Digital advertising in focus at Irish Examiner’s Lunch & Learn event 

The Irish Examiner and The Echo hosted a well-attended Digital Lunch & Learn on May 28 at Republic of Work, Cork, where local businesses gathered to hear expert insights on how to maximise the impact of digital advertising within trusted media environments.

David Murphy, Head of Digital Solutions at The Irish Times Group, outlined how businesses can harness the power of first-party data, brand safety, and contextual relevance to drive more meaningful engagement and measurable results online. 

His presentation highlighted the unique advantages of advertising with trusted news brands like the Irish Examiner and The Echo, whose audiences turn to them daily for reliable information.

"In today's cluttered digital world, the businesses that succeed are those that understand the power of advertising in uncluttered spaces. When you can capture someone's attention, without competing against dozens of other messages, your impact multiplies exponentially. Standing out online isn't about shouting louder than everyone else; it is about being smarter, more targeted and more relevant to your audience. The digital landscape rewards precision over volume every time," said David.

Gavin McAuliffe, Head of the Group Content Studio, followed with a session on branded storytelling - demonstrating how high-impact content, tailored to local and national audiences, can build awareness, trust, and long-term brand equity. 

"Branded content is about storytelling that connects - and sells. Instead of pushing products, it offers something people actually want to read, watch, or listen to with the brand’s message woven in naturally.

“In today’s cluttered world, where we’re hit with hundreds of ads every day and trusted sources are few and far between, storytelling  within the trusted environment of The Examiner/Irish Time Group is more powerful than ever.

“We’ve delivered creative, results-driven content for both high-profile brands and smaller local rs always focused on ideas that cut through the noise and connect with real people," said Gavin.

Attendees also viewed testimonial case studies from Cork Simon, Cushman & Wakefield, and Douglas Court Shopping Centre, illustrating how businesses across sectors are achieving real results through collaborative digital campaigns.

“We worked with Content Studio on a digital campaign dedicated to the sale of No39 Patrick Street, a high-order retail unit on Cork’s main shopping thoroughfare,” said Siobhan Young, divisional director with Cushman & Wakefield estate agents in Cork.

“We had active interest from the first day that it was d, with high levels of viewings and the sale completed in a very short timeline.” Cushman & Wakefield’s No39 Patrick Street campaign reached its target audience within the first 24 hours, long before its allocated 10-day target.

“We’ve had such great results that we will always recommend to our clients that they look at what is available on digital platforms, and I know that the Content Studio team will continue to enhance our services across their digital platforms,” added Siobhan Young.

Meanwhile, Cork Simon Community were also delighted to report a 50-fold surge in traffic to its ‘Gifts in Wills’ webpage following an online campaign with Content Studio. Interest in g up to Cork Simon’s legacy donations soared on foot of the IrishExaminer.com and EchoLive.ie native articles.

Paul Sheehan, head of campaigns and communications with Cork Simon Community, said: “We wanted to offer people the opportunity to be part of the solution to homelessness. We know that people are being asked every day to a cause, and that can be overwhelming.

“We felt that running long-term campaigns on the Examiner and Echo would help us achieve that. The brought ideas and solutions to the table, and it really was a real collaborative approach.” The campaign helped Cork Simon to exceed its fundraising targets. It also won an honourable mention in the INMA’s annual global awards.

Bartosz Mieszala, property director for The Douglas Court Partnership, was delighted with the Content Studio campaign that brought the story of Douglas Court Shopping Centre’s committed engagement to its local community to the widest possible local audience.

“EchoLive has been the perfect tool to bring our story to people,” said Bartosz. “As we are growing, we want our campaigns to grow and reach even bigger audiences, so I’m really looking forward to the future of Douglas Court; we have very ambitious plans.

“I am also looking forward to working with the Irish Examiner and EchoLive. We are getting good results. It is a genuine collaboration, and I am very content that they are the right partners to help us get the message across, and that’s as much as you can wish for. Our relationship is just becoming better and better with every campaign.” 

Attendees at the Lunch & Learn event learned how Content Studio works with its commercial partners in in-depth talks delivered by Gavin McAuliffe, group head of Content Studio, and by David Murphy, head of Digital Media Solutions for the Irish Times Group.

The business leaders in the audience were given insights into how they can tell their stories, and engage with online audiences. Digital advertising reached a spend of €1.06bn in 2024, up 11% YoY, and continues to rise annually.

This is the first time that Ireland’s annual spend on digital advertising exceeded €1bn. Digital is now Ireland’s leading advertising market in of value. Online display advertising grew by 13% in 2024, while branded storytelling (or native articles) grew by 18%.

The Irish Examiner and The Echo are part of the Irish Times Group, offering clients advertising and content solutions across our portfolio including video, print, digital and podcasting. 

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