Buymedia Empowering SMEs With AI Driven Advertising Efficiency

In an industry traditionally dominated by large enterprises with deep pockets and sophisticated tools, Buymedia is on a mission to level the playing field. Founded by Fergal O’Connor, the Irish AI-powered media investment platform is transforming how small and medium-sized businesses plan, purchase, execute, and analyze their advertising.

With a data-driven approach and cutting-edge automation, Buymedia is helping brands maximize their ad spend and drive measurable growth. As one of Ireland’s fastest-growing tech companies, Buymedia is now expanding internationally—proving that innovation knows no borders.

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What is Buymedia, and what problem does it solve in the marketing and advertising industry?

Buymedia is an AI-powered media investment platform that transform show businesses plan, purchase, execute, and analyze their advertising. Traditionally, the marketing and advertising industry has been dominated by large enterprises with access to advanced tools, deep data insights, and specialised expertise, leaving SMEs at a disadvantage. Buymedia is changing that by levelling the playing field.

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SMEs often face four key challenges:

1.     PlanningChallenges: Limited access to data for identifying effective media channels, target audiences, and budget allocations.

2.     PurchasingObstacles: Lack of centralized marketplaces for multi-channel advertising with negotiated pricing.

3.     ExecutionIssues: Absence of unified platforms to store and manage campaign data efficiently

4.     LearningGaps: Insufficient resources to analyze past campaigns and extract actionable insights

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Buymedia’s AI-driven platform solves these challenges by guiding SMEs through every stage of the advertising process, from planning and purchasing to execution and analytics. By integrating AI-powered insights, predictive analytics, and automation, we remove the guesswork from advertising, helping brands optimize their media investments for maximum ROI. The impact is clear: our users have seen an average 27% increase in advertising ROI, with some businesses generating over €128 million in new revenue in just 12 months.

As the 4th fastest-growing tech company in Ireland ((Deloitte Fast 50), we’re not just improving advertising efficiency, we’re empowering businesses of all sizes to compete effectively in an increasingly complex advertising landscape.

How do you see AI and automation shaping the future of media buying and marketing?

AI and automation are no longer just buzzwords, they’re transforming how brands connect with audiences, optimize campaigns, and drive growth. From hyper-personalized experiences to real-time decision-making, these technologies are reshaping the way marketers operate, making campaigns smarter, faster, and more effective.

1. AI Adoption is a Top Priority for Marketers

According to Kantar’s Charm Your C-suite with AI Results report, 62% of marketers are prioritizing AI adoption in the next 1-2 years. This highlights a clear industry shift towards AI-driven marketing strategies, signalling that those who fail to adapt risk being left behind.

2. Hyper-Personalization & Customer Engagement

AI-driven insights allow brands to analyze vast datasets, enabling real-time personalization. From AI-curated product recommendations to predictive consumer behaviour models, AI ensures marketing campaigns resonate with the right audience at the right time. With 71% of consumers expecting personalised interactions, AI is becoming a necessity rather than a luxury.

3. Real-Time Optimization & Decision-Making

AI acts as a co-pilot for marketers, making real-time data-driven decisions. It builds dynamic audience personas using demographic, behavioral, and psychographic data, integrating first-party insights to ensure that ads reach the most relevant audiences at the right moment. Automated media buying streamlines ad booking, asset management, and scheduling while real-time performance tracking allows dynamic adjustments to maximize engagement and efficiency. AI continuously monitors key business KPIs, reallocating budgets to high-performing channels when permitted. Predictive analytics, powered by MediaMix Modelling, refines strategies over time and simulates budget scenarios before committing spend, ensuring every investment is optimized for maximum ROI.

4. Efficiency Gains & Cost Savings

Automation is eliminating repetitive tasks, freeing up marketing teams to focus on strategy. Gartner predicts that by 2025, 75% of marketing teams leveraging AI will shift from operational tasks to strategic initiatives.

5. AI-Generated Creative & Industry Disruption

Brands like Coca-Cola have already embraced AI-generated ads, demonstrating the potential for cost-effective yet highly targeted creative strategies. Meanwhile, the $13.25 billion Omnicom-IPG merger signals a larger industry shift towards AI-powered advertising capabilities.

6. The Imperative of First-Party Data Management

With increasing privacy regulations and the decline of third-party cookies, managing first-party data has become critical. AI aids in efficiently collecting and analyzing this data, enabling personalized marketing while ensuring compliance. Marketing leaders are encouraged to reclaim control over their data strategies, moving towards hybrid models that integrate in-house capabilities with external expertise.

In summary, AI and automation are not just enhancing existing marketing practices but are fundamentally reshaping the media buying and marketing landscape. Embracing these technologies allows for more personalized, efficient, and effective strategies, positioning companies like Buymedia at the forefront of industry innovation.

As an Irish-based company, have you faced any unique challenges or advantages compared to being in larger markets like London or New York?

Being an Irish-founded company has provided us with unique advantages that have accelerated our growth. The Irish tech ecosystem is incredibly supportive, with a collaborative spirit that's helped us build as solid foundation locally before expanding internationally.

Although Ireland has proven to be an excellent launchpad for innovation, it has also presented unique challenges. Unlike London or New York, where large-scale advertising budgets and mature adtech ecosystems are the norm, the Irish market is smaller, with fewer big spenders and a more cautious approach to adopting new advertising technologies.

However, this has played to our strengths. Irish SMEs face many of the same challenges as their global counterparts, such as limited data access, fragmented media planning, and inefficiencies in ad spend. By tackling these issues in a more agile, close-knit market first, we’ve been able to refine our platform before scaling internationally.

Additionally, Ireland’s growing reputation as a tech hub which is home to global leaders like Google, Meta, and TikTok has provided us with access to top talent and strategic partnerships that continue to drive our innovation.

We are now expanding into the UK, with a newly opened office in Manchester and future plans for the US. This next phase allows us to bring our proven model to more complex media ecosystems, leveraging what we’ve built in Ireland to compete on a global scale.

Buymedia has been helping businesses improve their advertising efficiency—how are you planning to scale this solution internationally?

We're charting a course for exponential growth because the beauty of Buymedia is that it transcends borders. Our recently opened office in the UK allows us to continue supporting Irish clients with their UK advertising needs while also expanding our client base in the region. Looking ahead, we plan to expand into the US, bringing our expertise in advertising efficiency to a wider audience.

Our approach to international growth is based on two key pillars:building strong partnerships in each new market and securing strategic investments to support our expansion. By scaling thoughtfully and staying true to what has made us successful so far, we’re ensuring that Buymedia’s solutions can help businesses optimise their advertising spend wherever they are.

You’ve attended an Interceltic Business Forum—why do you think it’s important for entrepreneurs from Celtic regions to collaborate more closely?

Entrepreneurs from Celtic regions share a unique spirit of resilience, innovation, and global ambition. Despite being relatively small markets, countries like Ireland, Scotland, and Wales have a long history of producing world-class tech companies and disruptors.

By collaborating, we can:

• Share insights and resources to help scale globally
• Leverage our collective talent pool to drive innovation
• Strengthen investment opportunities within our regional tech ecosystems

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At Buymedia, we firmly believe that innovation thrives in collaboration. The more we connect with like-minded disruptors, the stronger our position becomes in the global marketplace.

What's Next?

As Buymedia continues to revolutionize the advertising industry, collaboration and knowledge-sharing remain key to driving innovation.

Join us at the Interceltic Business Forum in Cornwall on April 25th to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders from across the Celtic regions. Don’t miss this opportunity to exchange insights, explore partnerships, and be part of the future of business in our community.

Register now and be part of the conversation!