The Economic and Social Impact of Marketing in Ireland

The economic analysis conservatively estimates that a minimum of €4.4 billion is directly invested in marketing activity by Irish organisations every year. This includes €1.5 billion in salaries and employment, €1.9 billion in advertising and sponsorship and €1 billion in business events. Applying established economic multipliers, the research calculates that every €1 invested in marketing generates €6 in economic value. Marketing directly employs 23,500 people, with indirect and induced activity expanding this footprint almost fivefold.

The research also highlights a fast-growing, high-value workforce at the centre of this economic impact. Marketing professionals earn an average salary of €63,000, approximately 90% hold a third-level qualification and sector employment has grown by 28% since 2016, almost triple the pace of the wider labour market. Irish marketers are also early adopters of iinnovation, with two thirds already using artificial intelligence in their work and 80% expecting AI to enhance productivity and effectiveness. These indicators point to a sector that is advanced, strategically important and central to Ireland’s competitive advantage.

For the first time, we have a definitive valuation of marketing’s contribution to economic performance and to society. Marketing is a core driver of business success. It strengthens competitiveness, supports exports, fuels innovation and helps organisations engage the people and communities they serve. This research shows a sector that contributes more than €16 billion to national output and sustains over 117,000 jobs. Irish businesses continue to invest in marketing because it delivers measurable commercial value, and this research captures the scale of that impact.

However, the research also makes it clear that future competitiveness depends on sustained investment in skills and capability. Ireland needs deeper talent pipelines in AI, data, insight and digital innovation to unlock the next wave of growth and ensure marketing continues to deliver increasing value across the wider economy.

The research signals that there is considerable growth potential for the sector. Irish organisations currently allocate an average of 5% of turnover to marketing, compared with 9 to 10% among peers in the United States. Most organisations surveyed expect to maintain or increase their marketing investment, demonstrating confidence in marketing’s commercial contribution.

Marketers identified customer acquisition and retention, brand building and market share expansion as their top strategic priorities for the year ahead. These priorities reflect the central role marketing plays in
enabling growth ambitions across domestic and export-focused businesses. 

Methodology

This research combines detailed survey responses from more than 260 senior marketing decision makers across Ireland with economic modelling conducted by Amárach Research. The analysis establishes a confirmed minimum baseline of direct annual investment by capturing only categories that can be measured with full accuracy, including employment, salaries, advertising, sponsorship and business events. Indirect and induced economic impacts are calculated using standard multipliers previously applied in advertising and sectoral analyses in Ireland and internationally. This ensures a
conservative but robust valuation of marketing’s economic footprint.