Posted in News on October 2nd, 2008
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Facebook chooses Dublin for its HQ
Social networking site Facebook has chosen Dublin as its European Headquarters. The fast-growing company, which has about 100 million active users, will soon begin scoping-out Dublin for a site for its headquarters and will begin recruiting staff, industry sources said yesterday. They added that while the number of staff to be announced initially will be small, the company expects to grow in the future. It is understood that the former Minister for Enterprise, Micheal Martin, met with Facebook executives when he visited California on an IDA Ireland trip late last year. Later, executives from the company, which was the internet phenomenon of 2007, indicated that Ireland was one of two locations it is considering in Europe. The move will be seen as a boon for the IDA, as electronics and manufacturing firms continue to move to low-cost locations which has led to thousands of job losses over the past couple of years. A number of internet companies have already located European bases here including Google, eBay and Amazon. Members Facebook, which allows members to track friends’ activities using the internet and in which Microsoft has a $240m stake, was founded at Harvard University back in February 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and has been expanding ever since. More than half its advisers are located outside the US. The use of the site in Ireland has more than doubled in the last 12 months, according to a new report from the Irish Computer Society. Last October, 131,600 Irish people were using the site, but this has now reached 308,200. Of these, 69pc are 25-years-old or older, proving that it attracts an older audience than competitors such as Bebo. Irish site Nimble.ie has meanwhile grown from 5,000 users a year ago to almost 117,000 members. Source
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Slattery bags new contract from MeteorSlattery Communications has won a contract with Meteor Mobile Communications.
The Eircom subsidiary was in the market for an agency to handle its competitions and promotions. Slatterys, which has worked for 02 in the recent past, was in competition with Murray Consultants. BrandIgnite, a sister company of Fleishman-Hillard, which has handled experiential projects for 02, also pitched. The incumbent Kerryann Conway of Conway Communications said her agency was invited to present, but declined the offer.Amanda Carroll, Meteor’s head of communications and ex-Grayling, is the agency contact. Source
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Nintendo unveils new DSiNintendo have introduced a new model of its best-selling DS handheld game player with camera and music- playing functions to widen its lead over Sony Corp.’s
PlayStation Portable machines.The Nintendo DSi will go on sale in Japan Nov. 1, priced at 18,900 yen €130), President Satoru Iwata said at a briefing in Tokyo today. Overseas sales begin next year, he said. The third version of the DS is aimed at protecting Kyoto, Japan-based Nintendo’s dominance in portable gaming as Sony adds new features to the PSP and Apple Inc. enters the market with iPods and iPhones that can play motion-sensing games. In August, Nintendo forecast it will sell 30.5 million handheld machines this fiscal year, twice as many as Sony’s projected PSP sales. Nintendo, also the maker of the Wii console, fell 3.1 percent to 39,750 yen as of 2:14 p.m. on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The stock, which more than doubled in each of the past two years, has lost 41 percent in 2008, compared with a 51 percent drop for Sony shares. The DSi is the first new version of the handheld player since Nintendo began selling the DS Lite, which retails for 16,800 yen, in March 2006. In July, Nintendo said it had sold 77.5 million DS players since the first model was introduced in December 2004. Sony plans to begin selling an upgraded version of the PSP in mid-October that has a built-in microphone and a screen that displays sharper images. Nintendo in August raised its full-year profit forecast by 26 percent, citing higher-than-anticipated sales of DS and Wii players. (Bloomberg) Source
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Ballygowan in full flow with new €100,000 Munster deal
BRITVIC has strengthened its sponsorship ties with Munster rugby by signing a new deal which sees Ballygowan become the official bottled water to the new Thomond Park stadium in Limerick. The deal allows the UK drinks group, which bought Ballygowan from C&C, exclusive pouring rights at the new 26,500-seater stadium.Britvic was not prepared to give details of the five-year deal. But industry sources say that taking everything into account — cash, pouring rights and providing free bottled water to Munster’s senior and under-20 teams — the deal is worth about €100,000 a year. Over the next five years, Munster players are due to consume about 100,000 litres of bottled water, sourced at Newcastlewest. Sian Price, senior brand manager, Britvic Ireland, said they have new Ballygowan ads with the line ‘Made in Munster’. Price said Munster was a huge rugby brand and its replica shirts were second only to the All Blacks in popularity. Ballygowan first developed links with Munster three years ago after they had signed up former New Zealand star Jonah Lomu to launch its sports bottle. Munster captain Paul O’Connell has since featured in promotions.The Munster deal is one of several agreements made between soft drinks marketers and sports in Ireland. Coca-Cola Bottlers has a deal with the IRFU, supplying Powerade to the Ireland rugby squad. Captain Brian O’Driscoll was criticised for giving too much prominence to the isotonic drink in post-match TV interviews.GlaxoSmithKline uses Munster and Ireland fly half Ronan O’Gara, Newcastle and Ireland winger Damien Duff and Kerry footballer Colm Cooper in campaigns for Lucozade Sport. GAA stars like Cork’s Sean Og O hAlpin have fronted for Britvic’s Club Energise, while its Energise Sport drink has links with camogie. Source
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