Media&Marketing: Ireland's representative body for creative talent in advertising and graphic design agencies, the Institute of Creative Advertising and Design (ICAD), is launching an initiative aimed at defining the ICAD brand and attracting Government recognition of the benefits of investing in design.

ICAD is a not-for-profit industry body which aims to foster and reward creativity in Irish advertising and design. Carol Lambert, ICAD president and creative director of Publicis QMP, said it was initiating steps to "instill a sense of pride and enthusiasm" for creative talent in Ireland.

"The first issue is the relationship between the Government and the design industry," Lambert said. "This will be addressed at an afternoon forum at the Irish Film Institute in Dublin next Wednesday, when we discuss Government tendering and the need for better research into design's value to the economy."

Lambert said Government bodies often asked designers to "free pitch" for projects worth about €30,000. This has a negative knock-on effect on the standard of design work commissioned for Government, she said.

The forum will look at the positive effect that design investment can have on a business's bottom line.

ICAD will also run two sets of workshops for young talent, which allow 24 applicants to work with six advertising and design agencies over six weeks.

A programme on presentation skills, subsidised by Design Ireland Skillnets, will be run for agencies.

Next year, ICAD will mark its silver jubilee by inviting advertising and design guests from overseas to address members each month.

ICAD has 317 members, 70 per cent of whom work in advertising. Lambert said the discrepancy in representation was because ad agencies tended to employ more staff.

Ads on safe eating

Irish International BBDO has won the Food Safety Authority of Ireland advertising contract after a public tender process. The team is headed by board director Barry Dooley and creative director Eoghan Nolan.

Other agencies shortlisted were Grey Helme, Hunter Red Cell and the incumbent, Cawley Nea\TBWA.

On the PR front, Slattery Communications has won the Merrill Lynch contract in competition with Reputation Inc and Q4.

Different accent

UPC Ireland, the group owner of the NTL and Chorus brands, will launch a four-week series of Polish language advertisements in the Polska Gazeta freesheet starting from next Thursday, as part of a marketing strategy targeting non-Irish nationals.

'S&P' to get audit

Social & Personal, which looks to glitzy events and party goers for sales, is to apply for an ABC audit before the summer, in the hope of gaining official ABC status by year end, publisher PJ Gibbons has said.

S&P, published by 21st Century Media, claims a 30,000 print run.

Consumer press in Ireland is highly competitive and advertising agencies tend to give preference to titles which provide ABC-audited figures.

Agency for PDs

PR agency MRPA Kinman Communications is to advise the Progressive Democrats between now and election day.

The team will be led by Ray Gordon, who along with agency colleague Stephen O'Byrnes, is a former PD press officer.

Ciarán Conlon, who worked for the agency on the PD account in the last election, is now director of communications for Fine Gael.

TV3 seeks sponsor

TV3 is on the lookout for a sponsor for its new Exposé entertainment show which will be on air at teatime on weekdays from April. Presented by Lorraine Keane, it will look at celebrity life in Ireland, Hollywood and elsewhere.

Head of news Andrew Hanlon said that while the station could not hope to compete with the huge numbers that the RTÉ Six One News attracts, he was confident the show would prove popular in delivering a young female audience to advertisers.

Turn-up for bookies

During Ireland's rugby win over England at Croke Park last Saturday, one supporter was overheard asking his friend: "What odds do you reckon we could have got on Paddy Power running their ads upside down?"

The advertisements did indeed appear upside down, but perhaps with all the excitement, the mistake was forgiven.

Or was it a blooper at all? Given the advertiser's track record for publicity stunts, some suspect it was a deliberate turn-up for the books.

Michael Cullen is editor of Marketing, Ireland's marketing and media monthly

cullen@marketing.ie