Irish consumer spending remains flat; New campaign from Coca-Cola to tackle “empathy gap”; Vaping organisation calls for recognition of e-cigarettes as viable smoking alternative

Irish consumer spending remains flat

VISA’S Irish Consumer Spending Index, produced by IHS Markit, which measures expenditure across all payment types (cash, cheques and electronic payments), signalled a subdued start to 2020 for Irish household spending.

Consumer spending was broadly flat in January, following a marginal expansion at the end of 2019. Overall, household expenditure fell by just -0.1%, after rising +0.9% in the previous month.

When split by channel, data for the opening month of the year signalled only fractional reductions in both face-to-face spending and online purchases. ECommerce expenditure was little changed, following a strong rise during December, which largely stemmed from the boost Cyber Monday provided to annual growth. The year-on-year decrease in face-to-face spending, at -0.2%, was the slowest in the current sequence of decline that began in September 2019.

“Levels of consumer spending were muted at the start of the year, reflecting a trend we have seen in recent months where growth in expenditure has plateaued,” noted Philip Konopik, Ireland Country Manager, Visa. “The fractional reductions in both face-to-face spending and online purchases in January reflect the fact that the majority of retailers begin their sales in December now. Despite this, it should be noted that the majority of sectors saw small rises in spending, with Hotels, Restaurants & Bars the standout performer after recording the highest level of growth.”

Philip Konopik, Ireland Country Manager, Visa.

New campaign from Coca-Cola to tackle “empathy gap”

NEW Coca-Cola Research across Europe, conducted by Delineate on behalf of Coca-Cola, shows that a lack of willingness to listen and talk to each other and see things from someone else’s point of view is causing an ‘empathy gap’, particularly among young adults (16-24 year olds).

Almost two-thirds of young adults in Europe feel that we can find greater happiness as a society if we behave more empathetically towards each other. And 63% of all Europeans surveyed said that listening to and understanding others can lead to a happier society.

The need for us to show more empathy is brought to life by Coca-Cola in a new campaign for 2020, including a television commercial, which runs in selected countries across Europe, as well as digital and out of home assets, all bringing to life the theme of empathy (more listening, asking and understanding) in order to unite and uplift.

This point of view will also be seen throughout the year across many of its marketing programmes including Coke and Meals, Uefa Euro 2020 and Christmas. The brand is also announcing a €1m commitment to invest in community initiatives across many of its Western Europe markets in 2020. These local initiatives will look to bring divided communities together from different backgrounds, lifestyles and cultures by encouraging people to listen more, be more open to talking, and to try to see things from other points of view.

Here in Ireland, Coca-Cola partnered with three Irish personalities, Fashion & Lifestyle influencer Niamh Cullen, Radio & TV host Stephen Byrne and Travel Blogger Francesca McKee, to track their online engagements for one week. Every like, comment and story reaction was captured to identify how much they interact with people online versus in their real lives. The trio were set a challenge: to be as kind and complimentary as they are online when they interact with others offline, and give the same number of compliments and affirmations to others daily, with some hilarious results.

A still from the new Coca-Cola TV ad.

Vaping organisation calls for recognition of e-cigarettes as viable smoking alternative IRELAND’S largest vaping trade association, Vape Business Ireland (VBI) used National no Smoking Day on Ash Wednesday, February 26, to call for e-cigarettes to be recognised by the HSE as a viable alternative to smoking.

According to the 2019 Healthy Ireland Survey, released by the Department of Health in November 2019, there are now over 240,000 vapers in Ireland, with 13% of ex-smokers using e-cigarettes. It is the view of VBI that vaping has a significant role to play in achieving the State’s objective of a Tobacco Free Ireland by 2025.

“HSE research shows that seven out of 10 people who currently smoke would like to quit, and we believe it is time that the HSE recognises the benefits vaping plays as a less harmful alternative to smoking, as there is no evidence to support the assertion that vaping is normalising smoking or that it is a gateway to smoking,” said Director of VBI, Vincent Jennings.