With communities across Ireland turning to their local radio station for important updates and news relating to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak, IRS+ has tweaked its offering to advertisers with a new simplified product called IGNITE.
“With an almost endless list of possibilities, the choice of local radio activity can sometimes be overwhelming. Now, to simplify those decisions, IRS+ has introduced a new product range titled IGNITE. It is a collection of four off the shelf ready to activate radio products designed to inspire brands to build creative, authentic connections that resonate with communities throughout the country. The packages- called Boost, Local Feed, Spotlight and Breakthrough- are designed to support every type of marketing campaign across multiple industries and are built around the strengths of the combined local radio network – namely, trust, affinity, unique audience and value,” says Peter Smyth, CEO of IRS+.
“Over the next 12 months, we’re going to be working with media agencies and brands to build meaningful connections with local communities as they harness the potential of a platform that has a daily listenership of 1.2million and multiplies its effectiveness when combined with experiential and digital activity,” he adds.
With annual billings in the region of €10m a year, IRS+ provides a range of marketing and media sales solutions to 15 independent local radio stations which between them reach 1.2m people every week in addition to 1.1m through a range of social media channels.
The new simplified product offering to advertisers comes after the launch of a new-look website for the sales agency, a new brand proposition- built around the theme of Local is Loud- and the appointment of Nicola Murphy as its new head of brand development. Murphy is a former senior marketing manager with Virgin Media Business and is now responsible for the IRS+ brand and communications strategy.
“The audio landscape has changed significantly over the last number of years with the arrival and popularity of streamed services and podcasts,” says Murphy. “This new landscape is littered with choice and means that brands and agencies need to rethink how they engage with, and gain the attention of, their target audience,” she says.
