Central Statistics Office’s ‘Be Counted’ Encourages Ireland to Take Part in Census 2022

The ‘Be Counted’ campaign developed, produced, and planned by Core launches across all media channels this week, reminding everyone in Ireland to be “a voice for yourself, your family, and your community” on Census night 2022.

The campaign, planned by Zenith, part of Core, will run across all TV and Video on Demand platforms, radio, digital audio, out-of-home media, print and social media. On TV, the advert will run in English, Irish and Irish Sign Language (ISL) on specific programming, while on digital audio platforms, the advert will be translated into Polish, Lithuanian, Romanian, French, Simplified Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Portuguese, Latvian, and Spanish.

The campaign showcases the diversity within Irish society and highlights that the Census is key to “telling us what kind of country we are now, and what kind of country we need to be.” As the Census was postponed last year due to the pandemic, the campaign is highlighting the message “Let’s come together,” encouraging people across Ireland to participate in the Census on Sunday, 3rd April 2022.

Talking about the development of the creative work, Conor McDevitt, copywriter at Core Creative said: “The Census is such an important element of planning for the future of Irish society. We wanted to empower every person in Ireland to have their voice heard as part of this national event. Showcasing the diversity of the community and making the process feel inclusive were also important to both us and the CSO. We are very proud to play a small part in better understanding the future direction of our country.”

Jen Walsh, head of digital at Zenith, part of Core added: “Working closely with Core Creative as we plan the media and digital campaign for Census 2022 has been really beneficial. Together, we have discovered opportunities to ensure every person in the state is aware of the importance of Sunday, 3rd April 2022. From mass reaching channels such as radio and TV to technology which provides the opportunity for multiple languages, we hope this campaign will encourage everyone to come together on this important night.”

Speaking about the campaign, Eileen Murphy, head of census administration added: “The success of the census depends on the participation of everyone in Ireland. The census is the largest survey in the country and the CSO is committed to reaching everyone to ensure that they are aware of and will engage with the census on Sunday 3rd April.  Core has fully embraced the responsibility of developing a campaign which is inclusive, diverse, and encouraging us all to play our part. Our ability to work with those developing the creative idea, alongside the communication channels has been hugely beneficial. We look forward to seeing the response to this national campaign.”

The campaign will also include a time capsule element, which will allow citizens to submit stories or drawings of what they want the future generations to be able to unlock in 100 years’ time. PR for the campaign is managed by MKC and web design and development by Fusio.