The Irish-owned agency, Rothco, has managed to scoop one of the biggest drinks advertising contracts in the Republic from the giant British agency, BBH.

The Murphy's account is worth about €3.5 million annually and Rothco hopes its new campaign can reinvigorate the stout market, which is facing massive competition from other sections of the drinks industry, particularly from lager. It is Rothco's biggest contract to date. Murphy's is owned by Heineken.

The agency, which has worked closely with Mr Kevin Cullinane, Murphy's marketing manager, on the deal, is planning to make stout drinking relevant again among those in the key 18 to 24 age group.

While the drinking of stout brands like Murphy's, Guinness and Beamish is well established among older age groups, the general stout market has been under pressure in the youth market, with lager going ahead several years ago. Last year stout sales overall were down about 6 per cent in the Republic.

Mr Cullinane said at the hub of the campaign would be Murphy's Munster and Irish associations. He said Rothco's approach "hit the nail on the head"; it was not grandiose, but clever and reflective of Murphy's Munster and Cork identity.

He said the Rothco campaign would begin in March and would be spread over several media, possibly including ambient options like SMS. He said Murphy's was cognisant that Irish consumers, particularly younger ones, had changed their drinking habits, but stout could still be a popular option among those in their 20s.

Mr Patrick Hickey, director of Rothco, said it was good for the Irish advertising industry to be bringing big brands like Murphy's "back home". He said with so many agencies now internationally aligned, it was hard to convince brand leaders to look elsewhere, but this was what happened in relation to Murphy's.

Oval draws

The success of Munster and Leinster has made the Heineken Cup one of this year's biggest television sporting draws. New figures show that RTÉ's coverage of the two provinces pulled in a sizeable audience.

Leinster, with its predominance of Dublin players and clubs, has managed to attract an average audience of 147,110, while Munster games have attracted on average 141,433 viewers.

The biggest draw so far was Leinster's match with Swansea on January 10th, when 185,920 tuned in.

Meanwhile, European Rugby Cup Ltd, organisers of the Heineken Cup, has appointed Ogilvy & Mather to push the tournament for the rest of the season.

Ogilvy has been given the task of maximising awareness across Europe for the final in Lansdowne Road on May 24th. The campaign will involve marketing the tournament across Europe under the strap line "New Rugby, new rhythm".

While still not as big as the Six Nations or the Champions League, the final is expected to be one of Ireland's biggest sporting occasions and, according to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, €40 to €50 million will be generated based on 30,000 visitors to Dublin during the final weekend.

Sunday arts

FM 104 and Lite FM have decided to try entertainment/arts formats in the traditionally tranquil Sunday morning slot when most stations settle for soothing arias or light pop.

Lite FM is to air its Culture Vulture programme from January 26th between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., while FM 104's The Juice is already on air between 10 a.m. and noon. The Juice has attracted a positive response from listeners, according to Mr Dave Kelly, programming director at FM 104.

"Sunday mornings can be challenging in terms of attracting a decent-size audience as it is traditionally a quiet time," he says. "Some people choose to listen to talk radio, but others want something lighter and more entertaining at the weekend."

Scott Williams at Lite says the station's research shows a gap in the Dublin radio market for an extensive and in-depth culture and arts programme.

For a traditionally quiet period, the number of stations prepared to fight for ratings is surprising. One of the reasons is that stations can try out new presenters and new ideas off-peak without losing face if they don't work.

On the other hand, if a Sunday morning show does well, the station has the option of shifting the format into a more prominent part of the schedule.

Broadcaster and occasional actress Taragh Loughrey Grant presents The Juice and she says the key will be to make the arts accessible.

Meanwhile, Lite will use Venetia Quick, Robert Walshe and Neil O'Shea to front its show.

Any media, advertising or marketing news, please e-mail eoliver@irish-times.ie