As a small nation, we’ve created a wonderful brand for Ireland worldwide. Just look at the great PR St. Patrick’s Day does for Ireland, and the large numbers of iconic buildings and landmarks worldwide that ‘turn green’ on the day. State agencies such as Tourism Ireland, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland carry out fantastic work on behalf of Irish businesses to ensure that we punch above our weight in terms of brand recognition and goodwill globally.
Sustained growth
Despite political and economic uncertainty at home and abroad, and a deep recession which isn’t a distant memory, the country has recovered to achieve sustained and significant growth in a number of areas. Latest preliminary figures from the CSO show that our GDP grew by 5.2% in 2016, which was ahead of analysts’ forecasts. Strong levels of growth are expected again in 2017. Crucially, unemployment is on course to drop below 6% by the middle of this year – a figure that economists consider full employment.
With the economy growing, unemployment dropping and a wide range of additional notable indexes providing positive reports of Ireland’s sustained recovery, maybe it’s time to take stock and reflect on a job well done. Of course we can’t become complacent and factors such as Brexit are an unwelcome cloud on the immediate horizon, but we need to remain optimistic and focused.
Central to Ireland’s success at this time is the booming technology sector. As IDA Ireland testifies, “Ireland has become the global technology hub of choice when it comes to attracting the strategic business activities of ICT companies. This has earned Ireland the reputation for being the heart of ICT in Europe.”
Technology leaders
Let’s look at the tech leaders who have significant operations here:
- 10 of the top 10 ‘Born on the Internet’ Companies
- 9 of the top 10 Global Software Companies
- 9 of the top 10 US ICT Companies
The sector employs 37,000 people and generates €35 billion in exports each year. The stats are staggering for a small country and its contribution to Ireland Inc. should not be understated.
At Comit, we’re fortunate to work closely with so many global technology leaders such as PayPal and Ricoh, as well as many of our indigenous stars including Data Solutions, Datapac, Pure Telecom and Ward Solutions. We’re delighted to have the opportunity to manage their exciting public relations and marketing communications activities.
Already in 2017, we’ve announced some fantastic news for clients such as Ricoh’s investment of €6.5M and the creation of 110 new jobs in its new Irish headquarters. For Pure Telecom, we announced €1.8M investment in 32 new jobs following a highly successful year which saw them grow customer numbers to 42,500.
We’re also fortunate to work with clients that support, promote and sustain entrepreneurship and the start-up community here in Ireland. One of these fantastic bodies is HBAN (Halo Business Angel Network). Just last week, we announced on its behalf that HBAN angels invested €13.6 million in 50 Irish start-ups in 2016. Furthermore, since inception, HBAN angels have invested €73 million in 362 separate deals. This funding, combined with the knowledge and support of the investors, enables Irish technology companies to innovate and grow at pace. It’s hugely exciting to play our part in sharing their news and views across a wide and interested audience.
Technology PR – new clients and team member
2017 has also started very positively for Comit as we’ve welcomed a number of new clients on board. These include Diaceutics, Esri Ireland and Novi - all of whom have interesting stories to tell, not least their significant contributions to the success of Ireland Inc.
At Comit, we’re privileged to have such a great team of experienced PR and digital marketing practitioners. We’ve added a wonderful new team member already in 2017 as Bronagh Logan joins as an account executive. We’re anticipating further strong growth in client and team numbers this year as we look to consolidate our positon as Ireland’s leading technology PR and digital marketing agency.
So we’re feeling very optimistic and excited here at Comit HQ as we look forward to a great year ahead. We would also like to take this opportunity to wish a very happy St. Patricks Day to friends and colleagues in Ireland and across the world!
Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duibh!
