Senior Partner and Chief Creative Officer Alyssa Toro has worn many hats throughout her life—designer, creative, pro athlete, entrepreneur, health coach, and mom. As a part owner of Connelly Partners, Alyssa has been at CP since day one, helping to build the agency from the ground up. Joining Christy Hiler on the Own It podcast, Alyssa shares her journey to leadership with honesty, warmth, and a few surprises.
Listen here.
To celebrate its brand refresh, we partnered with Flair Airlines, transforming a vacant Gastown space into Flair/FWD, an immersive photography exhibition that brought the art and emotion of air travel to ground level. The two-week installation featured the work of National Geographic Explorer and photographer Mackenzie Calle.
Through her lens, the exhibit explored both the wonder of flight and the behind-the-scenes choreography of aviation, reflecting how Flair is charting a new course and disrupting the air travel space with their mission to provide affordable air travel that connects Canadians to the people and experiences they love.
Highlights included:
The activation was a fresh take on airline marketing and a signal that Flair isn’t just refreshing its look, but making a deeper shift in how the airline connects with its community.
“Flair FWD was designed to signal a new era for Flair—one defined by confidence, clarity, and momentum,” said Patrick Smith, Creative Director at Flair Airlines. “Using award-winning photographer Mackenzie Calle’s distinct and beautiful imagery, we captured the essence of a brand on the rise. This was a Flair-led creative vision, brought to life with the support of Connelly Partners and Wildfire Events, who helped execute and implement the initiative with precision and energy.”
Nadine Cole, Co-Managing Director, Connelly Partners West also commented on the project, sharing that “the most fulfilling work happens when clients are clear on their mission and brave enough to break the mold. That’s what we’ve found with Flair. We believe in what they’re building, and we’re proud to travel alongside them as partners on what we know is an important journey.”
One of the industry’ most respected figures, Murphy has over 25 years experience working across a number of agencies including The Hive, Publicis Dublin and more recently as chief commercial officer of ACNE, the Deloitte Digital owned agency.
Murphy is also a past president of IAPI and a former chair of the Marketing Society as well as a former board member of Copy Clear.
“Connelly Partners is an agency that embodies the values I’ve always championed throughout my career: Integrity, Curiosity, and Empathy,” says Murphy. “Their impressive growth and portfolio of work are a solid foundation and I’m excited to contribute to the agency’s continued success. This is an exciting time and I look forward to the challenges ahead.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Jimmy to our team. His vast experience, leadership, and industry knowledge will be invaluable as we continue to grow and evolve as an agency. We are excited about the energy and perspective he will bring to Connelly Partners, as well as his ability to deliver commercial success for our clients,” adds Vaunnie McDermott.
Over the past 12 months, Connelly Partners has enjoyed considerable growth and now has a 50-person strong team in Dublin. Recent recruits also include co-creative directors Sam Moorhouse and Mikey Fleming.
Clients include Heineken brands Birra Moretti & Coors, The National Transport Authority and ESB & Electric Ireland.
Read the full Adworld article here.
Additional coverage:
Business Plus
Business Post
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Vaunnie McDermott was appointed Managing Director of Connelly Partners’ Dublin office in 2018. She has overseen the growth of the agency to a 50 person team in Ireland and led the integration of ZOO Digital. Under her leadership, the Dublin office has become a key hub for Connelly Partners—a global agency with offices also in Boston and Vancouver.
My goal is for Connelly Partners to be recognised as Ireland’s most effective advertising agency—one that delivers commercial growth for our clients through standout, strategically-led creative solutions to their business challenges. My priorities are twofold: drive strategic business growth and continue building a high-performing, future-ready team. That means continuing to invest in upskilling, particularly around emerging tech like AI, while creating an environment where talent feels supported, inspired, and empowered to do their best work.
Companies across the country are facing challenges around the speed of change – and our challenges are no different. It’s about staying agile, always finding new solutions and acknowledging that previous processes and ways of working may no longer be of value. Managing teams and driving organisational culture with hybrid working, balanced with rising costs of running a business.
The past year has been a real turning point for us. We welcomed new creative leadership with Sam Moorhead and Mikey Fleming as Co-Creative Directors, joining legendary Executive Creative Director Mike Garner and digital specialist and Creative Director, Chris Preston. We have other exciting additions coming soon too. We’ve had some major new business wins, including Waterways Ireland, University of Galway, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth, and being added to the HSE agency framework. The merger with ZOO Digital has made us one of the largest independent full-service agencies in Ireland, and having the support and insights from our teams in Boston and Vancouver allows us to deliver meaningful work that resonates both locally and internationally.
A year from now, we hope to be operating on a bigger, more connected scale. Not just growing our team, but working smarter. We’re currently exploring a new office space that encourages creative collaboration across disciplines and makes it easier to work face-to-face with our clients. We want collaboration to be less of a scheduled event and more a part of how we work every day.
Our goal is for clients to see us not just as their agency, but as a trusted partner—someone they can count on to help them move their business forward and understands the commercial goals of their business.
Over the past few years, we’ve focused on breaking down silos between teams, offices, and even countries to deliver the best thinking, quickly. Next year, we want to keep building on that—going deeper into the industries we know best, fine-tuning how we work, and staying one step ahead so we can help brands do the same.
AI is constantly evolving in our industry and everyday new tools are available. The challenge/opportunity is to use AI effectively and efficiently for our clients – using human minds to prompt and curate the technology to augment our talent and get the reliable results our clients need to keep them ahead of their competitors.
One of the biggest challenges is the sheer volume of content competing for attention. In a world of constant change and content overload, brands are under enormous pressure not just to stand out—but to truly connect. Our response is to think outside of traditional advertising. It’s about understanding what motivates your audience’s behaviour and building campaigns that are culturally resonant, not just creatively clever. This is especially important to reach younger audiences. They expect brands to show up authentically, in the spaces they already occupy, with ideas that feel relevant.
This shift demands more from agencies: more agility, more integration, and a deeper understanding of both the customer journey and the world our audiences live in. It also challenges agencies and clients to move beyond the brief and become true strategic partners.
I’d like to see the reframing of the client/agency relationship so agencies are seen as a strategic investment on the P&L, not just a transactional service that costs money. Too often, the conversation still starts with cost and ends with deliverables. That mindset limits what we can achieve together. Agencies should be viewed as growth drivers, not suppliers.
Our job is to see around corners for our clients. We bring a deep understanding of consumer behaviour to the table, and when that’s combined with the client’s brand expertise, it becomes a powerful partnership. That’s where real impact is made—and where our value lies. It’s time we moved the conversation on from hourly rates, and towards measurable impact and long-term value. When we’re aligned around growth, everyone wins.
What we’re noticing isn’t so much a lack of individual skills—it’s a gap in how brands are able to keep up with the pace of change, especially when it comes to delivering consistently across the full customer journey. Too often, efforts are still fragmented—different partners for different channels, each with their own priorities. That slows things down and makes execution harder than it needs to be. That’s why, back in 2021, we set a clear goal: to simplify things. We wanted to remove the friction of working across multiple agencies, verticals, and markets. So we expanded strategically, made acquisitions, and built out new capabilities to offer everything under one roof. Now, our clients have one agency, one partner, one call.
We understand how each piece of the customer journey connects—from awareness to conversion to retention—and our teams are set up to move with that full view in mind. It’s not just about having the right skills; it’s about having them all work together seamlessly. That’s where we’ve seen the biggest difference for our clients—and it’s why we’ve built the model we have today.
Culture has always been a commitment at Connelly Partners—not a buzzword. Staying aligned on values and building a strong internal identity around our mission and vision is key to keeping teams engaged. People need to know why they’re here, and why they’d choose us over another agency. That clarity and sense of purpose makes a real difference.
We also invest in initiatives that support both personal and professional growth. One example is CP Abroad, which gives team members the opportunity to work from any of our global offices. It’s been a huge motivator—broadening perspectives, deepening collaboration across hubs, and reinforcing our commitment to being a truly connected, international agency.
Control what you can control…. Find a way to get back into a flow mindset where you are at your best. Focus on how you can get the job done and not be overwhelmed by the deliverables because with a clear calm mind, you will do a much better job.
Check out the full article from Business & Finance here.
Despite the evolving media landscape and continual doomsaying about the death of linear, upfronts arguably remain the most pivotal week of the year for TV networks. Billions of dollars in ad commitments take shape during the annual industry showcase, providing a view into the evolving dynamics of media buying—and the tech that will measure those investments.
Ad tech played a pivotal role in the 2025 upfronts and NewFronts, with Google, Yahoo, Netflix and Fox driving home the importance of AI- and data-driven ad tools for marketers. Gen Z once again dominated the demographic conversation, with tailored lineups and targeted content, while the dynamics between streaming and legacy networks continued to play out against a backdrop of Trump’s tariffs, increasing economic uncertainty and a fragmented media landscape. Amid so much disruption and reinvention, we turned to the experts for their key takeaways from TV’s biggest week.
Live Programming Is Essential Business
Michelle Capasso, Partner & Chief Media Officer
No surprise: Live tentpole events, especially sports, are still king of the hill—and played a big role in the upfronts. But this year’s focus on ad tech and new ways to buy recognizes the importance of ad-supported metrics. Ad buyers have always cared about performance and transparency, and now the platforms are finally responding. Netflix, once the champion of ad-free experience, is now touting the importance and relevance of their ad-supported tiers, and Amazon featured their ad-supported growth in streaming as a centerpiece in their pitch. This shift hopefully means more transparency for buyers—all that star power on stage touting programs in development means more when advertisers can finally get a piece of it.
The rush to sports should help support upfront spending as budgets get tighter with economic uncertainty. Big brands need it to capture large audiences. Deals will likely be more concentrated, while advertisers try to consolidate into “sure things” like live sports to reach audiences that continue to fragment, driving up pricing. But the heavy focus this year on ad tech and more ways to buy programmatically could ding upfront spend and incentivize advertisers to not lock up those budgets now.
Read the full AdAge article here.
On That Great Business Show with Conall Ó Móráin, Co-Creative Directors Sam Moorhead and Mikey Fleming talk about the current state of advertising. They dive into the sheer volume of ads, the explosion of platforms, and the evolution of targeting. They also share their thoughts on how small businesses can build their brands – by using distinctive assets, choosing the most suitable platforms, and leaning into humour and a strong personality to help people connect.
Catch the full episode here.
This year, on International Epilepsy Day, Epilepsy Ireland and Connelly Partners joined forces once again to launch a powerful nationwide campaign focused on one clear message: Time. Safe. Stay. It’s a simple mantra — but one that could make all the difference if you ever witness someone having a seizure.
Turning Stats Into Stories
How do you take a public health message and make people really care? You make it personal.
Backed by robust research from Amárach, the campaign centred around the lived experiences of people with epilepsy. Research showed that 88% of people in Ireland believe there’s a lack of understanding of epilepsy amongst the general public. So we got to work – putting real voices, real faces, and real emotions front and centre. These weren’t just testimonials. These were open, honest conversations about life with epilepsy. Fear. Frustration. Strength. Hope.
By showcasing these stories, we aimed to create empathy, spark curiosity, and ultimately, leave a lasting impression about the importance of seizure first aid — Time. Safe. Stay.
A Multi-Platform Approach That Hit Home
To maximise impact, we launched a multi-channel campaign — from powerful digital storytelling to social media, DOOH and more – ensuring visibility at both national and regional levels. Media volunteers bravely stepped up to share their experiences with press. Interviews delivered a deeply human look at epilepsy’s daily challenges.
Listen to the full Supercharged (RTE Radio 1) interview here.
A video campaign, voiced by legendary Radio DJ Rick O’Shea, was broadcast on Sky Television.
Digital out-of-home adverts brought the message into busy shopping centres and high-footfall areas throughout the Capital and regionally, as well as in Galway’s Eyre Square.
Digital Display ads featuring our media volunteers ran across various digital platforms, providing lots of touch points for the Irish public to engage with this important message.
Social media lit up – and were amongst the most successful strands of this multi-faceted campaign. TikTok alone delivered 1M+ impressions, reaching 538k accounts with an exceptional 17.36% engagement rate — well above platform norms.
Across META (Facebook and Instagram), the campaign reached 570K users, blowing past the original goal of 157K, with an impressive 2.78% engagement rate, significantly above the 0.20% industry benchmark.
Our Digital Audio campaign over-delivered – achieving a 90% Listen Through Rate (LTR) and reaching 40K+ unique users.
The results proved that human connection is still at the heart of effective storytelling.
Read The Irish Times feature here.
The photography-led campaign offers an intimate glimpse into the world of air travel.
Who: Flair Airlines for strategy and creative; Connelly Partners for creative and execution; Wildfire for event production and logistics; Fladgate Brand Management for print production and installation; National Geographic explorer, and photographer, Mackenzie Calle for photography.
What: “FlairFWD,” a two-week photography exhibit that intimately showcases the behind-the-scenes choreography of aviation. The intention is to renew and remind consumers of Flair’s mission to provide affordable air travel that connects Canadians to the people and experiences they love.
When & Where: The exhibit ran April 12–13 for the public in a vacant Gastown space in Vancouver, following a private event for stakeholders and staff. FlairFWD is set to travel to other Canadian cities where the airline has major hubs.
Why: The activation is intended to demonstrate a shift towards a more emotional way of connecting the airline with potential passengers.
“FlairFWD was designed to signal a new era for Flair—one defined by confidence, clarity, and momentum,” said Patrick Smith, creative director at Flair Airlines. “Using award-winning photographer Mackenzie Calle’s distinct and beautiful imagery, we captured the essence of a brand on the rise. This was a Flair-led creative vision, brought to life with the support of Connelly Partners and Wildfire Events, who helped execute and implement the initiative with precision and energy.”
How: The campaign was anchored by the work of National Geographic explorer and photographer Mackenzie Calle, whose exhibit aims to highlight the dual beauty and complexity of air travel, from sweeping aerial vistas to candid moments behind the scenes.
The photos feature a mix of layered textures, lighting, large-scale prints, and experimental print techniques, to facilitate a multi-sensory experience for viewers. They will also be used across all of Flair’s paid and owned channels.
The public opening subsequently turned the exhibit into an interactive brand story, offering consumers an intimate glimpse at Flair’s evolution and the people who contribute to its success.
And we quote: “The most fulfilling work happens when clients are clear on their mission and brave enough to break the mold. That’s what we’ve found with Flair. We believe in what they’re building, and we’re proud to travel alongside them as partners on what we know is an important journey.”–Nadine Cole, co-managing director, Connelly Partners West.
Read article on Campaign Canada.
Connelly Partners has bolstered its creative team, appointing Sam Moorhead and Mikey Fleming as Co-Creative Directors. This follows a strong start to 2025 as the agency has won competitive pitches including Waterways Ireland, University of Galway, The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth (DCEDIY), and been added to The Health Service Executive (HSE) agency framework.
With a 50 person team in Dublin, the independent advertising agency provides an end-to-end, full-service offering for clients, within both the Irish and global markets.
Moorhead and Fleming have been a creative team since 2011, partnering at TBWA/Ireland, Boys + Girls, and later founding Verve’s in-house agency, Showrunner. Their work for brands like Three Mobile, Aldi, SKODA, Lyons Tea, Tayto, VHI, and LEGO have earned multiple awards.
They join legendary Executive Creative Director (ECD) Mike Garner and digital specialist and Creative Director, Chris Preston. This powerhouse creative team makes up part of Connelly Partners’ global offering (with other hubs in Boston and Vancouver) overseen by Chief Creative Officer (CCO) Alyssa Toro and Dublin’s Managing Director (MD) Vaunnie McDermott. This expansion marks the beginning of a period of growth for the agency with more creative roles planned for the coming months.
“Connelly Partners is on a roll, strengthening our end-to-end offering across strategy, creative, production, social and digital. Our integrated approach based on really understanding the customer journey has powered our momentum, driving strong business results for our clients,” said McDermott. “Sam and Mikey’s long-standing partnership has earned them a reputation for crafting campaigns that are anything but ordinary and built on solid strategy. Their creativity combined with the power of AI is exactly what we need to continue driving commercial success.”
Connelly Partners has been appointed as the creative agency for Waterways Ireland, the organisation responsible for managing and promoting Ireland’s inland waterways across the island of Ireland. Connelly Partners will be responsible for developing a new corporate identity and advertising communications to build the tourism and recreation credentials of the brand, in order to encourage greater use of and participation in everything that the waterways of Ireland have to offer.
In addition, the agency has been selected to work with University of Galway, one of Ireland’s leading higher education institutions, to strengthen its brand communications with the goal of increasing CAO applications.
Connelly Partners has also recently been appointed the creative agency for The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth (DCEDIY), which plays a crucial role in shaping policies and programs that support children, families, and social inclusion across Ireland.
This growth follows additional wins and campaign launches for brands including Birra Moretti, Coors, ESB & Electric Ireland, Expressway, Epilepsy Ireland and My Milkman, in what looks set to be an exciting 2025 for Connelly Partners in Ireland.
Additional coverage:
AdWorld: Sam Moorehead and Mikey Fleming Join Connelly Partners
Business & Finance: New and notable appointments at Mercer Ireland, Neotas Limited, McGill and Partners, Forvis Mazars, Connelly Partners, BDO Ireland and Deloitte Ireland
Business Plus: Moorhead and Fleming join Connelly Partners
With the looming TikTok ban in the US, local communication executives at an event hosted by the Boston Interactive Media Association noted a trend of online advertisers testing alternative platforms like YouTube Shorts. At the event, Kiley McMahon, Paid Social Media Manager at Connelly Partners shared that some clients have experimented with YouTube Shorts as a potential replacement for TikTok; however, it has yet to replicate the latter’s viral reach and perceived authenticity. Despite many clients not yet migrating to YouTube, contingency plans are in place for their clients in case TikTok does go dark, even momentarily.
Read more Here.