Areas of Expertise

Nike. Vodafone. 7up. Sound familiar? What about the Doyle Collection? Hewlett Packard. St. Patrick’s Festival. Brands are our business and a client’s reputation is as important as our own. From the biggest global brands to the Irish success stories, we bring passion and energy to the products you love. Through clever and creative PR solutions we provide cut-through in a crowded space. Whether it’s coming up with stand-out photo-calls, managing celebrities, running a 10K with journalists (yes, we’ve done that!) or even bailing journalists out of jail on a media trip (umm, yes, we’ve done that too!) we always go the extra mile to make your brand stand out above the rest.

How can you get your product into the hands of your business customers, be front of mind with potential customers and increase demand for your services? Business to business PR ensures that customers for your product or service are aware of its benefits and know where to find it. It also reinforces your reputation with existing customers and ensures they stay up to speed with what you have to offer.

Through targeted trade features, products reviews, case studies, third party testimonials and best practice features, Drury can support your marketing and sales effort and get your products and services in front of the people who matter.

Got something to tell the masses? You could stand on the top of Grafton Street with a megaphone and hope that the right people hear you. Or you could take a more strategic approach, with a well-planned, smartly executed consumer PR campaign. Utilising creative communications tactics ranging across traditional and new media, we elevate our FMCG, healthcare and lifestyle clients above the competition, telling their message to the right people in the right way. We handle everything from product launches on big budgets to shoestring photo-calls. We place an emphasis on strong media relations, and our relationships with media allow us to achieve results for our clients that stand out, build their brand, raise awareness and ultimately shift their goods.

At its simplest, corporate communications is about telling the story of your business – its successes, its plans, its value and its vision. Why? Companies that display leadership, demonstrate momentum, share experiences and articulate perspectives connect with the people they want to influence and ultimately support their business objectives.

From announcing new developments to creating platforms that allow your senior people show their expertise, Drury works closely with companies of all sizes and sectors to design bespoke corporate communications strategies that enhance credibility and build confidence. We also help offset negative publicity in times of crisis and reinforce your B2B, marketing communications and CSR activities. Every company has a different story, and every company can benefit from strategic communications advice.

Corporate responsibility, CSR, sustainability or just plain old-fashioned do-goodin’…call it what you want, but there’s no denying that smart companies now realise that being a good corporate citizen makes business sense. Adopting a successful corporate responsibility strategy is linked to long term growth and success – just ask our CR clients including CRH, Vodafone and EirGrid. Savvy companies are those who align their corporate citizenship objectives closely to their business, making sure that CR makes sense across the board. So whether your business is seeking to identify that perfect CR initiative or if you just want to know what all the fuss is about, start by talking to us.

A crux of good corporate citizenship is being a good neighbour and member of the local community. Particularly for companies whose operations impact upon their neighbours or who may have an effect through a planning or infrastructural development, a proactive and open approach to community relations is advised.

At its best, community relations is a mutually beneficial process involving listening as well as informing, modifying in addition to engaging. Community relations is not always easy - particularly if traditional relations are weak or planned developments unwelcome - but Drury strongly believes that tackling issues straight on is the key to building mutual understanding to the benefit of both companies and communities.

Issues and crises emerge in even the best run companies. What matters is not what goes wrong, but how it is dealt with. Being seen to handle an issue professionally and competently can enhance the reputation of a company and management team; handled badly, the damage can be great.

Our team has experienced it all, from product recalls, food scares, accidents, financial loss, industrial disputes and hostile takeovers. Some of the crises we have managed have been very public and high profile. Some were managed discreetly to the extent that they never came to public attention. Whether you are a long term client or coming through our door for the first time with the rage of a crisis burning at your heels, we can help you manage your way through and emerge on the other side.

Think the life of a PR person is one party after another? You’re not wrong but generally we are the ones organising the party rather than swanning around drinking gin and tonics!

Organising press conferences, stakeholder events, major industry conferences, launches of new flights or products or awards events and dinners is our daily bread and butter. We can manage every aspect of your event, manage it jointly with you or create the hype around the event that gets people there – whatever you want.

High profile events in 2008 included 7up Christmas on Ice at the RDS, Enterprise Ireland’s National Innovation Forum in Croke Park, Wyeth’s Alzheimer’s and Biotechnology Conference in the Mansion House and Bord Gáis’ Climate Change Conference in Cork. 

While the performance of a company speaks loudly to the market, access to the perspectives of its leaders significantly enhances these perceptions.

Company leaders can authoritatively articulate their strategy for the company, expound upon their challenges and give insights into their sector. Company leaders build confidence in their management team, physically demonstrate its momentum and stand tall beside their peers. Drury works with many of the country’s leading business people to strategically build their profile to the benefit of their business and ensure they are front of mind within their sector. 

Drury is at the centre of corporate activity and key business events in Ireland and has been since its foundation over twenty years ago. We do so by advising boards and senior management teams of leading companies, and working in tandem with like-minded advisors in corporate finance, banking, legal and accountancy professions.

At the heart of our offer is sound advice and judgement. We have a strong strategic approach to analysis and planning. This is backed up with skills and in-depth experience of delivering practical financial PR solutions. Our Financial Communications skills focus on managing the flow of financial and related information to media and investment audiences on behalf of business clients, particularly publicly quoted companies.

Our plc clients include Aer Lingus, Anglo Irish Bank, C&C, CRH, Donegal Creameries, Greencore and Paddy Power.

Meningitis, Psoriasis, Cervical Cancer, Erectile Dysfunction, Oesophageal Cancer, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Malaria and Asthma - just some of the conditions that Drury has helped demystify and create awareness of over the past few years.

Working with some of Ireland's biggest pharmaceutical companies, patient and advocacy groups and medical professionals, Drury creates awareness campaigns that really touch the lives of patients or, in many cases, changes lives by making undiagnosed sufferers aware of the warning signals and encouraging them to seek appropriate medical help. We also work to inform front line medical professionals of new research and treatment options available. 

Creativity. Either you have it or you don’t, right? Wrong. Drury takes a, dare we say, creative approach to strategic planning through innovative idea generation workshops. So whether the challenge is to launch a new soft drink into the Irish market, or to create an overarching strategy for a public utilities company, we combine our expertise in the PR field with brainstorming techniques specifically designed to draw the best ideas out of the team. A facilitated workshop usually runs over a day, and every client to take on the creative challenge to date has had their expectations exceeded, with outcomes ranging from specific campaign ideas to an entire new communications strategy. Not bad for a day’s work. 

 In parallel with behind the scenes negotiations, IR battles are frequently fought across the national airwaves and consist of a battle for public hearts and minds. Drury has worked with many management teams to ensure that the company position is clearly articulated and understood, and to manage the demands of media on the steps of the Labour Court, Labour Relations Commission and National Implementation Body. Clear consumer and internal messaging are also important in times of industrial unrest.

Employees who are kept well informed and feel engaged and valued within the business will usually work harder for that business – they are also its best ambassadors and barometers of its success.

When internal communications is lacking, rumour mills and grapevines fill the vacuum, leading to disgruntled staff and lower productivity.

Both in good times and in bad, internal communications should be high on the management agenda and priority placed on ensuring that employees are kept abreast of company developments. Drury works with many companies to train management staff, organise workshops, prepare for major announcements and to develop communications tools within the workplace.

When companies go to court, reputational damage is as real a risk as legal damages and can have significant impacts on a company.

Working closely with legal and other advisors, Drury has helped many clients to manage the communications process during the course of legal disputes or adjudicatory proceedings so as to positively impact the client’s overall reputation.

Some of the most high-profile cases we have been involved with in recent years include Ffyes vs DCC; Aer Lingus’ bid defence against Ryanair’s failed takeover attempts; and the examinerships of ISTC and Structured Credit in the early days of the global credit crunch. We are additionally experienced in working with companies affected by examinership or receivership.

Media are as essential to our day to day business as our clients are, and are similarly varied with differing interests, motivations and requirements.

Knowing how to appeal to media, to work with them to meet a common need and to build relationships on behalf of clients is core to our job.

Whether it is ensure that a media release sent to the Corkman or Highland radio is customised for that locality or building proactive relationships with environment and business media on behalf of a national waste company, our approach is always tailored to best effect. 

When media are banging down your door, we are the ones standing in the middle using our know-how and relationships to calm the situation and help you stand your ground. When a creative approach is required, we work the angles and craft your message for maximum impact. Whatever the situation, Drury will use its media experience and relationships to meet your needs. 

Heart pounding, sweaty palms, dry mouth – are these the sensations that come to mind when you think of doing a live media interview? 

Media interviews provide opportunities to share good news, tackle issues, debunk myths, put your perspective on the record and build relations with media. However, they can be a scary prospect for even the most experienced of performers and, if badly handled, can be very damaging to a reputation. 

So whether you are venturing into the media circus for the first time or a seasoned vet sharpening up for Prime Time, we give you the tools to ensure you are fully prepared for hardball, curveballs and the occasional odd balls. 

Bebo, blog, Facebook, Twitter, podcasts, citizen journalisism – Web 2.0, Social networking and the use of online communications has exploded in the last year and accelerated in recent months. Frankly if you don’t at least know what Web 2.0 is about, you are being left behind.

Recent work ranges from global technology leaders Hewlett Packard to technology utilisers Vodafone. We also work with non-tech clients like Pepsico, for whom we developed the "7Up Free Forum" blog concept to increase their interaction with consumers.

So whether you are a technology company wanting to speak to techies in their own language or an FMCG company harnessing the power of Web 2.0 to interact with consumers on their terms, Drury can help you unlock the mysteries

From Liveline to letters to editors, Irish people believe in their entitlement to make their voice heard. Organisations want to make their voices heard too, to make sure that the people who write policy and shape legislation programmes have full knowledge and awareness of the concerns and priorities of those companies creating jobs, delivering infrastructure and contributing wealth to the economy.

Drury works with many organisations as an interface and counsel in managing relations with Government, the Oireachtas, the Public Service, Local Authorities and all relevant State Agencies and Regulatory Authorities. We also keep a close eye on the legislative agenda and advise clients on impending regulatory change and on how best to engage with the political system.

Everybody has a right to representation – we help achieve that by making connections, building relationships and sharing information.

What is the value of a corporate reputation? At its simplest, people want to work for and do business with organisations that are well run, quality manufacturers or service providers, and good corporate citizens and employers. Many factors influence this perception, not least how your organisation operates on a day to day basis, but one of the most important and intangible of these is corporate reputation.

Drury works closely with companies of all sizes and sectors to design bespoke corporate communications strategies that enhance company reputation while supporting business objectives. 

Newsworthy research is the lifeblood of many pr campaigns and can elevate the ordinary to front page news. Solid research on consumer tastes and trends will also inform the tone and content of a campaign – we don’t presume to know what your customers think, we ask them!

Drury is fortunate to have an in-house research division enabling us to conduct qualitative and quantitative research, focus groups - we can get you up to the moment insights into consumer mindsets - what’s hot, what’s not, what get’s them out of bed in the morning. 

Really great sponsorships happen when there is brand synergy, the target market is compatible and the sponsorship enhances perceptions of both organisations. Far from being a name on a banner or programme, strategic sponsorships allow companies to leverage their involvement to widespread effect.

Drury is proud to be involved in some really effective sponsorships such as 7up’s sponsorship of Christmas on Ice; Vodafone’s sponsorship of The Gloss’ Look the Business Fashion Show; TetraPak’s sponsorship of National Tree Day and Opel’s sponsorship of the GPA Player Awards. 

While luck and timing are factors, every leading company pursues a vision and plans for its success. Truly effective communications is equally deliberate – thought out, committed to, targeted and achieved. 

Drury works collaboratively with its clients to create strategic communications plans that match and complement your business objectives in creative and effectual ways. We firmly believe that communications only works when the business believes in its value and commits to making it happen. Strategic planning is the compass.