Public Relations in Eircom Rebranding

This article discusses the theories of public relations applied in the rebranding of Eircom to Eir, the biggest telecommunication firm in Ireland. It also covers the challenges faced and strategies implemented in the campaign. The article provides an overview of the history of public relations in Ireland and the basic tools used in public relations marketing and communication.

Running head: PUBLIC RELATIONS IN EIRCOM REBRANDING
Public Relations in Eircom Rebranding
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1PUBLIC RELATIONS IN EIRCOM REBRANDING
Public Relation Theories provide a means of communication that helps organizations to
bridge the gap between itself and its clients, audiences or customers. This is essential for every
organization whether it is a corporate organization or a not for profit organization or an
organization involved in the field of public affairs. In the context of public relations it is very
important to understand that there are specific communication structures that are built for both
internal as well as external building of relationships (Theaker 2017). Broadly speaking there are
four types of public relations theory that are implemented to build an effective communication
with clients or the audience. In this particular case study we relate the theories of public relations
that apply to rebranding of Eircom and the tools that affected the scenario of client base retention
after the rebranding.
With respect to this case study, it is important to know what public relations campaigning
is all about and how it has affected the rebranding of Eircom to Eir, the biggest
telecommunication firm in Ireland. Public relations campaigning essentially refer to a series of
activities carried out by a firm in order to achieve a marketing goal. In this particular case, Eir
received the European PR Excellence Award for undergoing the most expensive rebranding with
a campaign that lasted for a period of almost three months (Hynes 2014). This was done to
change the focus on its customers and it involved an investment of almost a billion Euros.
Extensive media coverage and engagement of the clients using digital modes of communication
was used in the campaign. FleishmanHillard Inc., which is one of the biggest marketing and
public relations firms and the internal marketing team of Eir took care of the whole process.
Next, we take a look at the different theories of public relations and history of public relations in
Ireland.

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The first is the theory of Press Agent or Publicity Model which uses media to gain
attention in any which way possible. It can even use manipulated information (Grunig 2013).
Such a model is generally not based on proper research and involves a lot of persuasion. The
general method used is one way in which information is only conveyed from the source to the
audience.
Next, is the theory of Public Information Model which uses appropriate information but
does not expose information that can create a vulnerable situation for the organization
(Culbertson and Chen 2013). It uses a factual or truth-oriented approach to reach to the targeted
section of people. This approach also does not use proper or formal research and also uses one
way approach.
The third theory is that of Two Way Asymmetric Model. This model uses scientific
methods of persuasion and is implemented on the already existing client base to retain them and
also focuses on gaining back lost client base (Smith 2013). This model is basically used for
purposes of marketing and advertising. This being asymmetric is also pretty imbalanced as in
this case too this process looks after the benefit of the organization more than the benefit of the
clients or the customers. It is one of the processes that aim at increasing the revenue generated
and the profit in turn generated by the firm.
The last theory is that of the Two Way Symmetric Model. This model is aimed at
creating a professional bond between the customers and the organization (Grunig 2017). This
model uses communication for benefiting both the clients as well as the firm or the organization.
This model is deemed to be the most efficient and the most ethical model as it takes into account
the data of both the customers and the firms.

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The history of Public Relations in Ireland is also important to gain a background of the
case study under consideration (Whelan and Savva 2013.). It is seen that before 2013, public
relations were functioning primarily in its own direction and was not used as a management
function. However, of late public relations is being increasingly used as a management strategy
in the corporate sector. This has resulted in improvement of the public relations sector and its
incorporation not only in the decision making process of firms but also as an educational subject.
According to, Somerville and Kirby (2012) the implication of public relations in the political
history of Ireland has also been immense. In fact, it has been the most sought after mode of
investment and marketing. All parties use public relation models to reach out both to their rivals
as well as the general voting mass.
The transformation of Eircom to Eir involved the introduction of 4G for the first time.
The company turned out to be bold enough to change from an old telephone service providing
firm to a company that constantly evolves with the use of latest innovation of products and
technological improvisation. It was not a mere name change but a complete change of identity
and functioning. As mentioned above, public relations are increasingly playing a very vital role
in the marketing decisions of corporate firms in Ireland so has it in the context of Eir (Cooper
2015). On taking a keen look at the various theories mentioned above, it is seen that the theory
which applies the most to this rebranding is the Public Information Model, as it caters to the
publicizing of the information and does not take into account the reaction of the customers. It is
also in sync with the trend of increased use of public relations for corporate marketing.
Going on to analyzing the challenges facing the rebranding and the strategies
implemented, it is seen that the firm followed a two step process in the entire campaign, one was
that of a pre launch program and the second a launch day program. The pre launch program

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consisted of attracting coverage about some expected rebrand which would take place but did not
cover disclosure of elaborated details related to the rebranding (Herstein 2012). On the launch
day however, lavish events involving the staff of Eir was held and as a matter of fact, the Irish
Times was used as a medium of reaching out to people by capturing a front page picture with an
extended caption. Also, two extensive press releases were held and the theme of the events was
differentiated and based on the elements of the new brand. Following this press conferences were
held which were further forecasted on all media platforms as well as social platforms. The
company in fact segregated the country into regions and used region specific marketing skills.
However, what is lesser known is the fact that rebranding as a public relations concept is always
associated with some inherent challenges. In this case, the major challenges and issues that Eir
was facing lied within the process of reconsidering the already existing services, brand identity
and marketing strategies in place. The investment like mentioned above had to be done with a lot
of risk. Makeover was not the only factor governing such changes, the company had to undergo
changes at its very core, ranging from economic decisions, coming up with a new public
relations group, changing the logo of the firm and even the website. The deals offered to the
customers were changed and the stakeholders engaged had to be persuaded about this decision.
Nevertheless Eircom’s rebranding into Eir was an absolute success because of the strategic
financial and marketing plans it undertook.
The basic tools used in public relations marketing and communication are media
relations, advertisements, social media platforms, newsletters, brochures, business conferences,
speaking events, sponsorships, employee base retention and community relations (Baxter and
Sheridan 2012). The rebranding of Eircom to Eir through the campaigning techniques
mentioned above as one can see involved of all the tools, especially media relations, social

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platform advertising and good employee and stakeholders relations. The rebranding led to
increased mobility of the firm, strengthened existing client relationships, increased government
support and increased popularity of the firm in terms of modernization and progressiveness.
The whole process was carried out skillfully and with precision keeping account of all the
factors involved, the risks and the results aimed at (McCoy et al.2017). However, to make the
campaigning even more robust, the Two Way Symmetric Model should have been implemented
as it would lead to better performance of service delivery. This is so because it is the most ethical
process and takes account of customer feedback. Also, probably using fewer tools of public
relations campaigning instead of using all tools in an extravagant manner would lead to reduced
risk and lesser investment. However, on the whole, it is one of the most successful rebranding in
Ireland and has become a benchmark for public relations campaigning in the country. It has
increased the use of public relations for marketing and management in the corporate sector in
Ireland. The success of the campaigning lied in the context of the impact it created, the
understanding the audience and clients form and improvement of the credibility and reputation of
Eir as a firm.

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