By Fergal O’Connor, Founder and CEO, Buymedia
Having spent the last decade building an AI-data driven advertising technology business from the ground up, I’ve seen first-hand how technology can transform companies, industries and careers. Every significant stage of growth at Buymedia has been driven by a vision of being customer and problem-focused, with a willingness to embrace change, invest in digital capability and challenge traditional ways of working.
Today, artificial intelligence represents the most significant business opportunity I have seen in my career. Yet despite the excitement surrounding AI, many business leaders across Greater Manchester and the North West are still asking the same questions: Where do we start? How do we generate value from AI? What does practical adoption actually look like for a growing business?
The answer is not simply about investing in technology. It is about investing in people, skills and a culture that enables innovation.
AI is a Growth Story, Not Just a Technology Story
Too often, AI is discussed solely through the lens of software, algorithms and automation. In reality, AI is a business transformation story.
When I founded Buymedia in Galway in 2015, our mission was clear: to democratise advertising by giving businesses of all sizes access to the same intelligence, insights and capabilities traditionally reserved for large enterprises. We recognised that SMEs were being left behind in an increasingly complex advertising market dominated by data, technology and scale.
Rather than building a traditional media agency, we developed an AI-powered platform that helps organisations plan, buy, manage and measure advertising more effectively. By combining automation, predictive analytics and data-driven insights, we enabled businesses to make smarter decisions and achieve better commercial outcomes.
What began as an ambitious start-up has evolved into one of Europe’s fastest-growing technology businesses. Along the way, we learned a critical lesson: technology alone does not create growth. The organisations that succeed are those that combine human expertise with intelligent technology.
AI works best when it enhances people’s capabilities, rather than replacing them.
The Real Competitive Advantage Is Digital Skills
One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding AI is that success depends on having the biggest technology budget. In reality, the most successful organisations are often those with the most adaptable people.
Technology continues to evolve at an extraordinary pace, but businesses that foster a culture of continuous learning are far better positioned to benefit from change. Digital skills are no longer the responsibility of technology teams alone. Marketing, sales, finance, operations and leadership functions all have a role to play in understanding how AI can support better decision-making.
We’ve seen this within our own business. By empowering teams to embrace new technologies and experiment with data-driven approaches, productivity improves, decisions become faster and innovation accelerates.
The businesses that will thrive over the next decade are those that prioritise digital literacy across every level of the organisation. They will be the companies that create environments where learning is encouraged and employees feel confident using AI-powered tools to solve challenges and uncover opportunities.
Why Manchester Is Uniquely Positioned to Lead
Enterprise Ireland has been an invaluable partner throughout our growth journey, providing the essential support to successfully expand into the UK market. Our decision to establish Buymedia’s UK headquarters in Manchester last year was driven by more than just geography.
As the UK’s most AI-ready city, Manchester contains an ecosystem that understands growth. Since launching in the city, we have experienced tremendous support from government-backed agencies, regional business networks and innovation organisations that are helping businesses scale and enter new markets.
There is a collaborative spirit here, what we might call a modern-day “meitheal”, an Irish term for community, where public and private sector organisations work together to create opportunities. That environment matters enormously for ambitious businesses looking to grow.
The city also possesses a unique combination of entrepreneurial talent, digital expertise and academic strength. As AI continues to reshape industries, Manchester has all the ingredients required to become one of Europe’s leading technology and innovation hubs.
On Andy Burnham
Andy Burnham has been a great supporter of Buymedia. We launched our UK operations here last October, backed by Andy Burnham who said ‘It’s important that businesses not only in the region but across the UK embrace new technological and innovative tools and platforms like Buymedia to help them to grow and scale their businesses nationally and internationally.
Andy’s departure from Greater Manchester will undoubtedly leave a significant legacy to build upon. His leadership has played a major role in driving investment, innovation and economic growth across the region, and many businesses have benefited from the initiatives he has championed over the years.
Any transition in leadership brings both challenges and opportunities. The key priority for the region will be ensuring that the momentum built around economic growth, innovation and skills development continues under future leadership.
From a business perspective, the strength of Greater Manchester lies not in any one individual, but in the partnerships that have been developed between local government, industry, universities and the wider business community. Those foundations provide a strong platform for continued success.
The Commercial Opportunity Is Huge
Across every industry, organisations are already using AI to improve customer experiences, streamline operations, identify new growth opportunities and drive efficiencies at scale.
But the biggest opportunity is not cost reduction. It is growth.
AI allows businesses to uncover insights that were previously hidden, create more personalised customer experiences and respond to market changes with unprecedented speed.
Within the media industry, I believe the next major transformation will come from agentic AI systems that can automate significant aspects of media planning, buying and optimisation. These technologies will fundamentally change how advertising is planned, bought and measured.
More broadly, AI is lowering barriers that once prevented smaller companies from competing with larger enterprises. Tools that were inaccessible or prohibitively expensive just a few years ago are now available to businesses of every size.
For entrepreneurs, that creates an extraordinary opportunity.
The Time to Act is Now
Every generation of business leaders faces defining moments of change. The internet was one. Mobile was another. AI is the next.
The businesses that succeed won’t necessarily be those that move fastest. They will be the ones that pivot strategically, investing in digital skills, remaining disciplined in their growth strategies and staying focused on solving real customer problems.
One lesson I’ve carried throughout Buymedia’s growth journey is that customer discovery must come before building products. Understanding genuine market needs, generating revenue early and maintaining funding discipline are as important today as they have ever been.
AI does not change those fundamentals. It amplifies them. As leaders, our responsibility is not to have all the answers. It is to create organisations where people can learn, adapt and innovate. By combining human creativity with the power of AI, businesses can unlock entirely new opportunities for growth and competitiveness.
The future belongs to organisations that view AI not as a challenge to be feared, but as an opportunity to be seized. And for businesses across Manchester and the wider North West, that future is already here.
