What does Guaranteed Irish mean in an increasingly globalised world?

The famous G symbol, known to generations of Irish schoolchildren from their copy books, has its origins in a campaign launched by the Irish Goods Council 50 years ago.

But while many consumers see it as a badge denoting Irish goods made by Irish companies, that’s not actually the case.

The now independent, not-for-profit organisation is actually about supporting good, sustainable businesses operating here, regardless of where they originate, its chief executive Brid O’Connell tells the Inside Marketing podcast.

The root of the confusion stems back to before Guaranteed Irish was born, and a Government initiative called Déanta in Éireann, which translates as made in Ireland.

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Back then Ireland wasn’t even in the EEC, the forerunner of today’s EU. As a poor nation, with agriculture constituting pretty much its sole source of revenue, exhorting people to buy Irish
made sense. It was only later that such national initiatives were seen as protectionist and contrary to the wider European project.

“So today, Guaranteed Irish is the national symbol of trust, available to all businesses based in Ireland, both homegrown and international, who support jobs, community and provenance,” explains O’Connell.

But the fact that the Guaranteed Irish seal of approval is open to all businesses, and not just homegrown ones, still requires something of a shift in mindset, she accepts.

“It’s about all businesses that support jobs, community and provenance. That means jobs that are good-quality and sustainable. Community is about giving back to your community – not just about making a profit, but doing the right thing. And provenance means we request that businesses who are awarded the Guaranteed Irish licence add 50 per cent or more of their value to their product or service in Ireland,” she adds.

Not ‘of Ireland’ but ‘in Ireland’

It’s all far more nuanced than a simple Made in Ireland badge, she says. “It is complicated. But what it is tapping into is the desire to support local, the desire to support sustainability and sustainable practices, and the desire to do the right thing,” says O’Connell.

That desire was never more evident than during Covid, she points out, when consumers responded to the difficulties businesses were in by flocking to support local heroes, from craft makers to coffee shops.

Today, Guaranteed Irish has 2,300 members, both large and small, which between them employ more than 150,000 people. Together they contribute €14.2 billion to the Irish economy and over €52 billion to the global economy. “So it’s big business, and really important that we make a big effort to look out for the Guaranteed Irish logo and support businesses that have it,” she says.

Service businesses are also included by the organisation, which receives no money from the State, and in its 50 years of operating never has. Instead, it is supported entirely by its members, which speaks volumes about its value to them.

A diverse group

It is the company involved that gets a licence to use the Guaranteed Irish logo – not any individual product. To secure it, the applicant must undergo a thorough check by the Guaranteed Irish appraisals board to ensure they meet the necessary criteria.

Membership includes some of the best-known Irish brands, such as Flahavans and SuperValu. It also includes multinational giants such as Microsoft and AbbVie, a pharmaceutical company.

To take the pharmaceutical industry in general, “A lot of the pharmaceuticals are made here, but there are component parts coming from other countries,” she explains.

“Fifty per cent or more added value has to be added to a particular product here before the business can be eligible for the licence. We do the due diligence on that, but the companies are very keen to get it right themselves, because nobody wants to be seen greenwashing, or doing the wrong thing. That integrity is really important to the whole Guaranteed Irish brand. We’re only as strong as our weakest brand.”

That goes for every sector, be it construction, professional services, food, tourism, technology or advertising.

For an ad agency to become a member, the route is the same as for all others. You email to request a comprehensive application form.

“It’s not about the product, or something you’re doing within the business. It’s about the overall business, how it is creating quality sustainable jobs, how it is a good employer, how it is giving back to the community, whether it is adding 50 per cent or more value here, whether it is on a sustainable journey and doing the right thing,” she explains.

“All the questions are designed to poke and extract information out of you, including any accreditations you might already have.”

Completed applications go to an appraisal board for assessment. If you don’t meet the criteria, you will not be accepted. If you do, you pay an annual fee depending on the number of people you employ.

Better together

Once you get a licence, you’re given a digital wallet in which are all the brand assets you can start to use. “I always say to people, don’t apply unless you’re going to use it,” she says, adding that having it can help with everything from attracting talent to corporate and social responsibility activities, as well as sales.

“People want to come and work for a company they can trust and believe in, so all that is really integral to building a great foundation and a great culture in a business,” says O’Connell.

As well having the use of a valuable marketing tool, members are encouraged to partner up. “Our strap line is ‘altogether better’. We’re good when we all lift each other. The big guys help the small guys out and we trade with one another. We try and put business back into the ecosystem and nourish it,” she explains.

Adding value

Members get peer mentoring on topics such as sustainability, while the Guaranteed Irish organisation acts as a lobbyist, talking to government on members’ behalf. It is currently promoting the idea that members should get a greater weighting when it comes to public procurement.

The organisation runs networking events and public relations campaigns, and gives individual members an additional platform for publicity, including O’Connell’s weekly podcast. It also conducts research into brand effectiveness.

“Three quarters of the full population of all ages recognise the symbol. There is not another logo or symbol out there that has that pulling power,” she says.

It also runs advertising campaigns on TV, radio, press and online, to drive awareness. This year, to mark its half centenary, it launched a competition called 50-50-50, offering a €50,000 communications campaign to a member that employs more than 50 people which can demonstrate how it has supported other Guaranteed Irish members in their supply chain.

“Our job really is to talk to the consumer, but also to other businesses, to say that if we look after the G, the G will look after us.”

To hear more from podcast and content series Inside Marketing, click here.