ADVERTISING/MARKETING: Anyone spending €1.5 million (£1.2 million) on a 13-day advertising campaign runs the risk of serious advertising fatigue. That sort of budget buys a lot of airtime and all that repetition can have the effect of making the target audience switch off when the campaign appears yet again on television or radio.
The turn-off factor is even more pronounced when the subject of the campaign is also a lead item on every news bulletin.
These are very real issues for the Referendum Commission whose information campaign on the abortion referendum began last Friday and will continue until March 6th.
McConnells was awarded the account early last week and had to produce the first television and radio ads by Friday.
Unusually for a State account, there was not an open tender which, given the size of the budget, will undoubtedly cause ripples in agencies which were not invited to pitch.
The official procurement process allows such an omission when the timeframe makes open tendering impractical.
The three agencies asked to pitch were Irish International, DDFH&B and McConnells. Drury Communications, which like Irish International is part of the BBDO group, advised on the shortlist.
According to a Referendum Commission spokesman, the three agencies were chosen on the basis that they are the largest in the State with the expertise and manpower to mount such an intensive campaign at such short notice.
There are three phases to the campaign, comprising 12 broadcast advertisements (including Irish-language versions), a six-sheet poster campaign and a three-day press campaign. Dividing the campaign is an attempt to deal with the issue of fatigue.
In addition, there will be two-minute long public service broadcasts. RTÉ is obliged to carry these free of charge as part of its public service remit, and TV3 and independent radio stations have also agreed to forgo payment. The Commission is taking the unusual step of advertising the time of these broadcasts in an effort to ensure maximum exposure.
The creative strategy devised by McConnells is designed to be a simple communication message responding to the Commission's brief that it should be "an oasis of calm" amid the media noise of the debate.
On the first television ad, the backdrop is white, the only graphic is the date of the referendum and the presenter in the English-language version is a dressed-down Ms Keelin Shanley who has worked as a reporter on Prime Time.
Through constant exposure the first advertisement has now reached its "best-by-date" and will be replaced this evening by a second advertisement.
The first carried the simple message of the date of the referendum, outlined details of what it is for and urged people to vote.
The second will attempt to explain the issues while the third phase of the campaign will urge people to vote. All use the tag line "it's your decision".
