NNI initiative to hail the printed pleasures

NATIONAL Newspapers of Ireland (NNI) has launched a creative initiative entitled The Essential Pleasure Of My Newspaper.

The move is designed to highlight Irish people’s love affair with newspapers and promote the strengths of the press-advertising medium.

NNI chairman Gavin O’Reilly announcing details to 350 advertising agency chiefs, creatives, planners, buyers and executives, said the brief was designed to “shine a creative spotlight on people’s loyalty and sense of identification with their favourite newspaper”.

“The newspaper is the medium that most people around the world say they could not live without,” said Mr O’Reilly. “We love our newspaper more than we love radio, more than internet, even more than television. Through our creative challenge, we want to ask: why is that? What makes the newspaper so special — such an integral part of the daily or Sunday routine — to so many people?”

The last time NNI ran a creative challenge, in 2005, the winning campaign, ‘Various Sizes’ by the Chemistry agency, went on to win a string of international awards&. Mr O’Reilly is hoping the winner of this year’s challenge goes on to emulate that success.

The judge for this year’s NNI challenge will be Graham Warsop, creative director of renowned Jupiter Drawing Room in South Africa.

One of the world’s pre-eminent advertising creatives, he has won 13 Cannes Lions, 9 One Show Pencils, 17 Clio Statues, 23 London International Statues and 60 medals at the New York. Mr Warsop & was recently named by the London International Awards as the “most awarded creative director” of the past 20 years.

The deadline for entries in The Essential Pleasure Of My Newspaper is February 14, 2007.