BYD arrives in Ireland

The splendid surroundings of the K Club were the venue this week for the introduction to Ireland of the splendid all-new, all-electric BYD ATTO 3 SUV.

BYD – which stands for ‘Build Your Dreams’ – is the largest motor company that most of us had never heard of.

The ATTO 3 has changed all that!
Build your dreams when you see how competitive its price-to value equation is.

Marvel at its good looks, its spaciousness and its list of standard features and specifications…a panoramic sunroof being one.

Bring a friend and see how ATTO 3 ticks the boxes in terms its green credentials, its cobalt-free ‘Blade’ battery with 420kms WLTP long-distance reach, and its ultra-fast 30% to 80% speed-of-charge time of 29 minutes.

Three versions make up the ATTO 3 range. View them in BYD dealerships at Dublin’s Navan Road and Deansgrange, and at Eastgate Business Park in Cork (with more to come as its network grows).

Happy 50th Birthday Hall PR

Today, 19th March 2023, we mark the 50th Anniversary of the founding of our company.

It was on the 19th March 1973, that we opened our doors for the very first time, hoping that our fledgling business would prosper and survive (until the end of that year, at least). Thanks to so many people, we surprised ourselves by a long chalk, some might say.

For this, we thank our many loyal clients, those we continue to serve and those whose company we shared along the way. We thank our many, many friends across the wide world of media whose confidence we have enjoyed and for whom our admiration is absolute. We thank our service providers and all whose support has been (and is) invaluable to use.

We thank everyone who ever worked with us, all fondly remembered, including our dear colleague Maeve who many will remember as a towering presence in our business for all of 38 years.

As we begin our next 50 years, our prayer will be that all who give support and sustenance to Hall PR, including our fellow directors, will enjoy health, happiness and wellbeing in every aspect of their lives.

McHale Plant Sales plans for ‘best ever’ presence at National Ploughing Championships

A prominent exhibitor at this year’s 2022 National Ploughing Championships at Ratheniska will be well-known Birdhill and Rathcoole distributor, McHale Plant Sales

Promising what they say will be ‘our best ever and most comprehensive display’, McHale will attend with two dedicated, exhibition spaces, one displaying models from Komatsu and Komatsu Forest and the other featuring models from the Italian-made Merlo range.

Mercedes-Benz to the fore as RTE screens new ‘DIY SOS’ series

For the second season of the programme, the wheels have started to turn on RTE One television’s popular ‘DIY SOS: The Big Build Ireland’ series fronted by the familiar face of presenter, Baz Ashmawy.

Once again, for the second time, the wheels that carry the programme, Baz and his crew are fixed to two Mercedes-Benz vans – a Vito 109L and a Sprinter 311.39 models both of which are put through their paces transporting building materials, site volunteers, trades people, filming equipment and production team personnel.

Ireland’s first national fitness games

Irish banana distributors Fyffes has announced its support for Ireland’s first National Fitness Games scheduled to take place at the UCD Sports Campus from Friday, 22nd to Sunday, 24th April inclusive, during which ‘Ireland’s Fittest Male and Female’ will be crowned.

Komatsu’s first fully electric, remote-controlled mini excavator

In a move aimed at those engaged in indoor demolition, confined, challenging site works and disaster rescue, Komatsu has unveiled details of its first fully electric, remote-controlled mini excavator concept machine.

Powered by a 31.5 kWh lithium-ion battery, the 3 tonne mini excavator has a 0.09 m3 bucket capacity and rear-swing radius of 970mm.

Be Brexit-friendly and don’t get caught offside – advice on how to get-it-right

Soon we in Ireland will be forced to face and deal with the reality that BREXIT will bring. 

There are two things we can do: We can see it as a massive opportunity and demonstrate our enthusiasm and willingness to grasp it with all hands. Or, we can go on bemoaning our lot and appealing to Government and EU to save our bacon in some way!

Which is better? 

Fact of life! For better or for worse, the UK has voted for BREXIT and chosen to leave the EU. Politics has had its day. The time to adopt new positions has arrived!

UK being amongst our biggest customers, and one of our leading suppliers, our challenge now is to wish them well and demonstrate our preparedness to get-on-board and support them in every way we can. In this respect, communications will have a central role to play.  What we say, how we say it, when we say it, how we phrase it and to whom we say it:  these are matters that will be watched most acutely. 

Addressing a nation facing a new and uncertain future, in the knowledge that many, ourselves included, tried hard to convince them they were pursuing an unwise course, it is vital we get our messaging right. Say the wrong thing and it will be noted...and remembered!  But, say the right thing and it will be especially noted...and recalled to our advantage! 

In all of these matters, Hall PR is particularly well positioned to advise clients anxious to ensure they ‘get it right’. 

• Getting-it-right means instilling the right attitude, and choosing the right line of approach.

• Getting-it-right means being committed, interested, willing and enthusiastic whilst being close and demonstrating support.

• Getting-it-right means choosing the right policies and picking the right words to explain them.

• In Northern Ireland, getting-it-right means being at one with the people. It means being comfortable in their presence, and understanding of their beliefs.             It means being respectful of their loyalties and traditions and by having regard for their interests and ambitions.

Bred in Northern Ireland, based in Dublin, Hall PR is almost uniquely qualified to represent clients in this area, at this time!  From Dáil Éireann to Stormont and the House of Commons, Hall PR has walked and is respected on the corridors of power. And with access to all communities, and an on-the-ground knowledge of Britain, its hierarchies and its people, clients could place their confidence is us to bring a balanced viewpoint, a positive outlook and a BREXIT friendly perspective to any cause we might be asked to represent.

As for BREXIT itself: Is it the end or merely the beginning? Get that answer right and your UK customers could be your friends for life!

Communications in the shadow of Covid-19

We are living in uncertain times. Across the country, across the world, doubts and worries are uppermost. Speculation and supposition are rife and media’s thirst for news is at its most acute.

As Government and Covid-19 communications planners show, against that backdrop, it is imperative that corporate bodies and institutions would recognise the important contribution that a managed programme of communications can bring, especially in current conditions.  

From public and private companies to commercial organisations of all kind; from professional bodies to representative groupings; from centres of education and places of entertainment to sports bodies and healthcare providers; from voluntary groups and charities to recreational interests and more...we are all living under the shadow of Covid-19, a shadow that has already begun to engulf enterprises that were otherwise healthy and successful.

Good communications builds confidence, safeguards reputation, quells rumour, counteracts speculation, eliminates doubt and builds confidence and understanding amongst audiences essential to the future wellbeing of every enterprise, large and small. Vital tasks that all should consider are:

1. The first and most important is to recognise the need for communications. Whilst Covid-19 is raging and propping up the headlines, people may be asking themselves questions about your organisation, questions that might point to worries and concerns that are needlessly in their mind. Task One is to imagine what those questions might be and answer them...before they are voiced publicly!

2. Next comes the task of identifying those key audiences! Who are they? If it’s bankers or suppliers, customers, regulators or employee representatives, then it’s urgent and serious!

3. Then will come the challenge to determine what the best means of communicating with each audience would be, and the content of your message in each case. Would it be a simple letter or a telephone call? A newspaper advertisement? A social media or website posting? A news release with media engagement and interviews?

4. In parallel will come the challenge to anticipate what the downsides might be and weigh potential benefits against possible risks.

5. Finally will come a time to press the buttons and put your campaign into motion in an effective and measured way, monitoring progress whilst being on-hand to course-correct, if necessary

The judgement and experience required to make good decisions and give good advice, and the skills needed to envisage, plan and successfully execute programmes are amongst the matters that fall under the broad heading of Public Relations and Corporate Affairs that The Hall Company is experienced to provide.

Brexit – Government must move quickly if we are to protect Ireland’s interests

The Irish Government must move quickly if we are to place ourselves in a favourable position to enter direct trade talks with a post-Brexit Britain. 

That is the view being expressed by former EEC campaigner, Don Hall, a member of the team chosen by then Taoiseach, Jack Lynch to promote Ireland’s entry to the Common Market, and later a campaign manager on behalf of the Fianna Fáil candidates competing in the first direct elections to the European Parliament.

Now a consultant with Dublin-based PR firm, The Hall Company, he said: “sheltering behind the EU is a strategy that has not worked. The reliance we have placed on EU negotiators will not advance Ireland’s cause.  We can only hope to make progress by having direct, country-to-country talks outside the EU framework, even if that means upsetting our EU partners”.

“As island nations, closely bound to each other through trade, a shared border, a common language, and the ties that stem from generations of travel and interaction between the two nations, it is natural that Ireland and the UK should be sitting down, face-to-face and at a most senior level, to resolve the cross-border trading arrangements and the future relationship we will enjoy after the dust has settled on Britain’s exit from the EU” he said.

“At present Ireland is in a bad place, having been quite critical of Britain and its plans to leave the EU. Our reliance on the EU’s French negotiator is proving fruitless also” he added.

“Now that the British have made their intentions more clear - rejecting the deal negotiated by the UK government - it is obvious that we can take nothing for granted in reaching agreement in relation to our own needs and objectives”.

“Much as we might hope it were otherwise, a fear is emerging that the EU has lost its power to influence events and protect Ireland’s special interests. The time has come for our Government to look after our own affairs” he concluded.

ENDS