Viral Video PowerPoints-Out That Ireland Means Business

After reading of a Irish government response to its financial crisis that involves free cheese (though probably better cheese the US distributed in a similarly under-whelming economic response back in late 1980s and early 90s), I was relieved to surf to this slick, snazzy YouTube-hosted PowerPoint creation of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) which powers past doom and gloom to put a positive spin on "Ireland by the Numbers."

Among the video's bullet points:

• 960 Foreign Companies are based in Ireland, including eight of the top ten Pharmaceutical Companies and 15 of the Top 25 Medical Devices Companies


• Ireland is the 2nd Largest Exporter of Medical Devices in Europe


• It's home to 8 of the Top 10 Global Technology Companies


• Total US Investment in Ireland is greater than Brazil, Russia India & China...Combined


• Ireland produces enough beef each year to feed 30 million Europeans.


• One out of every 5 burgers served in McDonalds in Europe is Irish beef (I guess that's a good thing).


• Ireland is the 4th Largest Exporter of Beef in the World.


• Ten of the World's Top Selling Drugs are made in Ireland.


• Half of the World's Fleet Aircraft are managed from Ireland.


• And the closing message: "Ireland Means Business. You should say it too."

Comment on the video by YouTube viewer Frogsheep: "Brilliant! if only the media could adapt 10% of this positive message, the public mindset would be in a better place."

A three-minute montage isn't going to cure what ails Ireland's economy, but it might accomplish more in dire times than mountains of free cheese. Just google "role of confidence in economy" and you'll get over 27,400,000 results. In addition to all the facts, figures, statistics and graphs of the "dismal science" of economics, there is the con game -- "con" as in confidence.

MEDIA PINGS: Found my way to this video through a Twitter message from @friendsofeire who passed on the to link Niall Devitt's post on bloggertone.com (where Niall had done to heavy lifting of pulling out several of the video's bullet points I used here)...The IBEC, which produced Ireland by the Numbers, was formed in 1993 as a result of a merger between the Confederation of Irish Industry (CII) and the Federation of Irish Employers (FIE) and provides its membership base of over 7500 organizations with "knowledge, influence and connections." We can keep the Irish media dialog going on Linkedin at the "Irish in Media" group--hope to see you there.

 

Follow John Lee on Twitter: www.twitter.com/johnleemedia