The Future of Audio Advertising: Insights from the Irish Agency Perspective.

In the ever-evolving landscape of media and advertising, audio platforms are emerging as dynamic players. The panel at Radio Days Ireland 2025 features The Future of Audio Advertising – The Agency Perspective. It brought together experts from different advertising agencies including with Jade Finn, Head of Planning and Investment, Dentsu, Emma O’Doherty, Chief Client Officer, Mindshare/Group M, Andy Pierce, Group Strategy Director, Core, Simon Geraghty, Research and Insights Director, OMG moderated by Ciaran Cunningham, CEO, Radiocentre Ireland to discuss trends, challenges, and opportunities in the world of audio advertising.  

The panelists, representing four major agencies, illustrated audio's critical role in the advertising ecosystem, particularly within Ireland where traditional and digital audio usage remains robust. With Ireland's total advertising spend being around 1.5 billion, these agencies not only hold significant market influence of 54% but also contribute to shaping the future of audio advertising. 

Embracing Nuance in Campaign Planning 

Emma O'Doherty emphasised the complexity and nuance required in modern media planning. With an expanding array of channels, the challenge lies in balancing online and offline media, while also tailoring strategies for various target audiences. Data now plays a pivotal role in streamlining decisions and justifying media mix choices. 

The concept of the ‘marketing funnel’ was initiated by Simon Geraghty with a focus on ensuring that brand presence is maintained both at the top and bottom of the purchase journey as many “advertisers are chasing the bottom funnel”. This underlines the critical balance between short-term performance metrics and long-term brand building ensuring there’s a connection all the way through.  

Audio's Role in the Media Mix 

The panelists shared a generally positive view of audio within their agencies. However, Andy Pierce reiterated that “clients have a perception of how far radio can go or reach... they have a view of what they think the listenership is going to be like, which is incorrect.” 

Despite the challenges of integrating digital audio into traditional media plans, the enthusiasm and trust in radio and podcasts remain high. Emma Doherty makes the remark that “audio is still buoyant in Ireland; it is such a strong medium.” 

Notably, Ireland has the highest per capita podcast listenership in the world, showcasing the medium’s reach, engagement potential and longevity. She continues, “live radio is still something that people tune into in huge volumes.” 

Creative Production: An Opportunity 

A common theme was the call for greater creative investment in audio production. While audio’s low production cost has traditionally been a selling point, there’s a call for greater focus on creativity to fully leverage audio’s potential.  

Andy Pierce stated “one of the things that audio traded off historically is that it’s low-cost production. It does it a disservice, I think, and it leaves it in a strange place from a creative development perspective.” He also believes we need more focus, effort and energy on the value of production encouraging clients to invest more in creative production development.  

Industry events like the Irish Audio Awards help highlight creativity and innovation, promoting audio as more than just a functional message medium. Reassuringly, Jade Finn states that “it is a positive of radio that you can turn things around so quickly in terms of creative”, allowing clients to focus entirely on using messaging to connect with their target audience and effectively get information out there. 

Planning Challenges and Data Integration 

Data remains a crucial tool for validating advertising strategies and measures. However, Andy Pierce states that he’s “not sure clients always believe the data is real”. He believes people want more confidence in the certainty and access to real-time data. 

Jade Finn agrees that “With radio, it’s on the assumption at a certain point in time, a person was listening to that spot three months ago... So, we can’t actually see who listened.”  

Agencies face structural challenges made more complex by the detailed systems used for planning and buying across various media types. In the ideal future, these systems would be streamlined and supported by a standardized system for measuring audio’s effectiveness. 

Emma Doherty shares her belief that in the years to come media will become “programmatic” where every medium can be planned and reported through “much more alive technology than we have right now.”