McConnell, Charles Edward (‘Charlie’) (1887–1977), advertising pioneer, was born 26 June 1887 in Dublin, second son of Charles McConnell, founder of the Ormond Printing Co. Ltd, Dublin, and Georgina McConnell (née Wayte). He was educated at Mountjoy School, Mountjoy Square, Dublin, and on leaving school became apprenticed to the printing firm of A. Armstrong & Co. He later became a sales representative for the Ormond Printing Co. Ltd in Dublin, when he developed an interest in product promotion. He gained his first experience of advertising when he began space broking, the practice of buying advertising space and selling it at a profit.
Charming and affable in personality, he was a natural salesman and promoter who thrived on the energy that came from dealing with people and successfully brokering deals. The thrill that he got from space broking led him to found his own advertising agency at an office in Andrew St., Dublin, during Easter week 1916. His first account was for A & B Taxis, the first mechanically propelled cabs in the city, and the success of the campaign soon led to more business from firms such as J. M. Barnardo & Son, furriers, and the Dublin Gas Co. In 1918 the firm moved to Publicity House at Great Brunswick (Pearse) St., Dublin, where it remained for more than fifty years. Despite his initial success McConnell had to continue selling paper till 1920 to keep his new business afloat. That year his professionalism in the industry made a good impression at a trade fair in London when, after ‘Bloody Sunday’ (21 November 1920), he used the slogan ‘Talk business, not politics’.
McConnell's professionalism, genial manner, and talent for public relations enabled him to win many accounts during the 1920s, which in turn helped his firm to pioneer advertising techniques in Ireland. Until this period advertising was predominantly carried out in the print media by space broking. However, he was fascinated with using new and innovative methods for promoting his clients' products and services. In 1922 he founded McConnell–Hartley (later McConnell's Advertising Service Limited) to specialise in outdoor poster advertising, and the following year (1923) he became a founding member of the Publicity Club of Ireland. His passion for modern forms of promotion and communication resulted in McConnell–Hartley, with the slogan ‘Advertising in film’, being the first firm to produce (1926) an advertising film in Ireland, a promotional film for the newly established ESB and its generating plant at Ardnacrusha. In the same year he also won the account for Ireland's first luxury cinema, the Savoy on O'Connell St. In 1928 he became the first hon. secretary of the newly formed Irish Association of Advertising Agencies (later the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland).
Despite the economic decline of the 1930s McConnell continued to prosper and his firm became a limited liability company in 1932. With economic protection many firms were prospering and floating on the stock exchange, and McConnell used his charm to win the majority of the contracts for handling the publicity. In the period 1933–5 McConnell's advertising agency claimed to have handled advertising for share issues amounting to more than £6,600,000. Business with clients who exported to Britain declined sharply during the economic war of the 1930s. However, British firms had to set up in Ireland to avoid the trade barriers, and these new accounts were adequate compensation for lost revenue. During the 1930s McConnell became interested in aviation and helped to pioneer civil aviation through promoting flights such as the first airmail flight from Ireland to the Continent. He won the contract to handle all advertising and promotion for the new national airline, Aer Lingus, and was a passenger on the inaugural flight from Dublin to Bristol (27 May 1936). His interest in aviation led to the appointment of Col. Charles Russell, head of the Irish Air Corps since 1925, to the board of McConnell's.
McConnell steered his firm through the 1940s with a combination of winning new accounts and developing novel ideas for promotion. In 1941 he secured the advertising contract for Monument Creameries. He developed the idea of placing advertising pelmets over shop fronts to circumvent government wartime restrictions on outdoor advertising. Shortly after the war he opened offices in both Derby in England and Colwyn Bay in Wales. In 1952 he spoke at the first large-scale Irish advertising conference, held in Cork, on the cost to companies of not advertising. Other speakers included Kevin McCourt (qv), the director of one of McConnell's largest clients, P. J. Carroll Ltd. McConnell retired as managing director of the firm in 1954 in favour of his son. He retained the position of chairman till 1970.
McConnell was honoured with several distinctions, including (1952) the naming of the McConnell Award for meritorious service to advertising in recognition of thirty-five years in this field. He was also a past chairman, life member (1969), and life president of the Publicity Club of Ireland, as well as a fellow of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising in England. A founding member and past president of the Irish Club in London, he was instrumental in organising the purchase of its building at Eaton Sq., London. He was also a governor of Sandford Park School, Ranelagh, and the King's Hospital School, both in Dublin. A keen sailor and golfer, he was a member of both the National Yacht Club and Portmarnock Golf Club in addition to the Hibernian United Services Club, Dublin, and the National Liberal Club in London. He married Winifred Young and had one son. They lived at 56 Lansdowne Road and later at 4 Willbrook Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin. He died 9 May 1977 in Dublin.
His only son, John Charles McConnell (1916–98), managing director and chairman of McConnell's Advertising Service Ltd., was born 23 May 1916 in Dublin. He was educated at Sandford Park School, Ranelagh, and graduated (1937) BA from TCD. Following graduation his father held a party in his honour at the Gresham Hotel in Dublin, which was attended by more than 400 guests. Shortly afterwards he was sent to London to learn the advertising business. In 1938 McConnell's became the first Irish advertising agency to open an office in London, and John McConnell, who had previously worked for a period with the London Press Exchange, became head of the new venture. He remained in London till 1950, when he returned to Dublin to head the campaign for egg distributors, Carton Brothers. The export of Irish eggs had become so successful that domestic demand was not being met. McConnell's were therefore commissioned to design a campaign to encourage farmers to increase output.
During the 1950s the relaxed and informal atmosphere that pervaded McConnell's was at its height, with both father and son involved in the running of the firm. John McConnell became managing director of the firm in 1954 and continued his father's policy of expansion when he opened the Belfast office in the same year. He also continued his father's role as a leader and pioneer within Irish advertising when McConnell's became the first agency to book (31 May 1961) advertising space on Telefís Éireann, seven months before the service started. The advert was for Carroll's cigarettes.
His father had very much been the front man of the agency, whose talent was for publicity and bringing in new clients. As managing director McConnell set up structures within the firm to reflect an increasingly professional approach to advertising. In addition to a new research department, he established a media department with its own director in 1969, and the following year (1970) he succeeded his father as chairman. In 1972 he oversaw the move to new corporate headquarters at Charlemont Place, Dublin, and during the same year the Belfast office was bought out by its management team. Following Ireland's entry into the European Economic Community he led McConnell's into a ten-nation agency network called Publimondial. He retired as managing director in 1981 but remained as chairman until 1986.
A member of the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland, he was a fellow of both the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (UK) and the Institute of Directors. A keen sailor, he was a member of more than fourteen yacht clubs including the Royal St George, the National, and the Royal Cork. He was also a member of Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club and the Hibernian United Services Club. He died 4 September 1998 in Dublin.
He married (1937) Mary T. Adye-Curran, daughter of Lt.-col. Adye-Curran, RAMC. He lived at ‘Darwin’, Cunningham Rd., Dalkey, Co. Dublin, and had three sons and three daughters.