Market comparison
Ireland vs Singapore: agency markets compared
Search and social capability is deep and competitively priced, while senior brand strategy concentrates in a smaller number of groups. Most agencies are independent specialists, so buyers usually assemble two or three partners rather than one full-service group.
Market size and coverage
Advertising figures come from the named industry body or statistics agency in each market. They are published on different bases and in different currencies, so treat them as scale, not a ratio.
Ireland
Budgets quoted in EUR where sourced.
- Digital advertising spend
- €1.06bn (2024)
- Total advertising market
- €1.53bn forecast (2024)
Up 11% year on year; digital display grew 15% to €589m in 2023.
Digital is roughly 64% of overall advertising revenue.
Source: Core Outlook forecast, reported by Adworld, 8 February 2024
Listed agencies: 52 across 18 cities
Scored on our methodology: 10
Main cities: Dublin (21), Cork (5), Kilkenny (4), Waterford (4), Athlone (2), Kildare (2)
Deepest specialties: Web Design (23), Branding (18), Digital Marketing (17), Ecommerce Marketing (10), Public Relations (9)
Singapore
Budgets quoted in SGD where sourced.
- Digital advertising spend
- S$2.34bn (2023)
59.7% of total advertising spend in Singapore.
Listed agencies: 31 across 1 city
Scored on our methodology: 10
Main cities: Singapore (31)
Deepest specialties: Web Design (10), Branding (9), SEO (9), Ecommerce Marketing (8), Brand Strategy (7)
Rules that change the work
These differences usually matter more to a cross-border engagement than price does.
Ireland
- Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland, administering the ASAI code
- GDPR, enforced by the Data Protection Commission
- ePrivacy Regulations 2011 (SI 336 of 2011) for email, SMS and telephone marketing consent
Singapore
- Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore under CASE, administering the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice
- Personal Data Protection Act and its Do Not Call provisions
- Spam Control Act sender identification and unsubscribe requirements, with IMDA guidance on unsolicited communications
What we have published for each market
Ireland
- Top 10 Marketing and Branding Agencies in IrelandLast researched September 10, 2026
- Ireland Marketing and Branding Agency Market: A Buyer GuideHow the Irish agency market works, what the advertising and data rules require, and how to shortlist a partner with real evidence.
Singapore
- Top 10 Marketing and Branding Agencies in SingaporeLast researched September 10, 2026
- Singapore Marketing and Branding Agency Market: A Buyer GuideHow the Singapore agency market works, what the rules require, and how to shortlist a branding, search, ecommerce or PR partner with evidence.
Choosing between Ireland and Singapore
- Pick the market where the work is being sold, not where it is cheapest. Local media buying, language and consumer regulation are the hardest things to outsource across a border.
- For a cross-border engagement, agree the contract currency, who carries exchange-rate risk, where the work is performed and how personal data moves between the two jurisdictions before you sign.
- Ask both shortlists the same question: show one comparable project, the brief, what changed afterwards, and where those numbers came from.
- Check who actually runs the account. In both markets, the senior people in the pitch are frequently not the people delivering the work.