The irish language in branding: an evaluation of current practices in irish business

Abstract

This research was undertaken in order to examine the current practices in relation to the use of the Irish language in manufacturing and internationally traded services. The research focuses specifically on company and brand names in Irish. The aim of the research was to identify the motivations for the use of Irish as well as the benefits and limitations associated with its use. The research also examined the use of Irish in marketing communications and its effectiveness in this area of business.

A survey was used to examine the views of the companies in relation to their use of the Irish language. Depth interviews were then used to further explore the key issues with a number of companies and industry experts.

The research highlighted the companies’ wish to support the use of the Irish language and also identified customer loyalty and awareness as key benefits. The fact that companies believe customers do not often use Irish was identified in the research however they do believe that customers value companies using Irish. The research also identified that companies associate major difficulties with the use of Irish in marketing communications, specifically the effectiveness of Irish in marketing communications and the ease of running a full marketing campaign in Irish.

The government needs to increase the level of support for businesses in their use of Irish as well as developing further measures to increase the use of the language within the country as a whole. Companies seem to be unaware of the benefits that Irish can bring them and increased levels of market research within companies may help to improve their perceptions of Irish within business.