Revealed: the influencers paid thousands to promote public transport

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Amy Blaney

The National Transport Authority spent more than €25,000 paying social media influencers to promote public transport over the past three years.

The transport authority paid well-known radio and podcast hosts and social media influencers a total of €25,340.50 to engage with a “younger audience demographic”.

This was done through podcast live reads and videos on social media including Instagram and TikTok, Independent.ie can reveal.

Among those hired to promote public transport campaigns on their podcasts included hosts Louise McSharry, Blindboy, Pamela Joyce and the popular podcast with Tommy Tiernan, Hector Ó hEochagáin and Laurita Blewitt.

Some of the influencers paid by the NTA to promote public transport

While the NTA also forked out fees to Emma Doran, Miriam Mullins, Brandon Caulfield, and Frankie McNamara for social media videos on their accounts.

The increasing popularity of podcasts and social media has enabled a move from traditional advertising to reach a younger audience, which the NTA has said may take an “increasing share in the future”.

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In 2021 and 2022 a “podcast live read” from radio host Pamela Joyce to promote the TFI 90-minute fare campaign reached 66,000 people and earned 138,000 impressions.

A further deal with Ms Joyce to promote Bike Week in 2022 on a podcast live read reached 45,000 people, and a deal to promote Leap Plus 1 in 2023 reached 31,000 people.

The NTA paid an agreed fee to the Tommy, Hector and Laurita Podcast, Blindboy and Louise McSharry to promote Bike Week in 2022 through podcast live reads. In total these reached 131,000 people.

Stretching back to 2020, the NTA paid TikTok personalities Miriam Mullins and Brandon Caulfield to promote face covering on public transport for the Back to School campaign.

The objective for this deal was to “engage with a younger audience demographic” and in return for the agreed fee, the influencers published videos to TikTok to promote the campaign.

In 2021 Influencer and author Frankie McNamara was paid an agreed sum to promote the new Bus Connects H-spine connecting north-east Dublin to the city centre. This was arranged in exchange for a video on Instagram.

Similarly, Emma Doran was also paid an agreed fee in 2021 to promote the H-Spine of Bus connects through an Instagram video to reach a “younger audience”.

“The NTA has a wide range of marketing campaigns that promote public transport and its benefits, as well as a range of initiatives that are rolled out as part of our remit,” said a spokesman for the NTA.

“Advertising on podcasts makes up a small portion of our marketing plans. Podcasts are increasing in popularity so it may take an increasing share in the future.

“They can be used to advertise to specific demographics that are more difficult to reach using traditional advertising,” added the spokesman.

The figures were released to Independent.ie following a parliamentary question from Social Democrat TD Catherine Murphy to the Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan in February.

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