Written by: Kelly Nieuwenhuis
[mks_dropcap style=”letter” size=”48″ bg_color=”#ffffff” txt_color=”#000000″]I[/mks_dropcap]reland has a rich history of conflicts and political issues. The island is now divided into The Republic of Ireland, a separate country, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. There has been peace on the island for several years now. However, a new challenge has come up with the Brexit. A question to consider is how Ireland will be affected by the Brexit. The Brexit comes with many challenges but also offers new opportunities.
The identity of the United Kingdom is going through a change
Impact Brexit
The Brexit will have a big impact in the political and economic field of the United Kingdom as well as the rest of Europe. It is of big importance that new trade agreements are made between countries, since the United Kingdom will no longer have the insurances of being an European Union member. The identity of the United Kingdom is going through a change and British companies should keep this in mind when considering their own identity in the future.
When focusing on Ireland itself, you see that both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland consist of small communities and small markets. Everything seems to be directed at internal relations. Despite Northern Ireland being a part of the UK, the geographical separation makes that Northern Ireland’s marketing seems targeted at the populations within. Combined with the Brexit, there is an interesting challenge for Northern Irish companies.
The PR experts have to work their magic
International relationships under pressure
In the past, the companies mainly had to establish and maintain their identity within Northern Ireland. The public relations the companies had to deal with were all small-scale. However, the international relationships that already existed are now under even more pressure. Foreign companies want to ensure the best trade agreements but no definitive decisions are made in the political field. The Northern Irish companies have to relocate themselves in the international field and it is the job of the PR experts to make sure that this is done well. The PR experts have to work their magic to ensure that the Northern Irish companies will not suffer the bad effects that might come with the Brexit.
Closed borders
Furthermore, the Republic of Ireland lays on the same piece of land and has to deal with the consequences of the Brexit as well. Right now, the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is completely open. There have already been many discussions about the border and its future after the Brexit. For companies on both sides of the border it is preferred that the border stays open as it provides for easy trade and transport of goods.
However, in case that the border will become (partly) closed, the relations between companies on both sides of the border need to be taken care of so that the issue can be overcome by working together. Again, it is the PR experts that need to pull all the strings they can to ensure that the relations will not suffer under the pressure of the Brexit.
Both parts of the island of Ireland have to deal with the challenges that are forced upon them by the Brexit. Besides the political and economic aspect of the entire situation, it has become clear the public relations and thus the communication is just as important. It is preferred that the Brexit will not have too big of an impact on the economy of Europe, and as well as the world economy. There are many agreements to be made within the political field and it is important that best PR experts will work on making the Brexit run as smooth as possible. The PR experts are the key to making this Brexit as positive as it can get.
Cover: Kelly Nieuwenhuis
