Key takeaway
Strategically aligned influencer partnerships, when integrated into a multi-channel framework, can drive engagement rates of 20% and reach millions of potential customers.
Strategist’s Insight – Conor O’Neill
“Darren’s audience was the absolute bullseye for HQ Electrical. Between his massive following and hearing his ‘C’ya later’ catchphrase on every building site in Dublin, he was a non-negotiable partner, a comedian whose working-class relatability made him the ultimate ‘voice’ for tradespeople.
We didn’t want a ‘face’ for the brand, we wanted a voice that the sparks actually liked. It turned out to be the perfect match for driving brand awareness and increasing our trade audience.”
The Brief
Deliver a high-impact brand campaign that would raise brand awareness, brand trust/connection & trade sales in 2025.
The Strategy
Our communications strategy focused on “speaking the language” of the trade. To ensure the brand stood out in a crowded marketplace, we moved away from traditional B2B advertising in favour of a high-impact influencer collaboration, targeted social media content and mass media reach for awareness.
The core objective was to elevate HQ’s profile within a competitive market and drive measurable sales growth through a multi-touchpoint strategy.
Influencer Alignment:Data showed us that working with Darren Conway would ensure our content reached the “bullseye” demographic of electricians and contractors in Dublin.
Mass Media Reach:Supporting the digital push with a targeted radio campaign to capture the audience during the morning commute.
B2B Lead Nurturing:Developed a newsletter strategy to convert the initial interest from social content into corporate sales opportunities.
The Implementation
Marketing Network Group managed the campaign execution end-to-end, ensuring the creative tone remained consistent across all platforms:
The MNG team oversaw the production and art direction of two long-form social adverts. By blending Darren’s unique comedic value with HQ’s business goals, the produced content that felt organic and relatable rather than a standard sales pitch.
Result:Achieved an engagement rate of over 20% across both assets.
Our creative agency, Rage, developed a radio script designed to embody HQ’s distinct tone of voice. The script was specifically crafted to resonate with the daily experiences of Irish tradespeople.
Result:Generated a massive reach of over 2.6 million impacts.
To close the loop, a specialised newsletter programme was developed. This lensed approach leveraged the influencer content as a visual “hook” to engage the corporate sector and drive direct sales inquiries.
The Results
Both social pieces outperformed industry benchmarks with a 20%+ engagement rate.
The radio activation successfully delivered over 2.6 million impacts, cementing HQ Electrical as a top-of-mind choice for the trade.
The integrated approach successfully bridged the gap between creative strategy and direct sales, significantly increasing traffic & sales in the Donabate store.
