The latest episode of The Irish Marketing Podcast has dropped and in this week’s podcast we talk to Michelle Spillane, Managing Director of Online at Paddy Power (Flutter UK&I) and the Marketing Institute’s National Marketing Champion for 2027.
In conversation with Daryl Moorhouse, Spillane talks about building distinctive brands, responding to popular culture and giving creative teams the freedom to act.
Spillane, talks about her 30-year career in marketing, having worked across brands including RTÉ, Microsoft, Bank of Ireland, Disney and Paddy Power.
With AI dominating many marketing conversations, she warns against using automation to generate large volumes of generic content, arguing that marketers must maintain their focus on brand distinctiveness and magnetism. She also explains how Paddy Power uses cultural insights and rapid editorial decisions to participate in national conversations as they unfold.
Taking listeners inside the brand’s approach to content, she describes an in-house team that operates like a fast-paced publishing house, with fewer layers of corporate approval allowing it to respond quickly.
Spillane also discusses empathetic leadership, and reflects on early-career campaign crises and the importance of leaders who give their teams confidence and share the pressure when challenges arise.
The Irish Marketing Podcast is a collaboration between IMJ/Adworld.ie and Tinpot Productions and is hosted by Daryl Moorhouse.
