The advertising campaign behind C&C's flotation is low key and sober sounding, particularly when compared with the last campaign for a public share offering. That was for Eircom and it famously concentrated on emotive mystical Irish imagery backed by rousing traditional music. By contrast,  C&C is using press and radio to do two things: associate the corporate name with its household brands and announce that the flotation is imminent.

"This is a very different proposition to Eircom," says Mr Ian Young, managing director of Irish International, the agency behind the campaign. "It is targeted at the seasoned shareholder community."

Mr Young is well placed to understand the differences between the two campaigns as his agency has cornered the market in advertising IPOs.

It was responsible for the Eircom campaign and two years ago was appointed the agency to handle the aborted Aer Lingus flotation.

Drury's, the public relations company which, like Irish International, is part of the BBDO group, was responsible for the corporate affairs side of the Eircom offering and is now handling C&C.

"Broadly speaking, we have an advantage in doing this type of work in that there are strict Stock Exchange rules about what is permissible and we are fully familiar with them having handled Eircom," says Mr Young.

One of the prime "rules" governing the advertising of share offerings is that they must not be directional as in traditional advertising.

"The message has to be fairly basic, where to get information and how to apply for shares," according to Mr Young.

There was a competitive pitch in early April for the advertising campaign, worth in the region of €450,000. It is likely that the campaign will last eight weeks because, while the actual date of the flotation has yet to be announced, Mr Young believes "there is only so far into the summer that it can go".

Three agencies were invited to pitch for the business. Des O'Meara and Partners, McConnells and Irish International. The only one with a significant slice of C&C business is McConnells, which has handled Ballygowan for years.

Last year, Irish International produced the new Club Orange television campaign but the bulk of the Club business is still with Cawley Nea.

C&C's chief executive Mr Maurice Pratt appears to have had a major input into choosing the agency short-list. His previous job was as managing director at Tesco where he had a long relationship with Des O'Meara and Partners. That agency lost out badly when Tesco, one of its biggest clients, moved to McConnells last year.

The press advertisements, which feature thumbnail pictures of the company's brands, are likely to prove more persuasive than the radio advertisements. There was a feeling that, while the C&C portfolio contained some of the most well-known brand names in the State, the public did not make the connection between the brand and the parent company. Brands include Ballygowan, Bulmers, Tayto, Club Orange, MiWadi and Cidona. Current television campaigns for those brands have had their end shots changed to include mention of the C&C connection. The advertisements sell the notion of the company as "brandmasters".

In addition to the Irish International-generated advertising, Bank of Ireland, whose stockbroking arm Davy is conducting the IPO, has been targeting likely customers with a letter informing them of the upcoming share offer.

The campaign is strictly confined to the Republic. In Britain, the flotation is being announced via public relations activities focusing on the business press.

ON September 11th, bond brokerage Cantor Fitzgerald gained instant recognition far beyond its market segment when 658 of its staff lost their lives in the attacks on the World Trade Centre.

It has now set up a new advertising campaign in the US, featuring employee survivors telling how the tragedy impacted on them.

In one television advertisement, an emotional employee recounts the effect it has had on him, adding that he copes through work.

"I think for me it was getting back to work. That's the one thing that was keeping our minds off things and making us go on."

Work as a reason for going on is a recurring theme in all the advertisements, which raises the question whether they are exploitative or cathartic.

bharrison@irish-times.ie