Ireland Innovation Comes Naturally

IDA Ireland, Ireland’s Industrial Development Agency, is running “Innovation Comes Naturally”, an international advertising campaign in television, print, online and out-of-home media, online at www.idaireland.com/innovation/.

“Clean energy. Green technology. And fresh thinking. Why businesses are putting down roots in Ireland.”

The television advertisements emphasise the sometimes spontaneous nature of innovation. It depicts the lines left by a piece of chalk as it sketches out an idea on a blackboard. As we watch, the chalk doodles and dashes about the board. Finally it comes to a successful conclusion, as we see a chalk representation of fireworks above a doodled map of Ireland.

Actor Stanley Townsend provides the voiceover. “Innovation. What it isn’t is something that happens step-by-predictable-step. It doesn’t always stop at the lights. Sometimes it goes backwards to go forwards. It goes up blind alleys. It zigs and it zags. It wiggles. And then… And then it lets rip. Your job is simple. Just give it the right environment. Ireland. Where innovation comes naturally”

“New thinking is not about the dollars you invest,” one ad asserts. “It’s about the people you invest in.”

“See how your business can benefit when a nation thinks laterally.” “Step by step logic will only take your business so far.”

“Facebook found a space for people who think in a certain way,” the headline of one ad proclaims. It’s called Ireland.” “Google googled the planet for the perfect location for their business. They came up with Ireland.”

“We’ve created clusters of expertise in many different technologies”. “New thinking is not about the dollars you invest”.

Mudie told the New York Times about the inspiration for the campaign coming from stencil maps of Ireland that came out as whie on black, looking as though they were drawn on a black board. That led to thoughts about the famous picture of Einstein at a blackboard, which triggered images of a group of people, trying to think of something, using a chalkboard because you can stand back and take a look at what is written. All that inspired the concept of a green board.

The TV commercials are appearing on the Bloomberg and CNBC cable channels. The print and online ads are running in business magazines and newspapers, and their related Web sites, like The Economist, Fortune, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Credits

The Ireland campaign was developed at McConnells, Dublin, by creative director/copywriter Laurence Keogh and creative director/art director Tim Mudie. Media planning and buying in the United States are being handled by BCA Marketing Communications in New York.