Daily Digest 10 October

10-10-2008

by Deirdre McArdle

Online ad spend to soar | Ireland leads Europe in software exports

Spending on online advertising in Ireland is predicted to grow by as much as 200 percent through to 2009. According to a survey by Results International Group, the online sector is currently approaching close to EUR100 million, and this figure could reach over EUR300 million by 2010. Survey respondents identified print media as the biggest 'loser' in terms of proportion of marketing spend. On the flip side, 86 percent of companies identified the online sector as a growing part of the marketing mix, while the next highest growth sector, specified by 48 percent of respondents, is mobile marketing. "This level of growth in digital marketing comes as no real surprise. It is consistent with Ireland's uptake of broadband and aligned to the reliance many marketers now have on Google keywords, website investment and generally ensuring their brand is following the growing online population in our market," said Dr Clare McAndrew of Results International.

Software products now account for almost EUR12 billion in exports, delivered by over 800 multinational and indigenous Irish firms. Exports by home-grown firms alone currently stand at around the EUR2 billion mark, which is a significant increase on the situation 10 years ago when software exports by indigenous companies amounted to less than EUR100 million. These figures were revealed by the Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan, who on Thursday addressed a networking dinner in the Irish Embassy in London for Irish financial software and services companies and their British customers. She went on to point out that Ireland is the single biggest exporter of software solutions in Europe and one of the top three software exporters in the world.

O2 Ireland has scooped the 'Machine-to-Machine Services Innovation Award' at the Global Telecoms Business awards in London. The mobile operator has been recognised for its use of mobile technology to communicate with robots. This follows a partnership between ABB Robotics, Wyless UK and O2 Ireland in which ABB Robotics installed O2 Ireland SIM cards at the manufacturing level to identify and predict problems with robots remotely and dispatch help automatically. Once the SIM cards are installed the management of the connection platform through fixed IP is controlled by Wyless. "Our partnership with Wyless and ABB Robotics is an example of how cellular connectivity is being used to drive further efficiencies in business and change the way people run their operations," said Mark Finlay, wholesale data account manager at O2 Ireland.

Belfast-based high-end digital camera manufacturer Andor Technology has confirmed it is in talks with Carraig Capital with regards to a possible offer for the company. Carraig Capital is the investment company of Eugene Murtagh, co-founder of Kingspan. On 7 October the UK takeover panel ruled that Carraig Capital must make a firm offer for Andor by close of business 13 October. The takeover panel had said that Carraig must either announce a "firm intention to make an offer" for camera equipment maker Andor, or state that it will "not proceed" with a bid.

The average household in Britain will buy more than 250 electrical devices over a period of 60 years, according to a survey by consumer review publisher Revoo. The study revealed the most expensive item to replace is the home PC -- British consumers replace their computers every four years, spending about STG500 each time. This is followed by the oven, which will need replacing every six years at approximately STG545 each, and the TV, which people tend to replace every five years, following advances in technology. In total, British consumers will shell out STG48,940 on electrical devices over their lifetime, according to the survey.