
Hungary 39 57%
India 21 77%
Italy 50 44%
Malaysia 22 76%
Poland 48 47%
Portugal 82 9%
Spain 74 18%
Turkey 40 56%

Oral examination and consultation
Country Price  € Saving
Ireland 65
UK 55 15%
Croatia 20 69%
Cyprus 21 68%
India 8 88%
Italy 27 58%
Latvia 30 54%
Lithuania 0 100%
Portugal 40 38%
Spain 0 100%
Turkey 8 88%

Crown

Country

Price  €

Saving

Ireland 600
UK 678 -11%
Croatia 272 50%
Cyprus 378 31%
Czech 267 54%
Greece 189 69%
Hungary 235 60%
India 130 82%
Italy 455 35%
Philippines 54 88%
Poland 273 55%
Portugal 473 35%
Spain 343 41%
Turkey 217 68%

Dental Implant (including crown)
Country Price € Saving
Ireland 2495
UK 3058 -23%
Croatia 935 63%
Cyprus 1514 39%
Greece 1041 58%
Hungary 1219 51%
India 744 70%
Italy 1118 55%
Spain 1219 51%
Turkey 896 64%

Dental X ray
Country Price € Saving
Ireland 50
UK 8 73%
Greece 19 37%
Hungary 7 77%
India 5 83%
Italy 20 33%
Malaysia 34 13%
Poland 12 60%
Portugal 15 50%
Thailand 4 87%

Tooth extraction – wisdom tooth
Country Price € Saving
Ireland 150
UK 160 -7%
Cyprus 212 -41%
Greece 190 -27%
Hungary 122 19%
India 135 10%
Italy 135 10%

Basket 2 – Elective Surgery

Nose reconstruction (rhinoplasty)
Country Price € Saving
Ireland 3250
UK 4165 -28%
Austria 3190 2%
Australia 3955 -22%
Belgium 2030 38%
Brazil 1112 66%
France 3184 2%
Greece 3705 -14%
Hungary 1985 39%
India 1785 45%
Poland 1638 50%
Slovakia 1540 53%
South Africa 2640 19%
Spain 3260 0%
Thailand 1923 41%
Turkey 2399 26%

Colposcopy
Country Price € Saving
Ireland 495
United Kingdom 725 -46%
Cyprus 700 -41%
India 750 -52%
Turkey 480 3%

Cruciate Ligament Repair
Price € Saving
Ireland 5514
United kingdom 5520 -1%
Germany 2700 51%
India 3350 39%
Lithuania 1632 70%
Norway 2430 55%
Tunisia 1800 67%
Spain 2500 54%

Knee

Arthroscopy

Country

Price €

Savings

Ireland 2700
UK 2618 3%
Germany 1785 34%
India 1250 54%
Poland 714 74%
Spain 1800 33%

Knee Replacement

Country

Price €

Savings

Ireland 17049
United Kingdom 11400 33%
Poland 5676 67%
India 4284 75%
Norway 9360 45%
Tunisia 4320 75%
Spain 7370 57%
Germany 7735 55%
Cyprus 8141 52%

Basket 3 – Eye surgery

Laser Eye Surgery

Country

Price €

Saving

Ireland 1550
UK 1309 27%
Belgium 1300 28%
Cyprus 2860 -59%
Czech 560 69%
Hungary 545 70%
India 900 50%
Thailand 1570 13%
Tunisia 892 50%
Turkey 1006 44%

Cataract Removal

Country

Price €

Saving

Ireland 2696
UK 2796 4%
Belgium 1184 56%
France 1547 43%
Hungary 761 72%
Norway 1093 59%
Poland 1184 8%
Portugal 1968 27%
Thailand 731 73%
India 1070 60%

Basket 4 – Cosmetic

Breast augmentation

Country

Price €

Savings

Ireland 4950
UK 5253 -6%
Austria 5184 -5%
Australia 3492 29%
Belgium 2256 54%
Brazil 2065 58%
Cyprus 3283 34%
Czech 2932 41%
France 3552 28%
Greece 4500 9%
Hungary 2708 45%
India 2510 49%
Poland 2714 45%
South Africa 2670 46%
Spain 4075 18%
Turkey 2640 47%

Breast lift

Country

Price € Saving
Ireland 7250
UK 5111 30%
Austria 3060 58%
Belgium 2955 59%
Brazil 1430 80%
Cyprus 3282 55%
Czech 2018 72%
France 3490 52%
Hungary 2120 71%
India 2290 68%
Poland 2130 71%
Slovakia 1985 73%
Spain 4250 41%
Thailand 2830 61%
Turkey 2965 59%

Eyelids – upper & lower

Country

Price €

Saving

Ireland 5000
UK 4165 17%
Australia 4650 7%
Belgium 2275 55%
Brazil 1005 80%
Croatia 1700 66%
Czech 1680 66%
France 2625 48%
Greece 3177 36%
Hungary 1444 71%
India 2190 56%
Poland 1651 67%
South Africa 2180 56%
Spain 2999 40%
Thailand 1090 78%
Turkey 1860 63%

Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty)

Country

Price €

Saving

Ireland 7250
UK 5820 20%
Austria 4840 33%
Belgium 2740 62%
Brazil 1430 80%
Czech 2710 63%
France 3151 57%
Greece 4765 34%
Hungary 2176 70%
India 2506 65%
Lithuania 1527 79%
Malaysia 2653 63%
Poland 2656 63%
South Africa 4161 43%
Spain 4717 35%
Thailand 2480 66%
Turkey 2750 62%

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Client News: Insomnia hope to reduce landfill contribution by 6.5 tonnes annually with KeepCup

Barista Edita Cicenienne & Insomnia Chairman Bobby Kerr with 'KeepCup'

Barista Edita Cicenienne & Insomnia Chairman Bobby Kerr with 'KeepCup' . Photos by Roger Kenny Photography

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

Insomnia hope to reduce landfill contribution by 6.5 tonnes annually with KeepCup

Insomnia Coffee Company, Ireland’s leading independent premium coffee and sandwich café chain, has today launched its new reusable ‘KeepCup’.  The KeepCup is available to buy from €9.10 in over 40 Insomnia outlets* from today (Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011).

An uptake of just 10% in this latest innovation amongst Insomnia customers, will reduce landfill waste by 6.3 tonnes, saving over 600,000 disposable cups ending up as landfill.

The Insomnia KeepCup is available in 2 sizes; the Tall 12 oz KeepCup and the Grande 16oz KeepCup.  KeepCups are lightweight yet unbreakable, dishwasher safe, eco friendly, BPA free commuter coffee cups.  Their clever non spill design makes for pleasant drinking with the lid on or off.  KeepCups do not taint or add a ‘taste’ to coffee and keep your beverage hot up to 30 minutes longer then disposable cups.

“Insomnia has always taken its corporate and social responsibilities very seriously” said Insomnia Coffee Company Chairman, Bobby Kerr.  “We have lead by example with our Fairtrade policy and are now seeking to make a significant reduction to our contribution to landfill.”

“43% of Irish people buy a take-away coffee on the way to work and more then half of these people don’t recycle their cup**”, added Mr Kerr. “With KeepCup, we believe we are supplying our customers with the best reusable commuter cup on the market.  If 1 in 10 Insomnia customers swap disposable cups for a KeepCup, we could significantly reduce our contribution to landfill every year.”

As well as doing their bit for the environment, Insomnia customers will get 5 extra Insomnia loyalty points every time they refill their KeepCup.  Insomnia is also offering 100 loyalty points with every KeepCup sold in selected Insomnia outlets up until April 30th 2011.  More details are available on www.insomnia.ie

ENDS.

*KeepCups on sale at the following Insomnia branches:  51 A Dawson St D2, 15 Upper Baggot St D4, Conway Institute D4, 20 Upper Baggot St D4, 4 St. Stephens Green D2, 1A Pembroke Street D2, Quinn Building, UCD, Belfield, IFSC 2Lr Mayor St D1, 24 Main St Blackrock, 4 Harcourt Halls, Charlotte Way D2, 8 Merrion Road, Ballsbridge, 20 Upper Liffey St D1, Scotch Hall SC Drogheda Co Louth,Nassau Street D1, Abbey St. / Millennium Walk D1, Units 9 & 19 Malahide Shopping Centre,  Main St, Malahide Co Dub, 312 Lower Rathmines, Rathmines Rd D6, South Lenister Street D2, Gweedore, Church Road Wicklow,  Unit 223, Merchamp Centre, Vernon Ave., Clontarf,  8/9 Wexford Street D2, 1A Earlsford Terrace D2 Leixlip: Old Celbridge Rd., Barnhall Shopping Centre, Leixlip Co. Kildare, Donnybrook: 77 Morehampton Road, Donnybrook D4, Sandyford: Q House, Furze Rd, Sandyford Industrial Estate D 18, Insomnia @Meadows & Byrne, Insomnia @Garden Work

** Figures supplied by Repak

For more information please contact Emily Tully, Emily Tully PR & Online Communications on 086 385 6225 or email emily@emilytully.com

Notes for Editors:

Insomnia Coffee Company is Ireland’s leading independent premium coffee and sandwich café chain.  The company was established in 1997 in a bookstore in Galway and now has 60 outlets which includes high street stores and partnerships with Spar/BWG, UCD, Meadows & Byrne and GardenWorks (Plantagen). The company is owned equally by Bobby Kerr (Chairman), Harry O’Kelly (CEO) and John Clohisey.

KeepCup is a stylish and practical lidded commuter cup that replicates standard takeaway sizes and fits under the group heads of espresso machines.

KeepCups are BPA free and non toxic. They have good thermal properties keeping beverages hot 20-30 minutes longer than disposable cups. Manufactured in Australia, KeepCup is the first barista standard reusable cup and the number one choice for sustainable coffee consumption.

Learn more about Insomnia at www.insomnia.ie

Learn more about KeepCup at www.keepcup.com

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Client News: One Naked Man – One boat – 6000KM

Sunday, March 13, 2011

One Naked Man – One boat – 6000KM

Naked Irishman set to depart for Australia for 120 day gruelling Indian Ocean rowing challenge

In just under three weeks, Kildare man Keith Whelan, aka the Naked Adventurer, heads off across the globe in his attempt to become the youngest male in the world to row the Indian Ocean solo and the first Irish person to row the Indian ocean ever. “Oh and he will be Naked too!”

The challenge will see 30 year old Keith row 12 hours every day, 2 hours on and 2 hours off, for the 120 days he will be at sea.   That’s 1.8 million oar strokes in searing heat, massive ocean swells and vicious storms.

The event management consultant living in Co.Laois, has been preparing for his Indian Ocean Challenge for the past 18 months.  “I had never even rowed a boat this time two years ago” he said, “but this challenge is something I’ve always wanted to do.  As it stands more people have walked on the moon then have rowed across the Indian Ocean.  I’m hoping to get the spotlight of achievement back on Ireland with this world record, and of course raise much needed funds for my chosen charity “Keep a Child Alive.”

Keith will depart Ireland in just three weeks for Western Australia where he will launch his 23ft long boat Ocean rowing boat and begin his challenge.  The boat, where he will spend up to 4 months, is just 6 foot wide at its widest point. It carries 150 litres of ballast water which will helps to flip the boat back up the right way in the event of a capsize. On-board solar panels provide energy to run the very limited electrical equipment on board such as the water maker, GPS, Satellite phone, VHF radio and AIS system.

Keith, aka ‘the naked adventurer’ will be completely alone at sea and unaided by any other vessel.  To achieve his world record, he must row to longitudinal point near Mauritius, without having been touched by anyone other than Keith. In the event of an emergency, there is an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) on board in addition to PLB (Personal Locating Beacon) along with a life raft should the worst happen

“Obviously the lighter the load the better” added Keith, “Most of the gear on board will be absolutely essential equipment, dehydrated food and about 500 bars of chocolate. I will be bringing one or two photos and will probably stick some messages from people and some inspirational quotes on the inside of the cabin.  The main message over the aft cabin door, the one I will be facing as I’m rowing will read “pain is temporary but quitting lasts forever”!”

Keith will be blogging, updating his facebook page and tweeting throughout his journey.  You can also see his real-time location on www.thenakedadventurer.com. The challenge is kindly supported by Fyffes, Rowhire, Powerbar, Timex and Relinquish Clothing amongst other generous contributors.  Additional sponsors are always welcome as are donations to Keep a Child Alive.

For further information or to keep track of Keith while at sea, please contact Emily Tully, Emily Tully PR & Online Communications on 086 385 6225 or email emily@emilytully.com

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Client News: Recession? What Recession? Harry’s Café Bar extends dining times and offers more then ever before!

For immediate release – images available

Recession? What Recession? Harry’s Café Bar extends dining times and offers more then ever before!

Harry’s Café Bar, Dun Laoghaire has extended its new evening dining menu to weekends.

The Night-Time@Harry’s evening menu offers diners dishes like Char-Grilled Burgers, Tex Mex Chili Beef Nachos, Spicy Chicken Wings and Melted Gorgonzola and Poached Pear Bruschetta all in the casual and comfortable surroundings of Harry’s overlooking Dun Laoghaire’s main street.

“Harry’s evening dinner menu has been a big hit Tuesday to Saturday with our regulars” said Night-Time@Harry’s owner Alison Bennett.  “We’ve tailored this end of our business to take account of the recession by offering tasty food at great value with special offers all week long.”

Harry’s have also introduced a weekend Brunch menu offering customers the best of its popular weekday breakfast and evening menus at a time that suits them.

“Weekend mornings are different for everyone” said Alison Bennett, “some are a bit worse for wear, some have been up with the kids for hours and some are en route to stock up the fridge.  We’ve tried to bear that in mind when designing our Brunch menu so whether its Eggs Benedict, the Harry’s Big Breakfast or Spicy Chicken Wings we have something for everyone!”

Night-Time@Harry’s, offers a full dinner menu 5 days a week from 5.30pm to 10pm with Special Offers from Tuesday to Saturday including the 2 course for €17 Early Bird on Fridays and Saturdays, the Classic Burgers at €10 on Wednesdays and a free main course on Thursdays.

The vibe is casual, the music is funky and the food, prepared by our culinary team lead by Chef Christophe Dominique, is big on flavour and value.

Weekend Brunch at Harry’s is available Saturday from 9-5.30pm and Sunday from 9.30am to 8pm so you can lie-in as long as you like.

For menus/photos/more information please contact Emily Tully, Emily Tully PR & Online Communications on 086 385 6225 or email emily@emilytully.com


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Client News: Ditch expensive health insurance with the introduction of Avantis Health self-funded healthcare plans

Embargoed for release Friday 21st January

Ditch expensive health insurance with the introduction of Avantis Health self-funded healthcare plans

Avantis Health, has today (January 21st, 2011) launched its new self-funded healthcare products which allow Irish consumers to control, fund and manage their own healthcare spending.

With Avantis Health, consumers effectively ‘self-insure’; paying for their own medical costs and offering a reliable alternative to ever increasing health insurance premiums.  Consumers save for their healthcare requirements using health savings accounts in mainstream banks.  Risk management products such as a critical illness policy, or hospital cash policies can be added to manage the financial risk of serious illness.  Avantis Health, a professional healthcare purchaser, sources and purchases any treatments required on behalf of the patient, therefore getting substantial discounts.

“Self-funded health care is an international norm”, said Avantis Health Director, Orla Fahy.  “With the cost of health insurance policies rising to unsustainable highs, this is an important alternative for Irish consumers and businesses. Avantis Health has a proven track record across Europe of sourcing quality, cost effective medical treatment in a transparent, efficient way.  Unlike health insurance, our service allows consumers to remain in control of their heath spending and have a say in how their money is being spent.  Our research shows Irish patients are paying more for a range of medical treatments than anyone else in Europe.  With Avantis Health, Irish consumers can enjoy the same value for money enjoyed by their European counterparts”

As well as working with Irish hospitals and clinics, Avantis Health also offers access to a global network of treatment providers in eleven countries which can result in significant savings on elective treatments, cosmetic surgery, dental care, laser eye treatments, IVF and hundreds of other procedures.

Consumers can sign up to become an Avantis Health member for free at www.avantishealth.com.

How does Avantis Health work:
Once a treatment is required, Avantis members can request the treatment either at home here in Ireland or abroad. Avantis Health will seek quotations from its global provider network on the patients behalf. Considerable discounts can be achieved through bulk buying for all Avantis Health members. Following consultation with their doctor/medical advisor, the member then selects the quotation that best meets his/her requirements. Avantis Health then draws up an agreement between the hospital/dental provider and the patient to purchase the treatment.

About Avantis Health: The Company

Avantis Health is a wholly owned Irish company supported by Enterprise Ireland.  Established in Dublin in 2007, Avantis already offers self-funded healthcare products across Europe.  The Avantis Health team includes health cost containment professionals with in depth experience in the field of Managed Care. Its ever increasing global network of approved suppliers has over 500 Healthcare providers, including Hospitals, Consultants, Clinics and Health Centers.  Avantis Health supplies solutions to consumers, businesses and healthcare providers.

For further information please contact Emily Tully, Emily Tully PR & Online Communications on 086 385 6225 or email emily@emilytully.com

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Client News: Support naked ambition at Carlow Valentines Ball

For immediate release (Monday, January 17th, 2011)

Support naked ambition at Carlow Valentines Ball

A Valentines Ball has been organised to help fund local man Keith Whelan’s impending Indian Ocean Challenge. The ball, in the 4 star Talbot Hotel, Carlow, will take place on Friday, February 11th 2011. Tickets are €50 each or €450 for a table of 10. All proceeds go to Keith Whelan’s Indian Ocean Challenge and his nominated charity, Keep a Child Alive.

In April 2011, Keith Whelan (aka The Naked Adventurer!) will row, alone, across the Indian Ocean from Western Australia to Mauritius. On completion of this gruelling 6,000km challenge, Keith will become the first Irishman and the youngest person ever to row across the Indian Ocean unassisted.

“I’m fully geared up for my challenge at this stage,” said Keith who’s been training and bulking himself up for the past year. “I’ve put a lot of work into securing sponsors and am delighted to have the likes of Rowhire, Fyffes, Crewroom and Powerbar on board, as well as local sponsors and supporters such as The Little Coffee House and The Talbot Hotel in Carlow. The Valentines Ball is also a crucial part of my fundraising plans so I’m hoping as many people as possible come out and glad their glad rags on for February 11th. We’ll have a delicious 3 course meal, live music with ‘The Great Escape’, special guests a raffle and auction, so it will be an action packed evening for all!”

Tickets can be purchased for €50 each or you can buy a table of 10 for just €450 – a great way to reward staff or just get the gang together on a night out.

You can get more information and buy tickets by logging on to www.thenakedadventurer.com or email valentinesball@thenakedadventurer.com

Lean more about Keith and the Indian Ocean Challenge at www.thenakedadventurer.com

Follow Keith’s adventure on Twitter at @nakedadventurer

Track the journey on facebook

For further information please contact Emily Tully on 086 385 6225 or email emily@thenakedadventurer.com

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Fine Gael hacking shows heavy moderation is bad PR

Message on the hacked Fine Gael website

Message on the hacked Fine Gael website

I must admit, I didn’t think much of the whole Fine Gael website hack story until I heard Chris Donoghue talking to the Evening Herald’s Kevin Doyle on Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

It’s the claim that Fine Gael censored visitors comments that interests me  most.

Working as a freelance community manager, I find it flabbergasting that an organisation such as Fine Gael, would make such an error.

Having worked with Newstalk as freelance community manager in the past, my responsibilities included moderating comments and managing social media and other online interaction.  The moderation policy was, as a naughties bank regulator’s might have been; ‘light touch’.

The only comments to remain ‘unapproved’ were those directly libelous or defamatory.  The only editing of comments was to remove unnecessary bad language – and usually only very bad language!

Why?  Well you cannot, in my opinion, adopt an incentive inviting and encouraging comment and interaction from Joe Public  and only publish the nice bits.

Now, I appreciate, and indeed have experience of this being very difficult in an organisation managing many different personalities.  There were individuals who felt certain comments should be removed and they made their feelings known.  But thankfully management agreed that its shows contempt to moderate unnecessarily and illustrates a lack of understanding of what online interaction is all about.

So is the Fine Gael experience another stunning example of ‘online interaction is so hot right now’ marketing box-ticking devoid of understanding and respect for the online community?

I think yes – but am open to your, uncensored, views!

Certainly the party’s response to subscribers who’ve been burned by the ‘sharing’ of their personal information would appear to illustrate just that and is in itself a PR disaster:

with thanks to Stewart @irishstu Curry

with thanks to Stewart @irishstu Curry

And we know hacking is ‘bad’ so do we really need Fine Gael spin to hammer home the point as per today’s Fine Gael home page?

picture-12

I was unimpressed when the Fine Gael ‘talk to Enda’ website launched and felt it was an empty venture.  It appears to be so.

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Tell them something they don’t know!

I came across this thanks to @adrianweckler of the Sunday Business Post – a fantastic example of getting media coverage by providing journalists with factual, interesting and topical data.  No journalist will ever say no to that!

picture-5

Absolute Software, a UK based computer security firm, put in a simple Freedom of Information request into the BBC to find out the extent of losses due to theft and loss of IT equipment within the corporation.

This was a great move because:

  • it provided them with the invaluable currency of previously unpublished data
  • it is of interest to the general public who are focused on money wastage
  • it directly places Absolute Software as the remedy to the problem
  • it dishes a bit of dirt on one of the UK’s best known organisations
  • it facilitates discussion on TV licence fees and where they go as well as internet security, bringing Absolute Software out of tech pages and into national news pages

The story received reams of coverage in the UK and further afield.

picture-1picture-3

Just some of the Google news results for the story

Just some of the Google news results for the story

Offering unique data to the media is a wonderful way of getting some column inches – provided of course, that it is interesting!

A FOI request is just one of the ways of doing this – you can also do a cheap and simple internet survey, comission a survey or go out and vox pop people yourself!

Craft a nice, eye catching press release with the most interesting aspects of your research and you have a good chance of getting some media interest.

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Got something ‘boring’ coming up? Make your news an event!

So, regular readers (which implies regular writing, I know!) will know that I like to tip the hat when I come across some good PR.  So, this week I’m all about the stroke of genius that was Dot Conf.

Here’s the conundrum:

  • You’re launching something good…and on further inspection interesting, but not unique or ‘groundbreaking’
  • Lots of other people in the same field are launching similar things at exactly the same time
  • There is very little you can do in the way of offering the media ‘something different’ or newsy with this one
  • You know you need to get people ‘in’ to see what its all about but you really can’t see them going out of their way to attend another boring launch

The answer?

Hold an event around your launch that WILL interest people, get noticed, create news, benefit others and create a tremendous amount of goodwill once people interact with you and your peeps = National College of Ireland‘s Dot Conf, July 22nd 2010.

I first heard of it weeks ago…

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And with an invite like that how could anyone say no?  Actually I forgot to sign up immediately if I’m honest, but there were lots of little gentle reminders from Emma, who completely understands how to use Twitter effectively.


picture-8

Not to mention this gem

I knew what Dot Conf was about, and I knew I wanted to go to it.  I didn’t know that actually I was being invited to check out the NCI, get a feel for the place and consider whether I’d be interested in their brand spanking new MSc in Web Technologies.  I didn’t know that until I arrived on Thursday and got my lovely welcome pack full of info, some crucial (like the times of the deep dives) and some additional (like the NCI prospectus).

The conference itself was great – some excellent presentations. My favourites were Keith Maycock and Des Traynor who, to be honest, were the less ‘sales pitchy’ ones.  That said I also enjoyed Martha Rotter’s Pivot presentation which was really something considering I’m a Mac user!

There was a free lunch, which I didn’t get because I was meeting with some potential customers.

Then there were the aptly named  ’deep dives’ – I went to eCourgettes and Wired Potatoes (very deep) and the Usable Content one.  (I have to say I was distracted throughout the latter ‘dive’ by the shiny, pretty, ipad beside me.)

Then it was back for more sales pitches (well you have to offer some incentives to sponsors – don’t you?), more interesting presentations and then….free refreshments and a chance to win an XBOX – also known as the ‘MSc launch party’.

Confession time – I couldn’t stay for it.  But, I did, for a split second, think about abandoning my son and heir for the array of really naughty sweets on offer.

I’m not sure how many people stayed for the launch bit, but I’ll betcha’ it was more then NCI would have gotten in had they just released a “Another boring event is happening this Thursday” invite to media and token ‘so hot right now’ bloggers.

  by the dot conf.

The new NCI MSc course also got a lot more media coverage then other similar post graduate courses launched the same day (or that week).

Dot Conf also brought in new friends for National College of Ireland.  I’d never been there before and as I was walking around, especially through the stair well with pictures of past students, I got a really nice feel for the place.  I reckon if I did want to go back to studying, I would like to give them my money.

Without wishing to sound patronising, well done Emma and Co. A clever idea, a PR stroke of genius and a great day.

(Check out #dotconf to read up on people’s impressions of the day)

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2 weeks with the N97 Mini

So a few weeks ago I realised that my trusty Nokia N95 was on its way out. I love that phone but I had to think about a new one and luckily my dilemma coincided with my 30th birthday so my mother said “pick a phone and I’ll get it for you” (Thanks Mum!).

I have thus far resisted the iphone – not sure why really and its odd seeing as I’m a mac user and a mac fan. I think its touch screen putting me off. Also, I had concerns about the camera – my N95 camera is so good and I take a lot of photos and print a lot of photos so the camera is important to me.

I decided I had 3 options the Nokia N97Mini, the iphone (3G or 4 if it EVER arrives!) or the HTC Desire.

My next move was good ‘ol reliable twitter where I asked if anyone had an experience of these phones or an opinion on which one I should get.

Cue Nokia’s excellent PR machine!

picture-3

@WOMworldNokia instantly tweeted me offering me a trial of any Nokia phone to help me make up my mind – genius! Did apple tweet me? No HTC? No – but Nokia did, instantly awakening my loyalty to a brand that had served me well in the past and was prepared to work for my loyalty.

Its a very clever scheme – they lend you a phone for 2 weeks and you do their online PR for them! From looking at the WOMworld site I gather they pick people who are active on social media or who blog actively (ok, ok I know I’m more the former!). The agreement I signed with them to borrow the phone stated

“We like loud mouths so post as much as you like – good and bad. Get involved in conversation and have your say based on first-hand experiences. Be sure to let your fellow forum members and blog readers know what you think. WOM World / Nokia always likes to read your posts!

Online conversations that you generate, and are involved in, as part of the programme will help us to better understand the opinions and issues that exist. This insight is pivotal in helping shape future products, initiatives and approaches”

Clever eh?  If you look at the WOMworld site you can see me on their map as one of the trial users…


WOMWorld Experience Map

So what did I think of the phone?

Well I preface this review with a health warning – I’ve been really busy and I didn’t even look at the instruction booklet.  I just charged it, stuck in my sim and off I went!

I’m still not mad about touch screen – I had to bash the N97 Mini screen and I couldn’t see it in the daylight on a sunny day.  I also don’t like the ‘live content’ feature as unless I had it on offline mode it connected to 3G automatically and cost me a fortune.  I had a quick check to see if I could set it to only connect when I’m at my home wifi network but I couldn’t see an option – again, I didn’t read the instructions!

The camera is not great at all – not a patch on the N95 camera. Its about the same quality as an iphone camera.

The OVI maps feature is good – I like that and I don’t have Satnav so its handy.

Texting is a little awkward as you need to flip open the keyboard and often hit other buttons in the process – I sent a few blank texts in the beginning.  On the plus side – there’s no way one could text while driving should one be so inclined to break the law in that manner…

There’s a better charger then on the last generation of Nokia mobiles – more sturdy and less likely to snap off (we’ve been through a few in this house)

I didn’t use any apps – nor did I feel compelled to – they’re not really as much of a feature as they are on iphones.

So in conclusion, the phone was, for want of a better word…meh (functional but nothing special)

But the PR execution was excellent!

I still haven’t made up my mind which phone to get but my loyalty to Nokia as a brand is bolstered by this clever PR scheme.

Posted in Online PR | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments