MediaPLUS is your weekly update on all that matters in media and marketing

The digital advertising market in Ireland surpassed €1bn in spending for the first time last year, according to the latest IAB Ireland and IRM Online Adspend Study.

The €1.06bn spent on digital advertising last year represented growth of 11% from €959m in 2023, and the market has expanded by an average of 12% each year since 2019.

Display advertising remains the dominant category, accounting for 63% of the total digital spend, or €669m.

This segment saw a 13% increase over the previous year, driven primarily by strong performances in video and social media advertising.

Social media, including social video, makes up a staggering 77% of display ad spend and grew by 16% in 2024. Non-social video also saw impressive growth, with connected TV (CTV) leading the charge—up 37% to €21m.

Meanwhile, instream video rose by 17%, although outstream and other formats declined by 33%. Search advertising generated €331m in 2024, a modest 6% increase. Classifieds also contributed €59m, growing by 7% year-on-year.

Despite slower growth compared to display, these categories remain vital components of the digital ecosystem. Native advertising, although the smallest segment within display, exhibited notable growth of 18%, while digital audio posted an 8% increase, reaching €19m.

Programmatic buying now accounts for 40% of display advertising (excluding social), equating to €62m traded programmatically in 2024, reflecting a continued shift towards automated ad placement.

The market is forecast to grow a further 8% in 2025.

ExtraG.ie wins Gold at 2025 Media Awards

ExtraG.ie, the Irish language version of the news, entertainment and sport website Extra.ie, has won Gold for the Best Use of Irish Language at the 2025 Media Awards.

Launched as a brand extension to Extra.ie, ExtraG.ie has rapidly grown into a destination for Irish language news, sport, and entertainment.

EVOKE, another dmg media Ireland brand, earned Silver in the fiercely contested Media Brand of the Year category.

Starcom was the big winner on the night at the Mansion House, taking home the coveted Grand Prix and Media Agency of the Year awards.

Agency Golds were also awarded to Havas, Spark Foundry, PHD, OMD, Zenith, Mindshare, and Javelin, highlighting a competitive and diverse field.

On the media owner side, Gold winners included dmg media, Virgin Media Television, Media Central, the Irish Farmers Journal, IRS+, Posterplan, PML, Reach PLC, and the Irish Times.

PML Group won Sales Team of the Year, and Virgin Media Television was named Media Brand of the Year, while Kerri Patten of Havas took home the Rising Star award.

Bauer makes Crawley head of commercial digital

Bauer Media Audio Ireland has appointed Liosín Crawley as head of commercial digital.

In her new role, Crawley will be responsible for leading the digital transformation of the Newstalk owner's audio advertising business in Ireland, including revenue performance and the growth of its digital audio advertising exchange, audioXi.

Reporting to group commercial director Eamon Fitzpatrick, she will also oversee the commercial operations and sales strategies for advertising across the group's digital audio portfolio and manage the team tracking major trends in digital audio advertising for the purpose of innovating new products and offerings.

Crawley was formerly head of digital at Havas Media Group, and she has also spent time with Reprise Digital as digital performance director and IPG Mediabrands as senior digital account manager.

She graduated from Maynooth University with first class honours in Digital Media and Computer Science in 2015.

“At a time when technology is evolving at such speed, new commercial digital opportunities are emerging continually," said Crawley.

"Working the BMAI team, I’m looking forward to harnessing that potential into new solutions and experiences that make audioXi very much a 'Go To' answer for brands looking to achieve greater bandwidth from their budgets.”

Dennison swaps LinkedIn for Irish Times

Polly Dennison has rejoined the Irish Times as audience and digital production editor after nearly three years as news editor with LinkedIn News Europe and UK.

Dennison previously spent three years with the Irish Times as a digital journalist. During her career, she has also subedited for the Guardian, worked as a content strategist for Novartis, and as a copy editor for London-based Show Media.

She graduated from Trinity with a degree in History in 2013 and a Master's in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield in 2016.

"Back to the old haunt: I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Audience and Digital Production Editor at The Irish Times," Dennison wrote on LinkedIn.

WPP moves Grey under Ogilvy

Multinational advertising group WPP has moved creative agency Grey under Ogilvy in its corporate structure.

Grey global CEO Laura Maness will now report directly to Ogilvy CEO Devika Bulchandani, although Grey will remain a standalone agency with its current leadership.

According to AdWeek, management at both agencies have told staff that they are not merging, and that the change is being made for financial reporting purposes.

“Grey will remain a standalone agency brand that will continue independently serving its clients with the same dedication and expertise they’ve come to expect,” Bulchandani wrote in a note to staff.

The move ends Grey's reporting relationship under AKQA, which it merged with in 2022, although the agencies were never fully integrated.

Grey will continue to collaborate with AKQA to maintain client relationships, and WPP said the agencies would focus on their respective core strengths of brand-building creative and design & technology expertise.

Bulchandani and Maness said they plan to deepen collaboration between Ogilvy and Grey, with Ogilvy’s capabilities in consulting, PR, and customer experience complementing Grey’s creative work.

“Given Grey’s transformation and resurgence as a highly regarded and awarded powerhouse creative agency, this realignment with Ogilvy is a natural fit,” Maness wrote.

Smithwick’s becomes more than a drink in its latest Originals campaign

Every week, Amárach and Future Proof Insights share exclusive findings from their PRIZM+ ad testing service, showcasing best practice creative advertising in Ireland.

Smithwick’s latest campaign doesn’t come in loud. It sets a mood.

From the first frame, it puts the viewer at ease, presenting Kozo as the novel new character but integrating him into the familiar, Irish scenery in an unforced manner.

This pairing of the unexpected with the familiar helps the brain bridge new ideas with existing associations, a technique that boosts conceptual fluency, where viewers find it easier to process new narratives because they feel anchored in something recognisable.

That atmosphere does more than just feel nice. It helps the brain absorb and store what it sees.

To learn more about this ad, CLICK HERE.

(Pic: Getty Images)