Starcom
Starcom (Ireland) is a Dublin-based media planning and buying agency and sub-brand of Core, Ireland's largest marketing communications group. It provides media strategy, creative services, and brand experience development to enterprise clients through a small, consultative team.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Starcom does
Starcom (Ireland) is a Dublin-based media planning and buying agency operating as a sub-brand of Core, which is described as Ireland's largest marketing communications company. Founded in 2002, the agency delivers media strategy, creative media solutions, and brand experience development for enterprise clients, sitting alongside sibling Core brands Zenith and Spark Foundry. Its stated value proposition integrates data, media, creativity, technology, and human instinct to build brand experiences and move both consumer and business outcomes.
The business operates on a professional services revenue model with quote-based pricing tailored to each client's scope, focused on a single horizontal segment of enterprise brands ('Great Brands'). Customer engagement is direct and consultative, with no self-serve or productized channels. The agency supports its positioning through content marketing, including monthly Consumer Mindset reports and thought-leadership pieces on AI and regulation, distributed via its website, email newsletter, and LinkedIn presence of its six-person leadership team.
Operationally, Starcom Ireland is a small team (11-50 employees) led by Managing Director Emer Lawn, with Deputy Managing Director Aisling O'Sullivan, Revenue and Business Development Director Anna Doyle, and three Digital Board Directors. The agency is privately held under Core, a private Irish marketing communications group, with no external investors, public listing, or disclosed financials in the source material. Geographic scope is regional, focused on Ireland.
Starcom firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Starcom
- Legal name
- Starcom
- Website
- https://starcom.ie
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Starcom (Ireland) is a Dublin-based media planning and buying agency and sub-brand of Core, Ireland's largest marketing communications group. It provides media strategy, creative services, and brand experience development to enterprise clients through a small, consultative team.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Starcom industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Advertising and Media Services
- NAICS
- Media Buying Agencies (541830), Advertising Agencies (541810), Media Buying Agencies (54183)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- B2B/ABM Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- B2B / Industrial Market Research (MPAAALAA)
Keywords
Where Starcom is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Starcom business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Marketing Communications Services: Starcom generates revenue through providing marketing communications agency services including media planning, creative strategy, and brand experience development. As part of Core, the agency offers comprehensive solutions across creative, strategy, research, media, sponsorship, data, investment, learning, and performance services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Starcom product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Starcom is a B2B media agency that provides media planning and buying, creative strategy, brand experience development, sponsorship, research, data, and performance marketing services to brands. Operating as part of Core, Ireland's largest marketing communications company, Starcom helps clients build effective, memorable brand experiences and deliver measurable business results through the integration of data, media, creativity, technology, and human instinct.
Product overview
Starcom is a sub-brand of Core, Ireland's largest marketing communications company. Core's portfolio includes Starcom alongside other media agency brands such as Zenith and Spark Foundry. Starcom specializes in media services, leveraging data-driven strategies, creative solutions, research, sponsorship, digital capabilities, and performance marketing to help brands thrive.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Media Planning and Buying
Companies that use Starcom
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Starcom technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Starcom partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- CorecoreStarcom is an integral part of Core, Ireland's largest marketing communication company. Core provides the broader organizational infrastructure and portfolio of agencies including Zenith, Spark Foundry, and Starcom, enabling cross-agency collaboration and comprehensive marketing solutions.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Starcom competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Havas Media: Global media agency within Havas Creative Network operating in Ireland. Comparable to Starcom as a media planning and buying competitor with similar positioning around data-driven, creative-led brand experiences.
- Initiative: IPG Mediabrands media agency with a Dublin operation. Directly competes with Starcom on media planning and buying mandates for the same brand-side clients in Ireland.
- Carat: Dentsu-owned global media agency with a Dublin presence. Closely comparable to Starcom in offering media planning and buying, data-driven strategy, and digital execution to enterprise brand clients in the Irish market.
- OMD: Omnicom Media Group's flagship media agency with operations in Ireland. Directly competes with Starcom on the same local media planning and buying briefs across multinational and Irish brand clients.
- Mindshare: WPP/GroupM media agency with a Dublin office. Directly comparable to Starcom as a data-driven media planning and buying competitor for Irish and multinational clients served locally.
- Wavemaker: WPP/GroupM media, content, and analytics agency operating in Ireland. Closely comparable to Starcom in offering media planning, buying, and brand experience services to similar enterprise client segments.
- PHD Media: Global media planning and buying agency operating locally in Ireland under Omnicom. Directly comparable to Starcom as a similarly sized competitor competing for the same multinational and Irish brand media budgets through the same Omnicom holding structure.
- MediaCom: WPP/GroupM media agency operating in Ireland. Comparable to Starcom as a competitor offering integrated media planning, buying, and digital performance services to enterprise brand clients in the domestic market.
Regional players
- Rothco: Award-winning Dublin-based creative agency (now part of Accenture Song). Comparable to Starcom as a domestic Irish agency competing for the same brand budgets, though more weighted toward creative production than media planning.
- DDFH&B: Long-established Irish marketing communications agency (part of WPP/GroupM). A domestic competitor comparable to Starcom in scale and client base, offering integrated advertising and media services to Irish brands.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Starcom social profiles
Digital presenceStarcom financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Starcom leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Starcom funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Starcom M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Starcom
What does Starcom do?
Starcom is a B2B media agency that provides media planning and buying, creative strategy, brand experience development, sponsorship, research, data, and performance marketing services to brands. Operating as part of Core, Ireland's largest marketing communications company, Starcom helps clients build effective, memorable brand experiences and deliver measurable business results through the integration of data, media, creativity, technology, and human instinct.
Is Starcom a public or private company?
Starcom is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Starcom founded?
Starcom was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Starcom based?
Starcom is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does Starcom make money?
One revenue line is on record: marketing Communications Services.
Who are Starcom's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Havas Media, Initiative, Carat, OMD, Mindshare, Wavemaker, PHD Media and MediaCom. Regional players are Rothco and DDFH&B.
Does Starcom have an API?
No public API is recorded for Starcom.
What industry is Starcom in?
Starcom's product category is Advertising and Media Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAAAI, B2B/ABM Creative Agencies, with a secondary code of MPAAALAA, B2B / Industrial Market Research. Its NAICS code is 541830 and its SIC code is 7311.