Media Training Tips

Navigating the ever-changing media landscape can be a daunting task. Many opportunities are lost to increase brand awareness and exposure, simply due to a lack of confidence and experience in speaking to the media.

Our resident Media Trainer and Head of Communications, Stephanie Stafford, gives her top three tips when it comes to media interaction.

Media Literacy

As you are now front facing for the company, the way you consume your news is extremely important.

You need to learn to consume and analyse the information you are digesting from different sources and viewpoints. Reading a mix of publications such as The Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Business Post, Extra.ie, Irish Sun and listening to Newstalk, 2FM, Sunshine radio, etc, is imperative to garner a 360 view of current topics. When an interview request comes in, listen back to the podcasts of that show to really get a sense of the interviewer’s style.

Everything is “On The Record” 

Even in a pre-recorded scenario, one must always assume that everything they say is on the record so take a few seconds to think about your response. We have a wonderful network of journalists and broadcasters in Ireland who work hard to deliver interesting news to the public, therefore it is important to keep in mind that comments you make in passing may not be cut out and could change the main focus of the interview.

Practice Makes Perfect 

Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was the perfect media interview style. Before any media interaction, map out the three key points you want to deliver to your audience and rehearse possible scenarios with colleagues, family members, and perhaps a media trainer. I would always recommend walking around the room for phone interviews as it promotes active listening and builds confidence.

We offer media training in both our Dublin and Cork offices, off-site and online. This training is for anyone who needs to improve their media skills, maximise publicity and get their key message out there. 

At Fuzion we will hone your delivery style; show you how to deliver your core set of messages effectively, without going off course, or succumbing to aggressive interviewing. We will demonstrate how to connect with your audience, in a way that is professional, personable, and genuine, even in a pressurised environment.

We will help to develop a delivery style that is comfortable & confident by:

• Showing you how to take control and handle all interruptions

• Identifying your relevant target audiences’ needs 

• Building the script around your organisation’s agreed core messages 

• Anticipating all key questions, including the ones you want and those you definitely don’t want

 • Illustrating the powerful impact of story, example and making figures meaningful

 • Giving you the tools to deal with all interview techniques, no matter how aggressive – assertively and calmly 

Feel free to reach out to me at stephanie@fuzion.ie if you need any further information.

Stephanie Stafford is Head of Communications and part of the Media Training team at Fuzion

Tour De France, tour de force.

You may not be a Tour De France fanatic, but I bet you can guess what colour jersey the winner wears?

Take a second…

You got it, right? Yup – it’s Yellow! Or Le Maillot Jaune, in French.

But what if I told you it hasn’t always been this way?

120 years ago in the first ever Tour of 1903, the winning rider, Maurice Garin, wore a green armband to signify his place at the top of the pile.

It wasn’t until 16 years later, in 1919, that Eugène Christophe became the first rider to wear the yellow jersey.

In the first post-WWI race, Henri Desgrange a newspaper publisher and the actual creator of the Tour de France (and by now race Director), wanted a way to make the race leader stand out more to both riders and spectators alike.

Out went the green armband… and so began one of the earliest sponsorship activations in the world – with his paper L’Auto, then printed on yellow paper, inspiring the colour of the leader’s jersey.

This tradition has remained ever since, and Le Tour remains a great place to look to for clever sponsorship activations. Teams are all named after their sponsors and it remains an incredibly strong way to put a brand front and centre to a global audience (Forget the World Cup, the Tour is bigger!).

But while billions are spent by brands sponsoring sporting events, so many of them are happy to let the billboard, the jersey or the photoshoot do the work.

I’ve always felt a creative and unusual activation is necessary to back up basic sponsorship spend – and it’s time we move on from the ‘spoken word’ slow-mo stories that seem to have become a first stop for many over the past decade and a half.

People are tiring of overly saccharine creations, and demand something more authentic, something that *really* conveys what the magic of ‘their’ event is all about – something they can relate to as fans.

Step up Škoda Auto, a brand that’s celebrating 20 years of sponsorship in the Tour De France. With agency Fallon, they decided that if they could not take british cyclists to the Tour de France, they’d bring the excitement of Le Tour to a popular Sunday cycle route in the UK – giving these everyday cyclists the thrill of the peloton.

They dressed the last segment of the route to look exactly like a Tour stage, with the Race Director’s iconic red Škoda Enyaq, French road signs, the infamous Tour de France devil superfan Didi, rowdy fans and messages of support chalked on the road.

There was even an official finish line and podium, with post-race interviews!

This was all done to celebrate Škoda’s 20 years involvement, and it was built as social-first content. It will run alongside sponsorship idents on ITV (for both Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes) and it gets the #KingOfActivations jersey for me.

Maybe the next time you’re thinking of putting a name on a Jersey – think of the yellow one, and how it’s important to always think one step beyond. Putting money into Sponsorship is a fool’s errand, unless time and creativity is put into taking the activation to that next level.

Ciarán Ó Raghallaigh is a Senior Account Manager at Fuzion Communications, a full service Marketing and PR agency with offices in Dublin and Cork, Ireland. We help businesses with their brand development, creative advertising & sponsorship activations.

Why Authentic Content Marketing Matters Now More Than Ever

I recently was on a webinar hosted by Born Social, and the topic of discussion was ‘A new age of influence and how do you effectively integrate social-first creators into your strategy‘. One of the main things that I took from it was how people are looking for more authenticity than ever before when it comes to not only their social media feeds but also in most of the media/marketing materials they consume.

With the continuous rise of TikTok, we have seen from Gen Zers that they are more interested in social media that reflects their true personalities and interests. They want to see the real person behind the persona, and they are not as interested in perfect social media feeds consisting of content that is carefully curated.

They are taking a step away from ‘Influencers’ and taking a step towards the new age of ‘Creators’. 

We are seeing new brands hit the market that have been created by everyday people, and there is no filter or photoshop behind them. The brands have no polished photos and no perfect captions. The future of creator marketing is brands that have an authentic message and were created authentically, with the ones gaining the most traction being the ones that encourage the creator to be themselves. 

The secret to many brands’ current success is in their extensive use of authentic marketing and content to attract customers and get them interested in their products. By creating content like this, businesses can show new buyers and regular clients what they can buy and how it would look on a real person. All you have to do is look at your TikTok feed to see how more and more brands are engaging with real people like never before because they are now seeing the value behind their real honest reviews, which is what your customer wants to see. 

Take for example Kim Kardashians’ brand SKIMS, one big part of their marketing is their interaction with content creators – sending them products so that they can show them off, how it fits etc. in a video or picture on their social channels, helping them to get on the radar of someone that might not have considered their product before.

Not only does this technique get your product in front of your audience it also creates a domino effect with other creators that may want to receive some product as well, potentially going out and buying your product on their own, with the hopes the brand will notice them and want to work with them too! 

So the main learning that I took from this, was that authenticity is the key to customer engagement and never before has it been so important to be yourself on social media.

Michelle

Michelle Harrison is a Senior Account Manager, part of the PR and Marketing team with Fuzion Communications, a full service brand communications agency that operates from offices in Dublin and Cork

Content Marketing – Does Your (company’s) Shoe Fit?

By Dylan Morley

In recent years, we have seen a shift away from traditional marketing and toward digital marketing. There are many new marketing techniques, with content marketing (CM) becoming one of the most important. CM is starting to replace traditional marketing, as customers become more and more aware of traditional advertising and expect new approaches from businesses to catch their attention and entice them to purchase.

According to the Content Marketing Institute: “CM is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.” 

Within the context of digital marketing, CM refers to the creation of entertaining and/or informative content that does not explicitly advertise a company’s products or services. When we talk about CM, we can refer to anything from a simple video, blog or article to larger content such as webinars. With this type of content, educational value is also important to consider.

Given that it is free, this information service differs from traditional information institutions or settings. This is because it occurs online and online content consumers expect information to be free – this is the internet’s central allure for many. When you walk into a store and choose a product to buy, the only information often available to us is located on the product/packaging or, if we’re lucky, an employee who can provide us with further information. However, these specifics may only include information such as the price, technical specifications and so on. What content marketing allows companies to do, is to provide additional information like how to use the product, where to use it, etc.

One company that provides entertaining content marketing to its customers is Footaslyum. The UK high-street retailer specialises in sports trainers and apparel for men, women and children. However, their target audience is young people, especially men, between 18 and 25. Footasylum targeted this audience by creating content with social media influencers ‘Chunkz’ and ‘Young Filly’ who are hugely popular figures among their core demographic. 

The content marketing strategy was simple; a 10-15 min YouTube show starring Chunkz and Young Filly called ‘Does The Shoe Fit?’. The premise of the show is that the duo would go on a series of speed dates with attractive women that would often lead to humorous outcomes. However, while on these dates, the other show presenters can watch live and commentate on their co-hosts dating performance. Guests also formed a major part of the show as Chunkz and Young Filly would often be joined by other high profile influencers including former Love Island contestants. 

Footasylum’s content marketing strategy was a major success with some episodes of the show racking up over 7 million views on YouTube. The online show went on for five seasons and while it came to end in late 2021, funny snippets still appear across social media feeds especially on TikTok, giving the content even further marketing longevity. 

The success of ‘Does The Shoe Fit?’ is a lesson to brands and companies that audiences are tired of the hard sell. Nowadays, marketing should and can be about more than just your product or service. If content marketing is not currently part of your marketing strategy, then you are almost certainly missing out.

Dylan Morley is an Account Executive at Fuzion Communications, full service marketing and PR agency, with offices in Cork and Dublin.

YOU’VE BEEN LYNCHED

Cristiano Ronaldo. Kanye West. Andrew Tate.

If Piers Morgan was an undertaker, he’d be investigated for filling his own coffins such has been the fallout for these men following their appearance on his ‘Piers Morgan Uncensored’ show.

Since their chin wagging with the gobby gammon, all three men have experienced catastrophic professional collapses – even if Ronaldo is being soothed by $4m-a-week to play exhibition football in the Saudi Arabian league.

Professional cigar smoker and misogynist, Andrew Tate, was arrested by Romanian police in one of the most brilliant self-owns ever, while the idiot formerly known as Kanye West has self-immolated, in honour of his fellow entrepreneur and misunderstood artist… **check notes** Adolf Hitler.

Morgan’s Midas touch might be only a coincidence, of course, but if he had his way there’d be a fourth victim – one Mick Lynch, the head of Britain’s Rail, Marine and Transport workers’ union.

Alas, while Morgan enjoyed friendly fireside chats with Ronaldo, Tate & Ye, his attempt to take Lynch down at the knees went awry, with the presenter’s attempts to rattle his guest falling flat – inspiring no end of humiliation on social media.

“Is that the level your journalism is at these days?” Lynch asked, when Morgan attempted a ‘gotcha’ by taking aim at Lynch’s obviously humorous Facebook profile photo – a bald puppet from cult 60s TV show Thunderbirds that bore a passing resemblance to Lynch.

“You’re about to wreak havoc on the country, and [The Hood – a fictional terrorist puppet] that’s a man who wreaked havoc on the world!” Morgan continued, unwilling to stop digging, before being put back in his place by Lynch; “Is that the level we’re at, don’t you want to talk about the issues, instead of a little vinyl puppet from when I was a kid?”

“You seem very irritated” Morgan argued, to an utterly nonplussed Lynch. “Well, I’m not”, he responded, as Morgan’s face became ever more crimson.

It was just one of a number of tete-a-tetes in which Lynch won by unanimous decision, going from an unknown trade unionist to a much respected national figure in a matter of months.

As we head into 2023, with public anger growing in many countries due to spiralling costs, inflationary pressures and a general disillusionment with elected leaders’ unable and/or unwilling to make a positive impact – Lynch has become a beacon of common sense and sensibility, in no small part due to those straight talking media appearances.

Morgan has been buried, with Kay Burley, Richard Madeley and others suffering similar fates. I have yet to see anyone ruffle Lynch’s feathers, and that applies to politicians who have endured the same fate as interviewers. He’s given the gotcha kings and queens on GB News a wide berth, however, insisting ‘They’re a bunch of right wing bigots from what I can see”.

Straight talking like that can get you in trouble, but only if you’re not concrete in your views and certain you’ve done your homework. Lynch nails both.

The 61 year-old, born in London to Irish parents from Cork and Armagh, cites James Connolly as his inspiration and has enjoyed quite the rise from a 16 year-old school leaver to a man holding the British government – packed with Eton and Oxbridge graduates – to account. He has gained support on the left, as one might expect – but a quick social media search will prove he’s earned respect from outwith the expected groups.

“If (he) had to do what my members do, getting up at all hours of the morning, working shifts in arduous working circumstances, putting up with all sorts of conditions…he wouldn’t survive a minute, and he wouldn’t have a future in the real world, where they’ve never done a hand’s turn – as my mother used to say.”

This comment, referencing Piers Morgan’s ‘bile and hate speech’, as Lynch called it, showed why and how he’s become so popular. In any media training, we speak about knowing your message and your audience, and being able to weave both into a conversation in an authentic way.

Lynch stands up for his key audience, speaks with a calm authority, and knows his topic inside out. Not a single interviewer or politician has been able to outdo him when it came to facts and figures (Brexit vote aside).

“As my mother used to say” is a classic soft touch to add to a quote – aligning him with his members; the average man and woman in the street.

He’s taken advantage of big ticket appearances on the likes of Piers Morgan’s show, Good Morning Britain, Sky News and the BBC – but he doesn’t over do it. A burst of media appearances ensures that each time he shares his message it’s fresh and we’re not tired of seeing and hearing him.

He’s also shown an eagerness to embrace social media and online channels that may reach a younger audience, an audience recent studies show are trending more to the left than previous generations, and staying there even as they age.

“The new media outlets and social media give us more opportunities,” Lynch said recently. “More and more people don’t trust the mainstream media for various reasons. The main thing is we have to convince our people, trade unionists, to take the action, and that spreads to other people in the community – whether it’s in your pub, your mosque, your church or temple, people have those discussions about what’s going on.”

Once more, Lynch gets his message across in a calm, concise tone, and effortlessly touches on multiple audiences by going beyond just ‘the pub’ when referring to communities where he’d like his message heard.

You may not be planning on becoming a national icon in 2023, but if you end up in front of cameras and microphones, then watching and listening to Mick Lynch will be time well spent.

It’ll be more entertaining, at least, than watching Piers discuss the Saudi Arabian league.

21 Questions with… Deirdre Waldron

Welcome to the 13th (lucky for some!) of our Fuzion Friday series, where we put 21 devilishly difficult questions to a team member, giving you an insight that Freud would be proud of.

Next up is a fan of Tuscany and Sex and the City… it’s Deirdre!

Fuzion Communications Picture: Miki Barlok

1. Tell us something about you that nobody else in the team might know?

My first job, apart from working for my family’s business, was selling seagrass to pubs – I lasted half a day. On my worst day now, I tell myself ‘I could be selling seagrass!!!’

2. What film have you watched more than five times?

Sex & the City – and yes, both of them – sorry, not sorry!!!

3. What work are you most proud of in the past year?

Bringing the number of our team up to 20 this year.

4. Dream job?

What I’m doing now, but working from West Cork.

5. Favourite brand?

Everyone who knows me knows the answer to this – James Whelan Butchers. I love the way they take a product that is considered by many a commodity, and really celebrate it and make it so special – this shines through in everything they do and also those who know me will know I’m not just saying this cos the CEO is a client and a good friend.

6. Favourite Holiday Destination?

Tuscany.

7. Best lesson from your career

It’s not about the best idea or the biggest budget, it’s about having the tenacity to follow things through.

8. Eurovision or World Cup?

World Cup.

9. Who is the joker on the team?

Ciarán – Master Copywriter, which makes him first for the wittiest comment or observation.

10. Recommend a podcast?

Suppose I can’t recommend Greg’s #WinHappy Podcast? If not, just listened to Coupledom with Idris & Sabrina Elba – some of the episodes are really light; in one of the episodes they had a great chat with Ben & Jerry about their partnership and how throughout growing the business they remained through to their values – even now that they are no longer part of the business, their values have remained the same. I’d wish for the same for Fuzion.

11. Reality shows – Love or Hate?

Indifferent mainly – although I sneak the odd episode of The Kardashians when Greg isn’t looking!!!!

12. Dinner party with 3 people – dead or alive – who do you invite?

My brother Liam (I miss him), the iconic and original “Mad Woman” Jane Maas (I miss her), and Billy Joel to entertain us.

13. If you could be anywhere in the world – where would you be & what would you do?

Walking on a beach in West Cork with Greg and the dogs and as it’s a fantasy, the dogs would be so well behaved I could let them off the lead and run wild – oh and Greg too lol!

14. Who is your role model?

I have three, my mum, who was a tenacious business woman years before her time, Jane Mass, one of the first female copywriters/ad executives on Madison Avenue in the 1950s,  and the founder of the Rose of Tralee, Margaret Dwyer.

15. What was your first job?

Working in my parent’s restaurant “The Central Grill” in Tralee. Washing dishes and serving tables, when I was tall enough.

16. Death Row meal?

Dry Aged Burger with Truffle Fries…….lots of truffles……

17. Favourite book?

At the moment “Wounds” by Fergal Keane as he gives a shout out to my rebel of a grandfather Willie McCabe and the part he played in the War of Independence.

18. Your a grammar nazi oar not?

More a spelling nazi than grammar nazi. It’s a definite ‘no’ from me if someone applies for a job with Fuzion and they can’t get the name of the organisation right!!!

19. First album you bought or downloaded?

Does it count if Santa bought it to me? If yes, then it was ‘Arrival’ by Abba, in 1976 when I was 10 – must have still believed in him….

20. Work from home – or office?

Office …….. what’s that?

21. Most memorable ad slogans – why?

“I 💗 New York” – this was pivotal in getting people to look differently at the city – it worked back in the 1970s and is still relevant and used globally in so many ways.

Deirdre Waldron is a Partner at Fuzion Communications, full service marketing and PR agency, with offices in Cork and Dublin.

21 Questions with…Heather Lordan

Welcome to the twelfth of our Fuzion Friday series, where we put 21 devilishly difficult questions to a team member, giving you an insight that Freud would be proud of.

Next up a fan of tattoos and Will Ferrell…..Heather!

Fuzion Communications Picture: Miki Barlok

1. Tell us something about you that nobody else in the team might know.

I have four tattoos and am planning loads more!

2. What film have you watched more than five times?

The Other Guys.

3. What work are you most proud of in the past year?

Helping with Tour de Munster 2021. It was a hugely successful year for the annual charity cycle and it raised over €522k for the Munster branches of Down syndrome Ireland

4. Dream job?

Own my own gastropub 

5. Favourite brand? – Why?

Asos – I could scroll for hours!

6. Favourite Holiday Destination?

I’m not fussy – once there’s sun and an Irish bar!

7. Best lesson from your career?

There is literally something new to learn everyday

8. Eurovision or World Cup?

World Cup

9. Who is the joker on the team?

Michelle.

10. Recommend a podcast.

I wouldn’t be a massive podcast listener but if I’m out on a walk I always throw on the two Johnnies for a laugh.

11. Reality shows – Love or Hate?

Hate

12. Dinner party with 3 people – dead or alive – who do you invite?

Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd and my boyfriend Tomás because I wouldn’t want him to miss out on that!

13. If you could be anywhere in the world – where would you be & what would you do?

I love Ireland and don’t think I ever want to leave.

14. Who is your role model?

No real role model but I love listening to positive mindset and manifestation talks.

15. What was your first job?

Pool attendant in Inchydoney Hotel, Clonakilty.

16. Death Row meal?

A spicy chicken pasta with garlic bread.

17. Favourite book?

Feel the fear and do it anyway.

18. Your a grammar nazi oar not?

I always try and make sure my grammar is right but I wouldn’t be too worried about correcting anyone.

19. First album you bought or downloaded?

Definitely one of those “Now that’s what I call music” albums.

20. Work from home – or office?

Home – I couldn’t bare be away from my little shih-tzu. I do love our Fuzion Fridays though, and meeting up with the team.

21. Most memorable ad slogans – why?

Not a slogan but I remember the day when someone pointed out that the Amazon logo had an arrow from A-Z to represent what they stock, and I was amazed!!

Heather Lordan is Account Executive at Fuzion Communications, full service marketing and PR agency, with offices in Cork and Dublin.

21 Questions with…Olivia Trought

welcome to the eleventh of our Fuzion Friday series, where we put 21 devilishly difficult questions to a team member, giving you an insight that Freud would be proud of.

Next up is professional Norrie… Olivia!

Fuzion Communications Picture: Miki Barlok

1. Tell us something about you that nobody else in the team might know. 

I actually don’t think there is anything they don’t know – I like to talk 🙂

2. What film have you watched more than five times? 

Pretty Woman

3. What work are you most proud of in the past year? 

The TUS event – the team pulled off an amazing event in a short space of time!

4. Dream job? 

Wine taster in a vineyard in France – like what could be any better?

5. Favourite brand? – Why? 

Toyota – my first car purchase from my first paycheck from my first full time job!

6. Favourite Holiday Destination? 

Jamaica – loved it

7. Best lesson from your career? 

Own up when you make a mistake

8. Eurovision or World Cup? 

World Cup – 100%

9. Who is the joker on the team? 

A toss between Ciarán and Dylan – but maybe Dylan as he is a norrie!

10. Recommend a podcast. 

The 2 Norries

11. Reality shows – Love or Hate? 

Love!

12. Dinner party with 3 people – dead or alive – who do you invite? 

Roy Keane, My Granda John (RIP) and my Dad – what a conversation that would be!

13. If you could be anywhere in the world – where would you be & what would you do?

Somewhere hot and bringing people out on daily boat tours! Stress free!

14. Who is your role model? 

Love Michelle Obama

15. What was your first job? 

Aged 12, Cons shop – Gurranabraher

16. Death Row meal?

My mums roast chicken and mashed potato

17. Favourite book? 

Marian Keyes – Rachel’s Holiday (light reading but loved it)

18. Your a grammar nazi oar not? 

1000000%

19. First album you bought or downloaded? 

Bought – Michael Jackson’s Bad, Downloaded – Christina Aguilera’s Stripped.

20. Work from home – or office? 

Bit of both

21. Most memorable ad slogans – why? 

“McDonalds – I’m lovin it” – both the slogan and the logo are so well known all around the world.

Olivia Trought is Office Manager at Fuzion Communications, full service marketing and PR agency, with offices in Cork and Dublin.

21 Questions with… Ciarán Ó Raghallaigh

welcome to the tenth of our Fuzion Friday series, where we put 21 devilishly difficult questions to a team member, giving you an insight that Freud would be proud of.

Next up is Tokyo and Jesus fan…..Ciarán!

1. Tell us something about you that nobody else in the team might know.

Once danced in front of Heidi Klum & Anne Hathaway on a movie. Was on Blackboard Jungle.

2. What film have you watched more than five times?

Intouchables. Die Hard. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (original). Beetlejuice.

3. What work are you most proud of in the past year?

Just helping everyone in the team to be the best human they can.

4. Dream job?

Donald Trump speechwriter.

5. Favourite brand? – Why?

Apple. Just pristine in everything they do. (Apart from ports & cables)

6. Favourite Holiday Destination?

Japan. Everyone should go once before they die a slow, miserable death.

7. Best lesson from your career?

Never be afraid to ask what might seem like a stupid question.

8. Eurovision or World Cup?

Scratch my last answer, sometimes you should be afraid to ask a stupid question!

9. Who is the joker on the team?

Like, Michelle.

10. Recommend a podcast.

Bill Burr. Revisionist History (first season). Winds of Change.

11. Reality shows – Love or Hate?

Hate. Pity. Despair.

12. Dinner party with 3 people – dead or alive – who do you invite?

The famous Jesus Christ and his two parents (we think), Mary and Joseph. They’d have *some* great chats.

“Dad, why are the lads in class saying mam’s a virgin?”

“Oh Jesus, I mean, son…ah…sure lookit. More wine, Mary?”

13. If you could be anywhere in the world – where would you be & what would you do?

Japan. Riding Bullet trains all day long, and eating mad-flavoured Kit Kats with folks dressed like Super Mario characters.

14. Who is your role model?

Nanda – my grandfather, was my idol. Gave me a love of cycling and I’m not sure I’ve ever been happier than when he was on the side of the road at a race I won.

15. What was your first job?

Roches Stores. Not sure what I was meant to be doing.

16. Death Row meal?

Eddie Rocket’s burger with garlic cheese & cyanide chips.

17. Favourite book?

Impossible to choose. But I wish I could read The Long Walk (Stephen King) and Going Solo (Roald Dahl) again – for the first time.

18. Your a grammar nazi oar not?

Ja!

19. First album you bought or downloaded?

Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D’Arby.

20. Work from home – or office?

If ‘home’ was in Dubai or Tokyo, then home – but miss the camaraderie of an office.

21. Most memorable ad slogans – why?

“‘Snap! Crackle! Pop!’” Almost 90 years old, but still amazingly sharp.

Ciarán Ó Raghallaigh is a Senior Account Manager at Fuzion Communications, full service marketing and PR agency, with offices in Cork and Dublin.

21 Questions with…Lolly Cleary

welcome to the seventh of our Fuzion Friday series, where we put 21 devilishly difficult questions to a team member, giving you an insight that Freud would be proud of.

Next up is Metallica and Alexander McQueen fan…..Lolly!

1. Tell us something about you that nobody else in the team might know.

I had a brush with death 1 month before my 18th birthday, when I went through the back window of a car.

2. What film have you watched more than five times?

Moulin Rouge

3. What work are you most proud of in the past year?

All my work with Fuzion

4. Dream job?

I love baking – something to do with that maybe?

5. Favourite brand? – Why?

Alexander McQueen – I think this is fairly self explanatory.

6. Favourite Holiday Destination?

Lisbon was my favourite holiday ever.

7. Best lesson from your career?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, or look stupid – it can save you a lot of time and hardship in the long run.

8. Eurovision or World Cup?

Wimbledon / Masters / F1.

9. Who is the joker on the team?

Michelle.

10. Recommend a podcast.

Win Happy by Greg Canty – Obviously!! ….or…. the Tommy, Hector and Laurita Podcast.

11. Reality shows – Love or Hate?

Hate – They are chewing gum for the eyes.

12. Dinner party with 3 people – dead or alive – who do you invite?

My uncle John who has passed away / Phil Lynott / my good friend Martina Sartor who I’ve not seen for about 4 years.

13. If you could be anywhere in the world – where would you be & what would you do?

Cuba – absolutely nothing.

14. Who is your role model?

No one in particular.

15. What was your first job?

Answering phones for my dad.

16. Death Row meal?

Rick Stein’s Sweet Potato and Chorizo Quesadillas with guac / pico / sour cream etc, ice cold beer.

17. Favourite book?

Harry Potter.

18. Your a grammar nazi oar not?

I thought I was until Ciarán joined the team.

19. First album you bought or downloaded?

Metallica – …And Justice for All.

20. Work from home – or office?

Mostly home, but sometimes office.

21. Most memorable ad slogans – why?

A sarcastic “Cool story”.

Lolly Cleary is Head of Design at Fuzion Communications, full service marketing and PR agency, with offices in Cork and Dublin.