The Public House (TPH) has launched its latest campaign for the Irish Defence Forces with the TVC at the centre of the campaign created to deliberately to “challenge viewing behaviour.”
The TVC aired on Saturday 28th February, in a premium RTÉ slot between the News and The Tommy Tiernan Show. Audiences, however, experienced something unexpected in the middle of a normally very busy ad break: silence.
Preliminary figures show the spot delivered 10 TVRs and reached over 200,000 viewers. But this wasn’t simply a media placement, ”it was a deliberate behavioural intervention,” according to the agency.
“As marketers, we succeed when we cut through noise and land a message with our target consumer. That task is becoming increasingly difficult. Research consistently shows that over half of Irish viewers second-screen while watching TV, particularly during high-attention programming. Rather than viewing this as a threat, The Public House and the Defence Forces saw an opportunity,” TPH said.
“If audiences are already cognitively switching between screens, the challenge is not to shout louder, it is to interrupt the rhythm.”
“The TVC features a carefully crafted moment of protracted, strategic silence. No music swell. No voiceover. No room sound or atmos. Just a visually arresting montage that feels instantly different within a cluttered break. The absence of sound acts as a pattern interrupt, cutting through habitual scrolling and pulling attention back to the television at the precise moment it risks drifting.”
The agency noted that “in a market where digital ad spend dominates but Irish audiences still invest significant time with linear TV, this was a confident statement. Silence is not absence. It is a strategic device.”
“This wasn’t silence for the sake of it,” said Kerrie Sweeney, managing director of The Public House. “It was designed around a real human truth, that attention today is fragmented. Instead of fighting that, we engineered a moment that works with it. In a noisy world, silence can be the most powerful tool.”
The Defence Forces embraced the approach as part of their broader commitment to progressive, attention worthy communications.
Speaking about the campaign, Lieutenant Commander Órlaith Gallagher said: “We are constantly looking at how we connect with modern Ireland in ways that are relevant and impactful. This execution shows a willingness to innovate, not just creatively, but strategically. It reflects an organisation that understands change and is not afraid to lead.”
The campaign runs across TV, VOD, OOH, Social, Radio and Press, with media strategy handled by Core.
Credits:
Agency: The Public House
Executive Creative Director: Rob Maguire
Managing Director: Kerrie Sweeney
Strategy Director: Brónagh O’Donovan
Head of Design/Creative Director: Eimear O’Sullivan
Associate Creative Director: Danny Cullen
Copywriter: Paddy Dunne
Art Director: Ellen Jones
Art Director: Delphine Perret
Senior Designer: Trevor Nolan
Designer: Molly Devlin
Motion Graphics Designer: Kevin Hughes
Account Director: Gianna DiGiorgio
Account Director: Annie McBride
Agency Producer: Karen Ronaldson
Client: Irish Defence Forces
Lt Col Maeve O’ Grady
Lt Cdr Órlaith Gallagher
Comdt (OF-3) Ryan Van Haeften
Sgt Tony Farrell
Cpl Lee Bracken
Production Company: Bodacious
Executive Producer: Max Brady
Director: Angie Bird
DOP: Kia Fern Little
First Assistant Director: Charlie Endean
Photographer: Rich Davenport
Retoucher: Matt Brewin
Post Production Company: Gabha Studios
Executive Producer Post Production: Jess Felton
Editor: Lee Hickey
Colour Grade: Andy Francis
Music Composition: Folding Waves
Sound Design: Simon Bird, Folding Waves
Media: Core
