MediaPLUS: Business Plus to sponsor Irish Cricket Awards

MediaPLUS is your weekly update on all that matters in media and marketing

Business Plus will sponsor the Irish Cricket Awards for the second successive year.

The awards reward the best of Irish cricket from grassroots to international level, with 16 awards being handed out in recognition of players, coaches, volunteers, groundskeepers, officials, and clubs in Ireland.

“The team at dmg media is excited to deepen our partnership with Cricket Ireland by supporting the key event that honours the players, coaches, match officials, and volunteers who contribute to making cricket one of the most vibrant and welcoming sports on this island," said? Fintan Gavigan , group head of marketing for dmg media Ireland .

“Our brands are all about engaging audiences through great content.? Cricket helps us achieve this ambition. We enjoy telling the story of Irish cricket and we hope to be supporting the growth of the sport across Ireland for many more years to come.”

Warren. Deutrom , chief executive of Cricket Ireland, said: “The team from dmg media Ireland have been a delight to work with over the last 12 months and I’d like to thank CEO?Paul Henderson, Fintan Gavigan, and their broader team for their support of Irish cricket. Business Plus is a trusted and much-respected title that we are?delighted to associate with?this important?annual event.

"The dmg team produced some exceptional content last year that brought our event alive for those following online in particular. Those from across the Irish cricket family that we celebrate deserve no less, and I look forward to another great Awards event in March.”

The 13th annual Business Plus Irish Cricket Awards take place on 6 March.

Nestlé brand becomes GAA's vitamin partner

Solar, the nutritional supplements brand of 雀巢 , has agreed a three-year deal with the?GAA?and the Gaelic Players Association (GPA)?to become their official vitamin partner.

Solgar? Vitamin & Herb will also become one of the title sponsors of the GAA Museum at Croke Park , which is visited by more than 120,000 people annually. Solgar said the deal with the GAA/GPA and the museum represents "a natural alignment" for the company.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to partner with the GAA/GPA, which represents the gold standard of Gaelic Games players across Ireland and to work with the GAA Museum, an organisation with an amazing history, tradition, culture and commitment to excellence," said?Gordon Yule, business executive officer at Nestlé Health Science UK & Ireland.

"The three-year partnership is an exciting opportunity for Solgar, and we look forward to collaborating further with the GAA/GPA and GAA Museum."

Galway’s?Paul Conroy, Limerick’s?Tom Morrissey, Down native and Galway camogie player?Niamh Mallon?and Cork Ladies footballer?Katie Quirke?will become Solgar brand ambassadors as part of the deal.

Peter McKenna GAA, commercial director for the GAA, added: "We are delighted to join forces with Solgar, a brand globally recognised for its commitment to excellence and quality.

"The partnership represents a superb opportunity to share the powerful and compelling story of the history and heritage of our national games, and the exploits of our wonderful players, past and present, with even greater audiences.”

Orlagh Geraghty named Marketing Society chair

Britvic plc head of brand marketing Orlagh Geraghty has been elected chair of the Marketing Society of Ireland council for 2025. She succeeds 喜力 Ireland marketing manager Mark Noble in the role.

With Britvic, the University College Dublin Smurfit Business School graduate led the award-winning relaunch of Ballygowan Sustainable Solutions , which helped to increase market share and remove 1,500 tonnes of plastic waste.

Additionally, Geraghty has worked for several leading fast-moving consumer goods brands, including Britvic's Club, 7Up, Energise, Pepsi and LIPTON Teas and Infusions . She also led Britvic's response to the Deposit Return Scheme and chairs the producer working group.

Prior to joining Britvic in 2020, Geraghty worked as marketing manager for Mars' gums and confectionary brands, and she also spent two years with Kerry, becoming senior marketing manager for alcohol and soft drinks in Europe.

She started her marketing career with 达能 as an assistant brand manager in 2006 and spent nearly seven years with the group.

"I am privileged to take on the position as Chair of The Marketing Society of Ireland and I'm incredibly lucky to have a hugely talented team alongside me. Looking forward to all the exciting opportunities and challenges that 2025 brings," Geraghty wrote on LinkedIn .

Iarlaith Corcoran, Pauline Murnin, Shireen McDonagh ,Sarah Sherry, Rory McDonnell, David Deeley, Kieran O'Donovan, Bryan Cox, Emer Dunne, Sarah Chapman, Anne Zahan, Cathy Cullen, Fiona Askin, Suzie Dundon and Irene McEvoy are also on the council.

Holden among FUEL director appointments

Shell Holden has been appointed director of marketing at FUEL . In the role, Holden will oversee the development and management of FUEL's new marketing department

Holden is one of four senior appointments by the events and content agency, alongside Steven Courtney as director of content, Molly Bracken as experience director and Rachael Gallivan as business development officer.

She has more than 17 years' experience as an award-winning marketer and festival director, who is kown for creating and managing marketing and PR campaigns across festivals and events, arts and culture, hospitality and food sectors.

Prior to joining FUEL, Holden was festival director for City Spectacular, and she will now head marketing for FUEL's two major festivals, WellFest and Kaleidoscope. As co-founder of event company Best in Fest, Holden remains co-director of the National Menopause Summit .

Her accolades include being a four-time winner of Best Entertainment Event Sponsorship and Innovation in Sponsorship at the Irish Sponsorship Awards, as well as a finalist in the Public Relations Campaign Award category at the 2024 All-Ireland Marketing Awards.

"Having worked with the team at FUEL for over the past year, I am thrilled to be stepping into this head of marketing position, working alongside their brand experience, employee experience solutions, content and festival departments," Holden wrote on LinkedIn.

UK marketing salaries slower to grow

In the UK, marketing salaries are growing more slowly than the national average.

Analysis of more than 21m job advertisements and a survey of 5,000 UK workers across sectors conducted by recruiter Reed found that salaries in marketing are growing at a rate of 3% compared to the national average of 6%.

Within marketing, communications managers (+15%) and SEO/PPC executives (+9%) have seen the most substantial bumps while others such as telesales managers (-11%) and e-commerce managers (-8%) have seen declines.

Marketing salaries are still, however, substantially higher than the national average of €38,900 at €50,800, but marketers are unhappy with the pay due to raises that are less than inflation (64%) and a pervasive feeling that they could be paid more elsewhere (57%).

As a result, more than two-thirds (71%) of marketers are open to new job opportunities.

This week's Ad-Lab report focuses on AIB's 'The Questions You Really Care About' campaign.

Every week, Amárach and Future Proof Insights share exclusive findings from their PRIZM+ ad testing service showcasing best practice creative advertising in Ireland.

By trusting the audience to read between the lines, AIB's 'The Questions You Really Care About' advertisement creates deeper neural engagement than direct messaging could achieve, while ensuring the brand becomes intrinsically linked to this moment of emotional and cognitive satisfaction.

Crucially, the context of the advertisement is to intrinsically tied to the brand and product that it is the context or lens through which the solution is framed. AIB are here to help you find your home, and to focus on what really matters, the people inside your home.

For more on the results, click?here.

To read the full article on BusinessPlus.ie just click here

Ben Haugh Cormac Cahill George Morahan Doug Farrell Karl Byrne Liz Doyle Paul Henderson Fintan Gavigan Janice Carlin Hugh Quigley Conor Quinn Mairead Kearns Caoilfhionn Ni Dhuibhinn Emma Rooney Marian McConville Diana Bunici Lorraine Worth Karl Tracey Wini Moore Ciara Cantwell Desmond Farrelly MSc Amy Rohu Rebecca Horan Mike Dunne Nicole Goodman David Vaz SpaceTo dmg media Ireland

?