Megan Canoni, Assistant Media Planner

In September, I left Boston for Ireland and in a span of thirty days, I was able to experience famous landmarks, travel to four different countries, and meet so many fun and unique people from around the world. Here is a glimpse into my experience of CP Abroad in Dublin.

I spent my first week in Dublin, getting situated and exploring all the city had to offer. I visited the Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College and many different museums. Outside of  Dublin, I explored other areas of Ireland on day trips to Belfast and Kilkenny, where I got to witness the history and nature of Ireland that make the country so unique. 

My first weekend trip away from Ireland was to Edinburg, Scotland. The city was a quaint, magical place that was filled with streets of cobblestone and small, family-owned shops.It truly felt like something out of a fairytale. During my time there, I experienced a piece of history as I witnessed Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral proceedings occur throughout Edinburgh. The moment was a unifying experience, as people from many different countries gathered to witness this historic moment. 

My next daring adventure was in Barcelona, Spain. Scuba diving is something that has always been on my bucket list, and here I was able to cross that thrilling experience off the list! Being able to swim in the Mediterranean Sea, visit the beautiful Familia Sagrada, and explore the city on a Tapas tour, are just some of the experiences that gave me a better understanding of the history and culture of Barcelona.

The final trip I took was to Reykjavik, Iceland. Out of all of the countries I visited, Iceland was unlike anything I have seen before. There were volcanoes, waterfalls and even glaciers. I was lucky enough to go on a glacier hike. It was amazing to be able to explore something so breathtaking.

Although I spent my weekends traveling, I spent my weekdays working at our Dublin office. Everyone in the office was extremely friendly and welcoming, which gave me the ability to interact with co-workers that I would not have gotten the opportunity to do otherwise. Collaboration is a large part of CP culture and getting the opportunity to interact with others from different backgrounds has helped me gain a more holistic view of the world. 

After all my traveling and living in a new country, I learned that the world is so much bigger than myself. It’s filled with so many different people, experiences, and perspectives that I have yet to witness. The CP Abroad Program gave me the opportunity to experience just a little bit of that. 

CP’s Director of MKR Studio, Barry Frechette, has a passion for storytelling through film. A screening of his piece, Paper Lanterns, was recently co-hosted by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Government of Japan. The documentary follows Shigeaki Mori, a survivor of the atomic bombing at Hiroshima, as he searches for and connects with the families of the American POWs who lost their lives during this bombing. 

It is a moving story about reconciliation and friendship between former enemies, whose lives were forever changed by the disaster. Frechette stresses that regardless of who we are or where we come from, we all can make a difference in the world. It is the smallest of steps that lead to peace. 

Read more about the film here.

Coverage of CP’s Abroad Program was featured in the Boston Business Journal article covering unique employee perks. In the piece, our own Dana Wantman, senior partner, chief client and integration officer, explains the program and the opportunities to recruit and retain the best talent while also giving CPers a diverse perspective. Read the full article here.

CP’s 2022 Summer Interns

This summer, we had a group of rockstar interns at CP. From helping launch a new global agency program to assisting with influencer campaigns and much more, these five new CPers got a taste of the fast-moving world of advertising. Before they head back to school, we asked them a few questions to reflect on their time here. Read all about their experiences below.

Kendall Gilbert, Analytics
Elon University

One thing that continues to surprise me about Connelly Partners is the amazing collaboration that goes on between all departments. I was given the opportunity to meet with many different people and was amazed at how everything connects and comes together to bring Connelly Partners success. I am extremely grateful the CP employees were kind enough with their busy schedules to spend time with me and teach me about their specific roles within the agency.

I think that the most exciting thing about the industry is new business. I was able to see a side of advertising that I never really knew or thought about. I enjoyed seeing the dedication and passion CP employees put into winning clients.  

Rachel Schultz, Brand Leadership
University of Wisconsin-Madison 

My favorite project that I worked on was the launch of CP Abroad. It was fun to be behind the scenes of a new endeavor and help figure out how CP could use an experience like this to benefit the employees and all the offices as a whole.

What excites me the most about the world of advertising is how it is constantly moving and changing. As someone who prefers to work on many different things and switch up the tasks I have, I appreciate how advertising allows me the opportunity to try various things and see what I like the best. Being in the CP office all summer, I have been exposed to the intricacies of different departments, which makes me excited to eventually be able to live and learn through them in my career. 

Jared Smith, Media
Bentley University

During my internship, I was very surprised at how the interns are included in everything. I was allowed to see what life at CP is really like by being involved in all meetings, events, and activities.

The top highlight of my internship was playing on the softball team. I had such a great time getting to know so many CPers, and doing this helped me to truly understand the culture of the company.

I also loved seeing all of the dogs in the office on Waggin’ Wednesdays. This was the best on national hot dog day when the dogs wore the hot dog bandana’s and played with the hot dog toys.

Jane Amendolara, PR & Social Media
Boston University 

I’ve learned more than I ever could’ve hoped – how to build media lists, how to run an influencer campaign from start to finish, community management skills, planning social calendars, influencer scouting, the list goes on! 

My fellow teammates have been nothing but supportive and helpful to me since I started at CP last January. They’re all so smart and creative, and make coming to work fun. I couldn’t think of a better group of people to learn from!

I have loved running influencer campaigns for our clients Gorton’s, Kayem and al fresco. Understanding the behind the scenes and watching campaigns come to life from start to finish has been such an awesome learning experience. Something that excites me most about the world of advertising is the ability for me to use my creativity and experience the reward of my work helping others.

Gideon Baeza, Production
Emerson College

During my time at CP, I learned that it takes hard work and dedication to actualize any idea or project. Things don’t happen with a snap of a finger.

I was given the opportunity to implement my own ideas and concepts into the company. It was amazing to be respected as a creative thinker and to have the chance to collaborate with my other employees was a very immersive and involved experience.

The most exciting element of advertising is that what’s considered good, is always changing. There is never a right way to promote anything and it takes creative thinkers to expand the capabilities of advertising.

Sr. Partner and Chief Client and Integration Officer, Dana Wantman, recently sat down with AdAge to talk about CP’s new Abroad Program. Unveiled earlier this month, the program allows employees to relocate for up to three months to one of the agency’s three locations. While there, participants will be part of the community. They’ll meet locals and clients and form relationships that would not be possible during a vacation. They will be fully immersed in that country’s culture and bring Connelly Partner offices closer together as a result.

Read the full AdAge interview here.

We’re pleased to announce the promotion of Vaunnie McDermott to Managing Director of Connelly Partners Dublin. In her new role, Vaunnie will have responsibility for all operational and financial decisions for the Dublin office, working in collaboration with sister Irish company ZOO Digital. 

Vaunnie has over 20 years’ experience working as a marketing professional from both an agency perspective and extensive in-house experience with RTÉ and the Irish Examiner. After running her own business for 10 years, she was recruited to Strategem in 2016 to drive new business. Vaunnie has been part of the management team at Connelly Partners Dublin since the Strategem buy out in 2018 and since 2021, has been one of the three-person leadership team which has run the agency. 

Speaking about the appointment, founder and President Steve Connelly: “There have been incredible developments for Connelly Partners Dublin over the last year – the calibre of our clients, the creativity of our work – and Vaunnie has been integral in that success. She so deserves this appointment and frankly, we’re lucky to have her. There’s a great next chapter ahead for our Dublin team.” 

Continuing the integration between the global offices and furthering our client service offering and creative output, this news also sees new roles for Mary McMahon and Ronan Doyle.

Mary McMahon has been named Group Strategy Director for the Connelly Partners global network, which has a presence in Boston and Vancouver as well as Dublin. While she will remain part of the Dublin leadership team overseeing strategy projects, Mary will also be leading strategy for the growing CP Health practice, which will be soon expanding into Europe. 

Ronan Doyle will move to the position of Global Art Director, focusing on senior art direction and major creative projects for clients across both sides of the Atlantic. A new Creative Director will join the Dublin Leadership Team soon.  

This news today builds on recent strong expansion by Connelly Partners, both in Ireland and globally. Since recently joining forces with the award-winning digital agency, ZOO Digital, the Dublin office has just hired seven new people to join the team across copywriting, UX/UI and graphic design disciplines. The combined teams of Connelly Partners and ZOO have also successfully won new American business, working collaboratively with the Boston office which will also be announced soon.

In the coming months, we’ll be furthering our offering to the Irish market by launching a more enhanced media and analytics offering to clients and will be expanding CP Health to Dublin.

Press Coverage:

IAPI

Marketing.ie

Marketing Institute Ireland

Adworld.ie

Yep. That’s right. We’re sending CP employees to live and work around the world – round trip flight, accommodations, coordinate visas and additional PTO included. 

While talk of flexibility, remote work and work from anywhere models are abuzz, we’re doing things a little differently. While we offer flexible work too, we’re also giving employees across all levels of experience the opportunity to live and work out of any one of our three global offices – Boston, Dublin, and Vancouver – for up to three months each year. 

Why you might ask? This new Abroad Program was built to support our culture of curiosity as employees have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a different culture, experience new places and people, and bring those new perspectives back to CP and its clients. Our employees even helped to shape this program. 

In an industry where long nights are mandated and work can be life consuming, we have prioritized having a life outside the office and the importance of work/life balance since opening our doors over 20 years ago. The pandemic was no different – while other agencies and companies caught up, we were an early adopter of the hybrid model, finding balance between remote work and in-person time to create connection and support collaboration and creativity. This new program builds on the flexibility gained from the past two years while further supporting in-person connection across our agency teams globally.

We’re excited to kick things off this summer. Be sure to follow along with our team’s abroad experiences on our blog and social channels.

Additional coverage:
AdAge: Connelly Partners employees can now work from another international office for up to three months
IAPI: Connelly Partners Announces CP Abroad Programme

CP Pride

In recent years, you can tell the start of June by the consistent and ubiquitous appearance of rainbows. 

It is an incredibly positive step that in so many countries, particularly western, there is such a celebratory feeling to Pride. Major brands, both public and private, are now racing to out-rainbow each other and associate themselves with the LGBTQ+ community, the cause – and for some of us cynics, sell a few products where they can during this month-long party and celebration of diversity. 

However, the origins of Pride were anything but a party. The events at the Stonewall Inn in 1969 which were to spark Pride were brutal, bloody and an important reminder to us all that we have many more steps to take for real equality and visibility for all in society.  

Everyone, especially corporate brands, who in recent years have joined ‘the Pride party’, need to consider their support for this important cause with careful authenticity. Because with the Pride party comes the essential element of protest – for further necessary rights of the LGBTQ+ community around the world.

More steps to make

There are many countries who do not recognise their LGBTQ+ communities and many more rights to be given to LGBTQ+ communities in countries where there is at least recognition. 

• 70 countries criminalise same-sex relationships
• The death penalty for same-sex relationships is either ‘allowed’, or evidence of its existence occurs, in 11 of these countries
• In more than half the world, LGBTQ+ people may not be protected from discrimination by workplace law
• Most governments deny trans people the right to legally change their name and gender from those that were assigned to them at birth
• A quarter of the world’s population believes that being LGBTQ+ should be a crime

(Source: Stonewall.org.uk)

Careful authenticity

An integral part of Pride is visibility. And for corporate brands, this is about true visibility and authenticity. 

The fact is that it’s only been in recent years that the wealth of major brands have really associated themselves with the party of Pride. 

The original Pride parades in the 1970s were a form of protest. They had a daring strategy – to walk the streets of major cities declaring support for a minority, and often misunderstood members of our community. Now it is considered ‘safe’ and is a positive association to launch campaigns covered in rainbows and to walk in Pride. However, it’s not just about branding and floats in a parade, as some brands are finding out. 

AT&T, Toyota and Amazon are just three organisations who have been found to be playing both sides in the LGBTQ+ rights according to a recent article in AdWeek.  The Data for Progress and Popular Information have highlighted brands for a level of marketing hypocrisy – building an extensive Pride campaign while also spending more than $1 million on political campaign contributions to state lawmakers responsible for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

In an age in branding, marketing and advertising, where purpose and making a meaningful difference is at the forefront of many brands and consumers’ minds, it’s crucial to go beyond past shortcomings when it comes to supporting each other. For example, just a flag, a temporarily redesigned logo or tweet as support. With transparency at an all time high and consumers more interested and knowledgeable about what’s going on behind closed doors and willingness to bring up past comments and actions, it’s critical that brands not only take a stand and speak up this month, but also genuinely show up in support.

Today, there’s so much to celebrate for what’s been done for LGBTQ+ rights. And yet, with 70 countries not recognising LGBTQ+ rights and over 300 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation passed by US State lawmakers this year alone, there is so much more to do, and it’s all not going to happen in June every year. 

So for those who are planning their corporate strategies for rainbow coloured campaigns next June, consider extending the colours to an annual campaign, and stretch to the entire annual corporate budget and culture, not just the marketing spend. 

It’s not just about painting rainbows in June.

Image Source

Andrea Pappin, Corporate Affairs & Communications, ZOO Digital 

Right beside the Connelly Partners Dublin offices is an incredible place, called the Fair Play Cafe. It makes great coffee, superb sandwiches and opens early, baking its own range of fruit scones. Bliss. Yet it does so much more to help the local community here, as we found out recently. 

How the Fair Play Cafe, ZOO, Connelly Partners, Google and a whole range of local businesses all ended up working together to help (in a small way) the Ukrainian community here, all started with a decaf Americano and a leaflet. See, the Fair Play Cafe regularly runs a hospitality and barista training course for the local Ringsend community – where, over an intense two-week period, students learn coffee making, pint pulling, cocktail shaking, food preparation, top customer service skills and all the other elements you need to work in a cafe, restaurant or hotel in Ireland.   

Just how quickly a group of strangers can move to work together is simply incredible. Two days after one of the ZOO team inquired if this course could be adapted for the Ukrainian community, three people met in a room – Teresa from Google, Joe from Fair Play Cafe and Andrea from ZOO. The first question put to the group was so telling – “so, what roadblocks do we need to move to make this happen?” And happen it did, three weeks later. 

It was a real community effort to turn this initiative around with the ZOO and Connelly Partner teams giving so much. Hours of organisation were contributed, team members met our Ukrainian students on their first day at their bus stops to walk them to the Cafe so they didn’t get lost – and so many of the team contributed €10s to help pay for a lunch for the students, so there was one less thing for them to have to worry about. Thanks to the Ukrainian Matching Fund at Connelly Partners, as well as our team knocking on the doors of other local businesses in our office block, every lunch, coffee and cake our Ukrainian students needed during their course was taken care of. Other local funds help to pay for transport, and many of the trainers of the course (including baristas just back from the World Championships) all waived their fees. 

And it wasn’t just lunch or just a walk. Joe, the main organiser of the Fair Play Cafe, captured it so well in his thank you message to us: “After everyone left the building [after graduation] except for my wife and I, we just sat with them all and chatted with them for over an hour. It slowly dawned on us that they were reluctant to say goodbye to each other as they had formed a special bond of friendship and mutual encouragement, with the older ones acting as big sisters/mothers to the younger ones. There were a lot of tears among them when they finally said goodbye to each other and went their separate ways. Before they left, we assured them that we will organise a BBQ for them all again in a few weeks time when the weather improves.”

It’s the power of a coffee. And a cafe. And a community. And if you’re ever in the Dublin office, make sure to visit the Fair Play Cafe. You never know what could happen.

Neal Malone, PR and Social Media Management Supervisor

Four hours. That’s the average amount of time that Gen Z users spend on social media per day.

Once you layer in working, eating, and sleeping, there isn’t a whole lot of time to do much else.

This isn’t a generation that spends time reading articles in the morning, they don’t watch a ton of TV…and the shows or movies that they do watch are through streaming platforms or YouTube. Heck, there’s even data out there now that tells us members of Gen Z are ditching their email in favor of social DMs.

Talk about a hard advertising target, right?! Let’s put it this way…if you’re a brand trying to reach Gen Z – a generation that is already playing a big role in shaping our society and culture – investing in traditional ad formats would be like setting a pile of money on fire. Sorry, it just isn’t going to work.

So that brings us back to social media – quite literally the epicenter of all things Gen Z. There are plenty of ad formats across the various social media platforms, but the more traditional ones are quickly losing their luster. Gen Z users are experts at sniffing out ads and will quickly scroll past anything that feels too promotional. Instead, these users gravitate towards edgy, raw, authentic content featuring real people, real stories, and very little “sales speak.”

Because today, consumers are tired of being sold to. They’re over logos flashing everywhere, voiceovers that cram in talking points, and hired talent that isn’t representative of them or their communities. Consumers in 2022 are savvy and the expectations they have for brands are at an all-time high.

At Social Media Week – a three-day conference hosted by AdWeek in New York City – PepsiCo Chief Marketing Officer, Todd Kaplan, may have summed it up best when he said that “brands should make consumers feel invited, not chased.” Now, you could argue that a company with the history, scale, and brand recognition of PepsiCo doesn’t really need to sell itself to consumers anyway, but Todd’s point is an important one – and all brands should take note.

It’s not that Gen Z (and younger Millennial) consumers are allergic to all marketing and advertising – they just want brands to engage them in a different, more personalized way. The word “authentic” was mentioned more than any other word at Social Media Week (to the point where it started to generate some laughs from the crowd), but the reason why it came up so often is because consumers today demand authentic, relatable content. If it’s anything otherwise, it’s not worth their time.

So what does this mean for brands who want to reach Gen Z and other like-minded consumers?

It means engaging with influencers who can bring a trusted voice to their products, it means leveraging user-generated content to power their brand channels, and it means using social listening to identify trends and keep a pulse on evolving consumer conversations. In a general sense, it means rethinking and modernizing everything we’ve been taught as marketers over the years.

Speaking at Social Media Week, Hootsuite Chief Marketing Officer, Maggie Lower, encouraged brands to be “courageously creative” with their social media strategies and campaigns. She acknowledged that it isn’t easy for some companies to take this leap of faith into a more organic and less buttoned-up content world, but it’s a critical step that brands must take if they want to grab the attention of younger consumers.

If one thing was clear at Social Media Week across all the companies and brands that presented (you may have heard of a few: Google, Meta, Twitter, Snapchat, Glossier, Anheuser-Busch InBev, PepsiCo, and others), now is the time to dive head-first into the world of short-form video, influencers, and creator-driven marketing. After all, Gen Zers will soon be the key decision makers and content curators at our favorite brands, and this type of content won’t be a choice…it’ll be an expectation.

Now, onto the Metaverse and NFTs…just kidding! Next time, maybe.