HOW WE DO IT
We tell lots of different stories, to lots of different people, for lots of different reasons
We tell lots of different stories, to lots of different people, for lots of different reasons
The National Dairy Council, the Irish farmer-funded marketing organisation working on behalf of Ireland’s 18,000 family-run dairy farms, briefed 4TC on its goal of bringing the consumer closer to the farmer. Research shows that – broadly speaking – there’s a lack of consumer trust and belief in dairy farmers and the dairy industry, and while as many as 80% of people believe Irish dairy is the best in the world, they’re not so sure about its sustainability.
It’s a crowded place, and there are lots of voices vying to be heard – the Irish Farmers Association, the Irish Co-Operative Organisation Society, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association – but the National Dairy Council’s place is talking to consumers and its language, and the tone it uses, should reflect that.
4TC upped the issues content of the NDC’s communication – in anticipation of the impact of the Climate Action Bill – focusing on the nutritional, social, economic and environmental initiatives which make Irish dairy farming sustainable.
Ongoing activity – including issues statements, media and stakeholder relations, blogs, social media commentary, podcasts, and the training of farmer spokespeople – has positioned the NDC as an organisation with a clear position and willingness to articulate it.
Read the blogs.
4TC identified sustainability and responsibility (social and environmental) as key reputational platforms for Echelon Data Centres and we developed the Data Centres 2021 | Power and Influence market report to support this. The next phase of activity was to produce a podcast series to further support the discussion of the issues raised in the report.
Power & Responsibility: The Data Centre Podcast consists of interviews with the authors of the articles comprising the Echelon report, along with members of Echelon’s senior management team, and other experts in the fields of renewable energy, alternative fuels, energy efficiency, energy storage tech, and data centre tech.
The podcasts – which are being made available on Echelon’s website as well as on hosting platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts – are marketed via social media and delivered directly to contacts, targets and stakeholders. Each episode deals with a specific topic directly related, or linked to, data centre sustainability and is intended to educate and inform, thereby countering current misconceptions around data centres and their impact on the power grid and the environment.
As part of our longterm relationship with the Irish ProShare Association (IPSA), 4TC highlighted an issue that is of significant importance to Ireland’s business, banking and political communities.
It follows Ulster Bank’s decision to withdraw from the Irish market, a move which puts at risk the future of one of Ireland’s most popular employee share schemes.
Save As You Earn (SAYE) is a Revenue-backed share scheme that has financially benefitted tens of thousands of ordinary Irish workers by letting them save salary in a tax efficient manner to buy shares in the companies they work for. However, only Ulster Bank accepts SAYE savings accounts and when it leaves Ireland, SAYE will no longer be viable unless a other lenders step in.
The loss of SAYE would be a major blow to man Irish companies and IPSA, which advocates for increased employee share ownership in Irish business, wants the Government to safeguard SAYE.
4TC worked with IPSA to bring this important issue to the business community, legislators and general public alike. We distilled the technical complexities of SAYE and the legislation around it to create and communicate a clear and accessible story, before approaching specific media and preparing our client for interview.
The outcome was this article in the business section of the Sunday Independent and online at Independent.ie, which conveys both the urgency of the situation and what IPSA believes needs to be done to secure the future of SAYE.
Echelon Data Centres is an Irish-based international data centre infrastructure developer providing large-scale assets to support the growing global demand for data and computing resources. 4TC has provided communication services for Echelon since before its launch in 2019.
As part of a strategy to promote Echelon’s leading approach to the environment and sustainability – two of the most pressing issues facing the data centre sector – 4TC developed a special report, bringing together the expertise, opinions and predictions of individuals and companies operating in the data centre industry and associated sectors.
Data Centres 2021: Power and Influence comprises a range of independent thought-leadership articles dealing with key topics such as renewable energy provision and its symbiotic relationship with data centres, on-site energy generation and the potential of biogas and green hydrogen to end reliance on gas and diesel, battery technology, liquid cooling and increasing power usage efficiency, and ethical investing.
The report was widely circulated among business and trade media, key government ministers and their advisers, state agencies, and other stakeholders. The individual articles also formed the basis of blog posts on Echelon’s website and social media channels, while interviews with individual authors were to be recorded for use as podcasts.
Donegal-based Gallagher’s Bakehouse – an established player in the €510m packaged bread category with a strong presence (and loyal following) in Connacht and Ulster – made the decision to launch an entirely new range of sourdough loaves, rolls and baps, replacing its existing product selection. Objectives for launch activity were to raise awareness of the new products, support sales team activity, highlight the health benefits of sourdough, and communicate the soft, toastable nature of the bread.
4TC’s full-service campaign included photography, message development and positioning, sponsored programming on key radio stations, business and consumer media relations, consumer market research, the development of a wholly-owned ‘property’ (the Gallagher’s Toast Spectrometer), and issues management around sourdough ‘standards’. The work delivered national and regional coverage (digital, print and broadcast), as well as coverage in trade media – all in addition to sponsored brand mentions. Gallagher’s enhanced profile also led to media requests for commentary on general bakery category topics.
Most importantly, the new range of breads were stocked and purchased by existing and new retailers and consumers speedily and beyond initial forecasts.
p3 Hotels , a member of the Oracle Partner Network (OPN), is a technology company which provides customised booking solutions for large independent hotels and hotel groups. p3’s solutions cover all stages of the online guest journey and integrate seamlessly with Oracle’s market-leading OPERA hotel property management system.
The company’s objective is to enhance/increase awareness of its products, generate sales and build/amplify reputation with investors. 4TC provides corporate communication counsel, media relations and content marketing services to p3, generating coverage in national, regional and specialist media, generating sales leads and influencing the investment audience.
The Coeliac Society of Ireland represents the interests of all gluten intolerant sufferers and those with the lifelong autoimmune coeliac disease. The organisation’s communication objectives are to educate the media while raising awareness amongst the public and medical practitioners. 4TC employs a strategy encompassing messaging and strategic communication advice, story identification, content creation, media relations and event PR.
This has resulted in significant, regular media coverage across national and regional digital, print and broadcast media (amplified across social media platforms), aligned with the production of media supplements, educational videos and infographic material.
Echelon Data Centres is an Irish company, incorporated in 2017 with the goal of owning, constructing and operating data centres with 500MW capacity, in five countries, by 2025. Its communication objectives are to gain widespread exposure for its current site plans, and raise awareness of its facilities (capacity and power agreements) amongst potential customers worldwide.
4TC developed a communication strategy encompassing a launch event (attended by a government minister), digital, social and traditional media relations, story development and content generation, speaking opportunities, issues identification/management and messaging and position development. The strategy continues to deliver regular digital, print and broadcast media coverage, ongoing social media engagement (growth in followers, post impressions and reactions) and positions Echelon as a thought leader on key issues for the data centre sector.
Cabinpac is a manufacturer and supplier of modular buildings particularly in the education and healthcare sectors. The company’s objective was to communicate the completion of an €800k investment in a new manufacturing facility and a re-invigoration of its brand positioning – with its employees and customer base (existing and potential) as particular areas of focus.
4TC proposed an event, jointly billed as a celebration of Cabinpac’s 40th anniversary and the official opening of the new manufacturing facility, and advised on internal communication, media relations, public affairs and stakeholder relations. Having secured the attendance of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, coverage was achieved across digital, print and broadcast media (national and regional).
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