17/05/2026
For 15 years I worked in marketing in Ukraine - 12 of them as a Marketing Director.
When the war started, I moved to Ireland with my family. And honestly, it became the best time and place for me to finally start my own business - helping small businesses with marketing and social media.
Over the last few years, I’ve noticed some very interesting differences between Ukrainian and Irish marketing.
In Ukraine, marketing is much more aggressive, fast, and inventive. Huge competition and low margins force marketers to be extremely creative and bold. You constantly have to fight for attention and sales.
In Ireland, marketing feels much gentler. More relationship-based. Less pressure, less “hard selling.”
One of the biggest shocks for me was GDPR 😅
In Ukraine, customer databases and loyalty programs were one of the main tools for driving sales. SMS campaigns, messenger marketing, email lists - businesses used them actively.
Here in Ireland (and across the EU), you can literally lose your business if you contact someone without proper consent - and only through the channel they agreed to (email, SMS, post, etc.).
But the most surprisingly positive thing about Irish marketing is how well very basic consistency works.
For a small business in Ireland, simply being consistently present on social media - even fully organic, with no advertising budget - can significantly increase sales and keep the business top of mind in the local community.
And one more thing that genuinely surprised me: in Ireland, there’s even special insurance for self-employed marketing specialists 🙂
It covers you if your actions as a marketer accidentally cause harm to the business you work with.
Different countries. Different approaches.
But marketing everywhere is still about people, trust, and connection ❤️
