Media&Marketing/Emmet Oliver: Giant US brands such as McDonald's may be suffering in this new health-conscious era, but the Irish consumer shows no sign of falling out of love with other sugary American icons.
Coca-Cola remains the biggest grocery brand in the Republic, according to a survey by Checkout magazine. The magazine estimates Coke's annual sales at 116 million.
With an annual advertising spend of 1.9 million, the brand was number one without even being the biggest advertising spender - more than €2 million was spent on Danone's Actimel last year.
While Coca-Cola's number one position looks unassailable, Irish brands were still well represented in the top 10, with Avonmore Fresh Milk at two, Premier Milk at three and Tayto Crisps at four. Tayto's rival Walkers was way down in 44th position, although in 2002 it had no ranking.
The highest new entry this year was Diet 7-UP, at number 22. Nescafé was the highest mover, up to 49 this year from 80th in 2002.
The top 10 brands, in descending order, were: Coca-Cola, Avonmore Fresh Milk, Premier Milk, Tayto Crisps, Lucozade, 7-UP, Lyons Tea, Pampers, Denny Cooked Meats and Goodfella's Pizza.
Talk show battle
The last few advertisers are trickling in to book space in the first edition of TV3's Eamon Dunphy talk show, which debuts on Friday week, September 5th.
To get a 30-second slot on the show, advertisers must pay €10,000, although for that price their advert gets aired when the show is repeated on Saturday at 11 p.m.
According to Mr Pat Kiely, sales and marketing director at TV3, the show is almost sold out with advertisers attracted by the show's targeting of viewers in the key 25-44 age group.
Advertisers are upbeat, but stress that it will not be easy.
Ms Orlaith Blaney, managing director of McCann Erickson, said the biggest challenge for TV3 would not be the first few programmes. "I believe they will sell the advertising slots for the first show at the price premium they have been looking for. I'm not convinced about the decision to start the programme at 9 p.m., given how many Irish consumers tune in to the news prior to the Late, Late Show, I think even 9.15 p.m. might have been a better time."
With Mr Dunphy giving briefings to agencies over the past few weeks, TV3 hopes to attract new viewers to the chat show format, rather than simply picking off viewers from the Late, Late Show.
That is probably just as well for RTÉ with the Late, Late Show losing viewers virtually every year since 1998/99. The show had an average audience of 817,000 when Gay Byrne departed, but this is down to 572,000 under Pat Kenny.
While nobody ever expected the show to hold onto its huge audiences from the 1980s, the ageing profile of its audience gives TV3 a chance to target a much younger consumer.
Mr Kiely said the reality was that 55 per cent of the public were no longer watching any chat show on a Friday night and the challenge was to capture some of this group.
'Sunday Times' CD
Sometimes described as heroin for newspaper editors, the CD giveaway has become the quickest way to deliver a short-term spike in sales.
But the Sunday Times this Sunday will be seeking to introduce a CD (or CD-Rom to be more precise) that will attract readers on a more permanent basis.
The paper believes the product represents a new era for newspapers.
Time will only tell if that is the case, but the introduction of the product to the Republic will put pressure on competitors such as Ireland on Sunday and the Sunday Independent to increase their spending on CDs and other promotional tools.
The CD-ROM entitled The Month will be included in the Sunday Times (Irish edition) at the end of every month.
It will enable readers to access a range of reviews of films, records, books and listings via their PC.
According to Mr Richard Caseby, managing editor of the Sunday Times in London, the first edition will include reviews of eight new films and 25 new records.
"We have put a 10 million investment behind this. It will allow readers to read reviews, to then sample the film or record and, if they want to buy it, they can also do that because the CD is fully interactive," he told The Irish Times.
The editor of the Sunday Times Irish edition, Ms Fiona McHugh, said the CD-ROM was different from other CD promotions because it attempted to build on the newspaper.
"It will connect with what's in the paper and not just be a stand- alone CD that has little or no relation to editorial," she said.
Doherty vultures
A free-for-all is expected among the advertising community over the next few weeks as agencies pick over the bones of Doherty Advertising, which ceased trading last Friday.
The company had a long client list and the agency placed 7.9 million of business with the national press last year.
The good news (or is that bad?) is that most of the clients were in the public sector, particularly in the health boards. So this means most will have to go to tender again, which should give everyone a chance to bid.
Marketer of the Year
Slendertone won it last year, now the search is on for this year's Marketer of the Year. The award, organised by Marketing magazine, is given to companies that have demonstrated an ability to make their products successful by using new marketing approaches.
The closing date for submissions is September 26th. Nominations can be faxed to 01 2807735 or emailed to cullen@marketing.ie
