Mondeléz, the owner of the Cadbury and Kraft brands, was the biggest spender on out-of-home advertising in the first half of this year, as the company ran campaigns including "Rate the 8", "It's a Bit Crackers" (to market its "merger" of Dairy Milk with Ritz crackers) and "#FreeThe Joy".

Spending on out-of-home advertising rose 10 per cent in the first six months of this year compared to 2013, according to market specialists PML Group.

After a strong start in the first quarter, which included a surge in out-of-home advertising by mortgage lenders, the market was further boosted in the second quarter by the European and local elections and the World Cup, PML said.

Unilever

Consumer goods multinational Unilever was the second-biggest advertiser in the first half, after campaigns for HB Ice Cream, Lyon’s Tea and various deodorant brands, while Sky, Diageo and AIB Group made up the rest of the top five.

The top 10 out-of-home advertisers – a list completed by McDonald's, Bank of Ireland, Musgrave Group, Heineken Ireland and Telefonica – account for almost 27 per cent of the market between them.

Musgrave is a new entry to the list this year, following its campaigns to promote the conversion of Superquinn stores to the SuperValu brand.