In the past, DMG Ireland published content in broadcast mode: one-way, mass reach, minimal data. That model hit a wall. With third-party cookies fading and advertisers demanding better targeting, they needed to understand their audiences in real time.

So, they started asking questions. Literally.

By embedding interactive polls in articles, DMG now captures first-party data straight from readers — intent, preferences, and demographics — and feeds it into precise audience segments advertisers actually want to buy.

“From a commercial perspective, we wanted a way of engaging with our users and providing our advertisers with deep insights and the ability to retarget these engagements,” said Doug Farrell, group head of digital advertising at DMG Ireland.

They found the answer in polls.

Using polls to unlock first-party user data

Using technology from Berlin-based Opinary, DMG embedded questions directly into articles, prompting readers to share opinions, preferences, and future plans. It’s the kind of user-declared data that 60% of marketers now say is essential to any new strategy.

For DMG, it turned passive readers into high-value audience segments, built on real intent, not opaque behavioural signals.

What made this work wasn’t just the tech, but the alignment between DMG Ireland’s editorial and commercial teams. Newsrooms were already using in-article polls to boost engagement and loyalty.

Farrell’s team built on that, layering follow-up questions to extract deeper user data. After answering an editorial question, users could see how their vote compared to others, and more than 25% were willing to answer additional questions.

These covered demographics, such as age, marital status, and number of children, as well as intent-based signals: When do you plan to buy your first home? Do you drive a family car? How important is sustainability to you?

DMG fed that data into their DMP, Permutive, and used it to seed audience segments that were based on live, declared intent. The result: targeting that consistently outperformed traditional behavioural models.

Higher CTR and increased CPM

The adoption of Opinary’s poll data in their targeting led to significant performance improvements for DMG Ireland, including a 60% increase in click-through rates (CTR) and a 40% uplift in CPM. Beyond these metrics, the strategy fostered stronger relationships with advertisers by offering them detailed insights and retargeting capabilities.

A prime example was a campaign for an Irish bank targeting first-time homebuyers. By leveraging poll data, DMG and the bank co-created content and events that directly addressed the audience’s concerns. The campaign culminated in a virtual event that attracted 9,000 potential buyers, representing 30% of the market, and secured over 1,000 attendees.

“The poll responses gave us a clearer picture of our users’ interests and purchase intents,” Farrell explains. “This allowed us to craft stories that resonate more deeply and create ad campaigns that are not just seen but felt.”

This new level of insight allowed DMG to segment its audience by real-time interests and behaviours.

One standout success was a campaign for a financial services client targeting readers interested in mortgages. By focusing on these high-intent users, DMG achieved a 30% conversion rate for a related financial event, demonstrating the power of intent-driven data.

Looking ahead

First-party data and direct audience engagement are crucial for future success.

“Publishers who invest in understanding and engaging their audience now will be the ones who thrive in the future,” Farrell said.

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