The €1m Shop Ireland advertising fund, which was launched by DMG Media earlier this week, has been oversubscribed according to the publisher.
The fund, ‘DMG Media Shop Ireland’ is the largest private-sector support to small firms and it will provide 200 small businesses with an advertising package worth €5,000 each. It is targeted at those companies that are still operating, and those who are hoping to open safely once restrictions are eased.
“Hundreds of businesses applied to be a part of the Shop Ireland campaign and we had reached our quota within hours of launching it to the market,” says Karl Byrne, group head of advertising DMG Media Ireland.
“Since then, the team at DMG Media have been working very closely with these businesses to guide them through the process. From a creative point of view we are helping every business build their press and digital adverts and our account managers are using their expertise in managing each campaign closely with each business owner. The first adverts will be appearing this weekend in The Irish Daily Mail and The Irish Mail on Sunday, and in tandem will be online across the DMG Digital Portfolio,” he says.
Shop Ireland is being supported by IBEC’s Small Firms Association (SFA), which represents small and family-run businesses with less than 50 employees. According to Sven Spollen-Behrens, director SFA: “This is a brilliant initiative. It is so timely. As well as being open to businesses that are still operating during the lock-down period, we are also keen that other businesses, such as health and beauty, small hospitality, retailers and gyms, would be able to avail of this ‘Shop Ireland’ support.”
He adds: “These are the companies that are hurting most right now but when they can open again, they will have this advertising boost across dmg media Ireland platforms.”
The free advertising packages will reach a minimum of 500,000 potential customers through campaigns which will be tailored for each business with the campaigns running across DMG’s newspapers and websites.
Announcing the Shop Ireland fund earlier this week, DMG Media’s chief executive Paul Henderson said: “This is a very challenging time for all businesses. Now more than ever we all need to give our support for small local (family) businesses who are the backbone of our economy and the beating heart of our communities,” says Paul Henderson, chief executive of DMG Media.
