Irish Marketing Podcast

In this episode Daryl welcomes Amy Crowe Business Lead & Partner at BBH Dublin and Marcus Gemal Executive Creative Director to talk about the making of Tesco’s major seasonal campaign, "Helping Christmas Feel Magic".

It all started with an ambitious client brief to "create Ireland's next iconic Christmas ad". Moving away from heavy CGI or celebrity cameos, the campaign captures the authentic wonder of the season through the eyes of a seven-year-old boy who suspects a helpful supermarket colleague is secretly a magical elf. 

Presenter – Daryl Moorhouse
Sound Engineer – Sean Byrne

🎙️  Recorded, edited and mixed at Tinpot Productions Studios, Dublin
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If you've got a story you'd like to hear featured on the Irish Marketing Podcast, let us know via pod@tinpot.ie

This week, Daryl sits down with Barry Muldowney, Group Managing Director of Verve, the live agency to explore Verve's expansion from a homegrown Dublin agency into an international live experience powerhouse with teams in London, Amsterdam, and Singapore.

Key topics covered in this episode include:
The Experiential Strategy Flip: Why CMOs now place live experiences at the centre of their media plans, using multi-sensory engagement to drive lasting brand memory and measurable ROI.
International Expansion: Lessons from growing London, Amsterdam, and Singapore, and why establishing real local teams beats vanity virtual offices.
Strategic Acquisition ("Project Sandpit"): How Verve joined the US-based Opus Group to gain global scale while preserving its agency culture and brand equity.
Sustainability & B Corp: Why ISO accreditations and B Corp status are essential for modern brand strategy and serve as vital prerequisites for global RFPs.
Activation Pitfalls: The common mistake of exhausting budgets on sponsorship rights without reserving adequate funding for on-site execution.

Presenter – Daryl Moorhouse
Sound Engineer – Sean Byrne

🎙️  Recorded, edited and mixed at Tinpot Productions Studios, Dublin
▶️  Subscribe to our Youtube channel
📰  Subscribe to The Irish Marketing Podcast Monthly Newsletter

If you've got a story you'd like to hear featured on the Irish Marketing Podcast, let us know via pod@tinpot.ie

This week, Daryl is joined by Racheel Ryan, former Global Head of Research & Insights at TikTok, to discuss her move from New York back home to Connemara and the launch of The Rayn Collective alongside her sister Hannah.

Up for discussion is - 
Why a flexible creative collective model based in the West of Ireland is bringing global insights back to Irish brands.
Why rigid platform guidelines can stifle creative freedom, and how original, avant-garde ideas drive performance.
How platforms shifted from social connections to entertainment graphs, and why users seeking authentic community are moving to Substack and Reddit.
How brands can cut through synthetic, AI-generated content by leaning into unvarnished, real-world human storytelling.

Presenter – Daryl Moorhouse
Sound Engineer – Sean Byrne

🎙️  Recorded, edited and mixed at Tinpot Productions Studios, Dublin
▶️  Subscribe to our Youtube channel
📰  Subscribe to The Irish Marketing Podcast Monthly Newsletter

If you've got a story you'd like to hear featured on the Irish Marketing Podcast, let us know via pod@tinpot.ie

In this special edition of The Irish Marketing Podcast, we bring you highlights from Radio Centre’s Sounding Out 2026 conference at the Mansion House in Dublin, exploring the core theme of profit and trust in audio advertising.
Featuring standout moments from world-renowned experts, including
Professor Mark Ritson on Profit & Pricing: Why mass marketing works, how price drives corporate profitability far more than revenue, and why emotional, codified ads build lasting brand trust.
Ralph Van Dijk (Eardrum) on Audio Effectiveness: The $189 billion annual cost of dull advertising, the power of sonic branding, and how audio reaches both today’s active buyers and tomorrow’s target audience.
Mario Rosenstock’s Industry Satire: A hilarious closing set reflecting on media agencies, radio history, and industry awards.

Presenter – Daryl Moorhouse
Sound Engineer – Sean Byrne

🎙️  Recorded, edited and mixed at Tinpot Productions Studios, Dublin
▶️  Subscribe to our Youtube channel
📰  Subscribe to The Irish Marketing Podcast Monthly Newsletter

If you've got a story you'd like to hear featured on the Irish Marketing Podcast, let us know via pod@tinpot.ie

Daryl is joined by Sinéad Byrne, European Marketing Director at Smyths Toys Superstores, and Jen Speirs, Chief Creative Officer at Droga5 Dublin, to discuss the creative strategy behind Smyths Toys’ new European Christmas campaign.
Reimagining Smyths’ iconic 300-page catalogue—a cherished holiday tradition for families—as a child's best friend, the team brought to life a larger-than-life character (crafted from over 700 individual toy models, including dinosaurs, dolls, rockets, and footballs).
Together, they discuss:
The Catalogue as Creative Hero: Bringing a 300-page retail publication to life as an imaginative, playful brand icon across eight European markets.
Full 360-Degree Campaign: Integrating brand storytelling with targeted product films and hard-hitting retail messaging to stand out against competitors like Amazon.
From Mayo to 300+ European Stores: How Smyths expanded from a family-run pub and newsagent in Claremorris, Co. Mayo, into an international retail leader.
Long-Term Brand Building: Exploring the future creative potential and digital footprint for the toy character in upcoming seasons.

Presenter – Daryl Moorhouse
Sound Engineer – Sean Byrne

🎙️  Recorded, edited and mixed at Tinpot Productions Studios, Dublin
▶️  Subscribe to our Youtube channel
📰  Subscribe to The Irish Marketing Podcast Monthly Newsletter

If you've got a story you'd like to hear featured on the Irish Marketing Podcast, let us know via pod@tinpot.ie