In a survey of 239 Irish people, between the ages of 18 and 30, only 49% say they will vote in the upcoming Stability Treaty referendum on Thursday 31 May.

The survey, carried out in May by Dublin-based youth marketing agency Brand Army, further shows that, of the remaining respondents, 24% say they will not be voting and 27% remain unsure of whether they will vote.

Of those who say they ARE going to vote, a massive 59% remain UNSURE of how they will vote, with 29% saying they will vote YES and 13% saying they will vote NO.

What may be even more worrisome, for both the Yes and No campaigns, is that almost 2 in 5 young people are not sure the Referendum is important. Also interesting is that over 18% are not registered to vote and another 6% are unsure if they’re registered to vote.

Brand Army CEO, Mark Breen, notes “At Brand Army we interact with young people day in and day out and there’s a definite sense of confusion out there in relation to this Treaty and what it entails. I think that’s the big challenge for the 2 sides here – informing the electorate”.

Brand Army has produced 2 simple infographics relating to the Treaty.

• The first breaks down the main elements of the Treaty, which will hopefully help people understand it better.
• The second outlines the results from the survey.
• Then there is a third one which is the two combined, for those who prefer that format.

These infographics are for public use and distribution, provided they are accredited to Brand Army. Thanks.

Don’t worry it’s not a typo!

Have you seen our work for Bachelor’s peas? Check out the video and let us know what you think.

We had so much fun on this campaign and thanks a mill for everyone who made it so memorable.

Let us know what you think…

Click here to view the embedded video.

I did however see this and was very impressed. Thanks to springwise.com

Nintendo’s Wii platform has already sparked applications well beyond the world of gaming, so it’s not entirely surprising to see Microsoft’s Kinect do much the same thing. Enter Shopperception, a Kinect-based tracking system that gathers data on shoppers’ interactions with the products on retail shelves.

The brainchild of Argentinian development company Agile Route, Shopperception uses Kinect sensors to bring 3D spatial recognition capabilities to market research applications that have traditionally relied on costly and error-prone human observers. Brands, researchers and retailers can then continuously monitor the way shoppers interact with the products on the shelves, including metrics such as how long they spend, which products they touch, which are put back and which are ultimately purchased. They can also use the technology to compare the success of competing shelf layouts or point-of-sale promotions, for example. “Heat map” reports, meanwhile, are available to depict consumers’ interest in different products or shelves. The video below demonstrates Shopperception in action:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I don’t like porridge, at least that’s what I always thought!

In truth I had never tasted it and at 46 what were the chances of me developing a taste for a new cereal? In particular one that was sticky, stodgy and a little messy to make.

I came down the stairs and as usual a really busy week at work meant that the shopping had been neglected and the cupboards were bare, except for this box of Flahavans porridge that had been given to each of the attendees at the Cork Chamber annual conference.

Ok, desperate times calls for desperate measures so let’s try it – how bad can it be? I crack open the carton and see 10 sachets inside with a handy little measuring cup. I quickly read the instructions, empty the sachet, two measures of milk, 2 minutes in the microwave and stir.

Hmmm ..not as bad as I was expecting but maybe it could have been a little sweeter?

Next morning and due to another hectic day at work and the small matter of final accounts being needed for the tax deadline the shopping had still been neglected – ok, let’s try the porridge again but this time lets add a small dash of maple syrup that I found at the back of the cupboard.

Hmmm..this was quite nice after all, it was easy to make and very warming on a cold and miserable morning.

Next morning – I’m looking forward to my porridge. A new habit was born!

It’s never too late to convert a customer but if you are doing it with samples don’t just give them a taste, give them enough so they can form a new habit.

Flahavans – well done to you!

I’m sure at some point that someone internally put their neck on the line and insisted that full boxes of product be given to participants at conferences instead of single sachets because they understood that’s what is needed to change habits.

When I was first told about the new Brand Army website and plans Imagine had for it, I was both eager and excited to get on board. Brandarmy.ie
has been transformed into a student focused website and useful social media platform where students can do the following; read about the latest (interesting) news,
express their own views (power to the people!), take part in competitions, interact with each other and much much more!

Brand Army’s new website and plans for the future is new and fresh and is how all student websites should be, naturally we were all eager to spread the word, so what
better way to promote and create awareness for this new website?…  Do a campus road show! So a road show we did!

Before we went on our road show to 8 of the biggest campuses in Ireland we decided that it would be nice to give the students a little treat
(as if introducing them to brandarmy.ie wasn’t enough!) So being the kind people we are, we put together goody bags!

So, with our goody bags packed and i pads charged – we hit the road! UCC was our first college to visit and what a way to kick off our
exciting Brand Army road show! Not only were myself and Andy (our event co-ordinator) greeted by our 2 bubbly Brand Army UCC representatives, the
student union and UCC students were also very helpful and friendly– making our job very easy and pleasant to do!

After UCC, we visited NUIG, I must admit the NUIG students gave the UCC students a run for their money it was “mighty craic!” We then went
to Trinity, DCU, UL, NUI Maynooth, DIT and UCD where we successfully got the message across to the great students that THE BEST STUDENT WEBSITE HAS
ARRIVED…  BRANDARMY.IE!

So we have successfully packed 20,000 goody bags, visited many great Irish colleges and talked to over 20,000 students, what next? Well, now it’s down to you (yes you!)
have a look around brandarmy.ie, take part in our competitions & surveys and get involved in the student banter – don’t forget you get rewarded for everything you do, could it be any easier?!
Eh, no!

So sit back and enjoy!

To promote its upcoming lingerie fashion show, Etam sent their models onto the streets, in just their underwear.

The Association of Finnish Lawyers have a good sense of humour it seems.

Clever way to get people’s attention.

Below is an excerpt from the working diary of our most recent intern, Aoife Hudson. It might give you an insight into what an intern does and how valuable the experience can be.

“Mam, you better show me how to make a good cup of coffee before the morning!” That’s
what I said to my Mother the night before I started a 3 month internship
position in Imagine Marketing. I thought “intern”, I will probably be making
tea and coffee, bit of filing, and a bit of watching the “big guys” do what
they do! Well was I mistaken!

I study Marketing Management in the Institute of Technology Tallaght. The moment I
started the course I knew I had chosen the right one for me. I think the
diverse, ever changing Marketing Industry is fascinating and I couldn’t wait to
get my start in the Industry. As time went on, I realised I definitely wanted
to be in the agency side of marketing, where I could come up with creative ideas
to get the messages of various brands across to the public.

When Niamh from Imagine came to talk to us about the company at I.T.T, it immediately
sparked interest with me.  Guerilla Marketing has always been an extreme interest of mine. Getting this internship
position immediately became my new goal! SUCCESS EHH??

So I very happily started my internship, and boy was I not making coffee!! My first task
immediately began. I had to compile market research on upcoming events suitable
for various brands.  I had my own desk which I immediately decorated with an array of colourful stationary!! I was
delighted. The internship position was not at all as I thought. It was real
experience, experience I needed.

College is great. Learn off Porters 5 forces, learn how to run a brand, learn the
different types of marketing you can use and so on. All very interesting
stuff!! However, there is no lecture called How to…? No lecturer says this is
what you do when a client approaches you, these are the permits you need if you
want to sample on street, this is how an agency runs on a day to day basis.
This is no offence to the fabulous marketing lecturers in I.T.T, it’s
impossible to learn this while sitting at a desk. In Imagine, I gained
experience from liaising with clients, recruiting promotional staff, organising
and staffing events, reporting back to clients, right to the simplest things
like how to approach a client via email!

The team at Imagine are truly superb at what they do. They showed me the ropes and gave me
that start I needed in the Marketing Industry, something I am truly grateful
for. I was never deemed the “intern”, I was always treated as a fully
integrated part of the team and got to participate in everything from exciting
brainstorms to office barbeques (and morning tea!) to being measured on the
height chart in the office. Yes, I am the smallest person who has ever worked
in Imagine. I am vertically challenged and proud!

It was a summer well spent working with a brilliant team and exciting brands. Now I am
in my final year of college I am still working closely with Imagine and I hope
to continue to do so in the future. I would recommend Imagine Marketing to any
brand looking for innovative ways to market their business, or any other
students who wish to begin in the marketing industry!!

Thanks Imagine!  Aoife xox

Thank you Aoife. It was a pleasure having you in the office!

Click here to view the embedded video.