In Ireland’s Marketing Sentiment Survey, only 7% said their budgets would decrease. When asked where they intended to spend more, the marketers said e-commerce ( 48%), advertising ( 30%) and PR ( 25%). Data analytics has also grown in importance ( 17%), while market research was cited by 14% as an area for more investment.

‘Increasing brand awareness’ topped the list of key areas for investment ( 49% in 2018 versus 43% in 2017 ) while ‘using social media to drive sales’ remained the second highest priority for Irish marketers.

Ian McGrath, managing director of MediaCom Ireland, said: "Overall this year’s survey indicates an increase in positive marketing sentiment, with marketers focusing investment on driving growth and developing more new routes to connect with Irish consumers.

"However, we do not yet see the same level of growth predicted for the Irish media market as we do for the wider Irish economy in 2018. Further analysis, demonstrates that Irish companies, on average, invest 8% of revenue on marketing activity compared to an average of 12% internationally. This highlights that Ireland is a market with relatively low clutter and one that is ready for expansion."

The survey polled 249 marketing decision-makers, and was developed in partnership with The Irish Times and the Marketing Institute of Ireland.