Advertising agency McConnells and public relations firm Q4 have won a €5 million Government contract to promote electronic voting in next summer's European/local elections.
The contract is one of the largest awarded this year. Most of the State's large advertising and public relations firms entered the competition run by the Department of the Environment and Local Government.
The awarding of the account will come as welcome news to McConnells, which recently lost the Eircom media account to fellow Dublin advertising agency Mindshare.
McConnells, a privately owned Irish agency, has worked on State contracts before, but its main focus is usually on blue-chip corporate clients, among them AIB, ESB, Danone and Mars. The company has also worked with the National Lottery.
McConnells will be responsible for creating a campaign to familiarise voters with the new system. Q4 will be responsible for the public relations elements of the contract. This will involve explaining to the public how e-voting works and liaising with the media on the subject.
Q4 was set up earlier this year by former Eircom press officer Mr Gerry O'Sullivan; former journalist and Government adviser Mr Jackie Gallagher, and Mr Martin Mackin, former general secretary of Fianna Fáil. Since then Ms Angie Kinnane, formerly of Financial Dynamics, has joined the company.
