Monthly Archives: December 2008

Maybe we say ‘Happy’ Christmas because we associate it with the happiness of being with friends and families? As it happens, social networks make us happy as well. All that time spent on Bebo, twitter etc might actually be good … Continue reading →

Pity Ireland’s publicans. The latest retail sales data from the CSO shows that the volume of sales in Irish pubs were down -11% in October on the same month last year. The value of sales were down -7.5%. Worse, the … Continue reading →

At least, it is in New York apparently. No doubt we’ll see a similar trend here in Ireland soon. That said, the outlook for 2009 and 2010 is for lower consumer spending in total – so something has to give: … Continue reading →

Not our’s actually, their’s: a very funny (and often enlightening) guide to the Top 10 Marketing Blunders of 2008. Fortunately none of our clients featured this year, phew!

One thing we can all look forward to in a recession is innovative pricing policies. The one that caught our attention recently was Taxmobil in Switzerland. You register your mobile and credit card details and then you call a number … Continue reading →

At Amárach we’re as keen to see increasing internet access and usage in Ireland as the next, er, nerd. And the signs are good: a large majority of households now have broadband, and Irish businesses are amongst the highest users … Continue reading →

From the zany but inspiring Savage Chickens:

We can’t resist trends and trend watching at Amárach Research – so we were especially interested to learn that the trend in trends is changing. Especially in the world of design – specifically: logos. It seems that when it comes … Continue reading →

Everyone loves a bargain – more than ever in fact. One thing Irish consumers can look forward to in a recession is a lot more bargains. Of course, sometimes you have to be prepared to make certain trade-offs for your … Continue reading →

Imagine a future where you can scan the barcode on a product in your local supermarket with your mobile phone … and it tells you how much the same item costs in other supermarkets if you’re looking for a lower … Continue reading →