Media&Marketing: Government business is not the only activity to be overly centralised in Dublin.

According to the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland (IAPI), which represents the advertising industry, only a tiny number of agencies are operating outside the capital.

While Southern Advertising Ltd has offices in Limerick and Cork and Genesis Advertising operates from Belfast, advertising remains very much a Dublin concern.

Now a new agency is trying to question these geographic certainties. M4, a marketing and advertising agency has been operating since November from Killarney and already boasts a respectable local client base.

Founded by Mr Martin McGuire, former Unilever executive and ex marketing manager of Waterford Crystal, and Mr Eamon Mulvihill, a designer, the company believes that Dublin-based agencies are not always able to offer the kind of services local clients want.

Mr McGuire confidently predicts that in years ahead the Dublin agencies will have to establish satellite offices.

"Decentralisation is due to happen and increasingly, business is leaving Dublin. We believe we can tap into some of that," says Mr McGuire.

"Some clients want a face-to-face service and believe they can also getter better value for money at a local level," argues McGuire.

He acknowledges that Ireland's small economy cannot afford to scatter industries all over the country, although in Britain advertising firms are active in Manchester and Cardiff, not just London.

The agency so far has worked on a "no foal, no fee" basis and gradually hopes to expand from its Kerry base, into Cork and then further afield.

So far it has worked with the Rose of Tralee Festival, Cork-Kerry Tourism, the Europe Hotel and O'Shea's Builders and Providers.

Expert's good copy

The National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI) has launched an initiative to encourage creative advertising executives to consider ways of playing to the strengths of newspapers through advertising.

To launch the move, it has invited award-winning copywriter and group creative head of GSD&M, in Austin, Texas, Mr Luke Sullivan, to give an address in Dublin tomorrow.

The event is one of a series of initiatives which the NNI is organising, pitched at the creative advertising community.

The aim is to invite agencies to "showcase their interpretations" of what makes newspapers so special as an advertising medium. The idea is to encourage the agencies to think about the "unique strengths" of the newspaper medium and what sets them apart from other media.

Mr Sullivan is also the author of Hey Whipple, Squeeze This, an acclaimed collection of tips and guidelines on how to write and produce successful ads for print, TV, radio and billboards.

The event takes place in the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin, at 4pm.

Big brands go 3-D

The idea of encountering a grainy, flickering 3-D image made popular in Star Wars during a trip to the supermarket sounds unlikely, but holograms are increasingly being used to advertise some of the world's biggest brands.

The modern hologram, a mixture of traditional holography, film-making and computer generated techniques, is an interactive 3-D image that can be set up and broadcast in virtually any space at a fraction of the cost of a television advert.

Recently, Warner Brothers used holograms to promote its films, the technology helped Sony launch its Wipeout computer game, while in Ireland, brands like Smirnoff and Baileys are also using holograms.

"They haven't been commercially viable until now, but the cost has come down and they can be used in any space: a shop window, a wall or a supermarket, anywhere that has a plug socket. They distil the essence of a TV ad into three-second bursts," claims Ms Helen Maguire, strategic director, Reverse Perspective, the company that holds the exclusive Irish licence for interactive holograms.

Drinks companies are among the first brands to embrace holograms in Ireland, but Mr Steve Shanahan, chief executive, the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland, dismisses the suggestion they have embraced the technology due to restrictions on advertising alcohol brands on television.

"We have a self-regulatory body, Central Copy Clearance Ireland , which pre-vets ads before they appear in any media," he said.

Ms Maguire believes that the increased fragmentation of Irish advertising is also making this new medium attractive to blue chip brands. "The advent of satellite and digital TV means consumers are bombarded with so much information. You need something that will capture their imagination and because holograms are usually used at point-of-sale, it's ideal at targeting consumers. We're confident that this year will be a very good one for holograms."

Mr Aengus King of Diageo, who have placed holographic ads for Baileys, Smirnoff and Gordon's Gin in selected Superquinn and SuperValu stores, points out: "It allows us interact with consumers at the point of purchase. It creates a sense of theatre and draws consumers in." - Richard Brophy

Emmet Oliver can be contacted at eoliver@irish-times.ie