Dublin radio station 98FM has launched a major new advertising campaign across the capital designed to reinforce its positioning as the home of “Dublin’s Best Music Mix.”
The campaign went live on Monday, March 9 and will run for several weeks, combining a large-scale out-of-home presence across the city with supporting on-air, social media and on-street activations.
Spanning 103 outdoor sites across Dublin, the campaign focuses on key commuter corridors and high-footfall locations in the city and surrounding suburbs.
The creative concept uses well-known songs played on 98FM and playfully adapts their lyrics to incorporate specific Dublin neighbourhoods and locations.
Examples featured in the campaign include lines such as “Must Be The Reason Why I’m King of My Cabra,” “I See You Baby, Shaking That Finglaaas,” and “It Goes Around The World, Ranelagh La La La.”
Outdoor formats include Bauer Media Outdoor Adshel Live and six-sheet placements, along with bus and digital screen formats located in high-traffic areas.
The campaign also extends beyond out-of-home advertising with a number of interactive elements designed to engage listeners.
As part of the activation, 98FM is running an on-air segment titled “Now That’s What I Call Dublin” on 98FM’s Big Breakfast with Rebecca and Brendan, which airs weekdays from 7am to 10am.
Listeners are being invited to send voice notes of themselves singing the adapted billboard lyrics from their local area. These recordings will then be remixed into songs played on the show.
On social media, the station has launched a “Billboard Bingo” initiative encouraging listeners to share photographs of themselves at campaign billboards around Dublin.
The station’s @98fmdublin social channels will publish a bingo-style grid featuring the different billboard lines. Participants who complete a row by visiting and photographing the locations will be entered into a competition to win a €98 voucher.
Later in the campaign, 98FM will also roll out limited-edition branded tote bags featuring lines from the outdoor creative.
The merchandise will be distributed across Dublin by Luke Thomas, the station’s “man on the street,” who will visit various locations featured in the campaign.
Commenting on the initiative, Stephen Gorman, marketing manager at 98FM, said the campaign aims to strengthen awareness of the station’s music proposition while reflecting Dublin culture.
“We’re delighted to launch this new brand campaign for 98FM, one you simply can’t help but sing along to,” he said.
“It’s designed to spread awareness that 98FM is home to ‘Dublin’s Best Music Mix’ and amplify our music proposition in a way that feels genuinely local to listeners, old and new. By tailoring each creative to the specific area it appears in, we’re turning familiar Dublin locations into eye-catching, laugh-out-loud moments that connect people with the music they know and love on 98FM.”
Pat Gill, managing editor at 98FM, said the campaign highlights the long-standing relationship between the station and the city.
“This head-turning campaign celebrates the connection 98FM has had with Dublin for decades,” he said.
“We provide the soundtrack to everyday life across the city, so combining the lyrics of our biggest tracks with the places Dubliners know and love felt like a natural fit. It turns the city itself into a playlist. It’s a creative way to reflect how music and 98FM are woven into the fabric of Dublin life.”
