The Irish advertising market grew by 20% in 2021, according to media buyer GroupM, which is forecasting reduced growth of 9% in 2022.

Last year’s growth followed a sharp decline in the ad market in 2020 due to the pandemic. Growth was highest across alcoholic and soft drinks, up by 80%.

Other traditional high spend categories such as Household Services, Finance and Government, Social, and Political Organisations retained similar market share by maintaining the high levels of advertising seen throughout 2020.

Group M estimates that digital ad spend increased by 23% through 2021 and now accounts for 60% of Irish advertising spending. GroupM predicts more growth in 2022 due to continued expansion of the app ecosystem, increasing consumer adoption of e-commerce and the growing role of cross-border media marketplaces.

Worldwide, digital advertising now accounts for 64% of total ad spend, the agency estimates.

In Association with

Television ad spend in Ireland increased by 16% last year, accounting for 18% of market share, while radio grew by 12% for 9% market share. Newspaper advertising rebounded by 15% in 2021 too, and accounted for 8% market share in 2021 and magazines 1%.

Outdoor advertising experienced growth of 19% in spending in 2021, in recovery from an exceptionally low base, and is expected to grow by a further 27% in 2022.

GroupM CEO Bill Kinlay (pictured) commented: “Overall, 2021 was a positive year of growth for the advertising industry in Ireland. While the pandemic was extremely challenging for society at large, the economic growth we are seeing in our industry is a sign of the resilience and response of the Irish people in the face of a crisis.

“Similar to other areas of society however, the advertising industry may not look entirely the same as before, with a number of long-running trends being pulled forward, such as the accelerated pace of digital disruption. However, the gradual re-opening of society is also restoring some of the spending on other formats.”

Among the trends identified by Group M is the continued importance placed on TV advertising by large advertisers. GroupM’s own data shows that a large advertiser in Ireland typically allocates 40% of its budget to TV and 30% to digital