It says the sector now directly employs 23,500 people here and supports a total of nearly 118,000 jobs. It also found 90pc of those employees have a third-level qualification.
The report prepared in conjunction with Amárach Research says that the marketing sector contributes €16.5bn to the Irish economy every year when a multiplier effect is taken into account. It says that every €1 spent on marketing results in €6 in economic value.
It also found that employment in the sector grew by 28pc between 2016 and 2022.
The report notes corporates are now more likely to be leveraging AI tools, with 78pc doing so compared to 61pc of SMEs. Marketers in foreign-owned firms are more likely to be doing so, at 84pc, than those in Irish firms, where the figure is 66pc.
Shane McGonigle. Photo: Donal Moloney
News in 90 Seconds – 11 December 2025
Business-to-business marketers are more likely to be using AI than business-to-consumer marketers, at 75pc versus 55pc.
Marketing is highly valued by other senior decision makers in organisations
Marketing Institute Ireland chief executive Shane McGonigle said that marketing is still often perceived as a cost rather than an investment. “Marketers are custodians of the businesses reputation and will always advocate for strategic brand management at every stage of the business cycle, especially in economically tough times,” he said.
“Contrary to popular perception, marketing is highly valued by other senior decision makers in organisations, including finance.”
The report reckons spending by marketers on advertising in Ireland will hit €1.7bn this year. That compares with €1.6bn in 2024.
Of that, it said €1.1bn will be spent online. A further €259m will be spent on TV advertising, with €160m on radio. In print, the figure will be €62m for 2025, it predicts, which will be down from €68m last year and €85m in 2022.
The report notes sponsorship expenditure is measured at an estimated €236m for 2025, bringing the total spending by marketers to over €1.9bn for this year.
Irish businesses spend an average of 5pc of turnover on marketing, compared with 9pc to 10pc in the US, the report notes. Most companies in Ireland have maintained or increased marketing budgets in 2025.
The top three growth priorities for marketers are customer acquisition and retention, building brand awareness and expanding market share.