[JUDGING] Centra Ireland
Section: Best Craic on Social Media
Organisation Name: Centra Ireland
Craic Questions
Name Of Brand Client
Centra Ireland
Campaign Name
If Centra’s social was a person, they’d be the funniest one in the group chat – quick with a comeback, always across what everyone is talking about and somehow able to turn almost anything into a joke about a chicken fillet roll. They’d have a chicken roll in one hand and their phone in the other.
They’re chronically online, culturally aware and already thinking about how the latest trend could involve a jambon, a deli counter or one of our store teams. They know when to jump into a conversation, when to poke fun at themselves and, importantly, when a brand has no business getting involved.
They’re unmistakably Irish without forcing it. Their humour comes from everyday moments our audience actually recognises – deli orders, coffee emergencies, festival recoveries, sporting heartbreak and the products people have surprisingly strong opinions about.
They don’t try to sound like a brand because nobody follows their mates for corporate messaging. Instead, they join the conversations their audience is already having, turn Centra products into part of the joke and put the people who know the brand best – our store teams – in front of the camera.
They might represent a national convenience retailer, but they certainly don’t behave like a corporate social account. They behave like Centra: familiar, quick-witted and always up for the craic.
Personpeople Who Led This Campaign
Michelle Cahill and Jamie Griffin
Do You Use Alt Text In Your Images And Caption Your Videos
Yes
What Objective For Campaign
The objective was to make Centra one of the most entertaining, relatable and culturally relevant retail brands on social media.
As a brand rooted in communities across Ireland, we wanted our social presence to reflect the humour, conversations and everyday moments our customers recognise. Rather than simply broadcasting products and offers, our aim was to earn attention by creating content people genuinely choose to watch, share, tag their friends in and engage with.
Having ‘craic’ on social also allows us to reach younger audiences, build a more modern and distinctive brand personality and turn everyday Centra products – from chicken rolls and jambons to Frank & Honest coffee – into part of the cultural conversation.
Importantly, the humour has a commercial purpose too. By making products, offers and campaigns part of the entertainment rather than an interruption to it, we can build brand love and relevance while supporting product discovery and sales.
Ultimately, the objective is simple: make Centra a brand people want to follow, not just a shop they visit.
Outline Your Strategy For This Campaign
Centra’s social strategy is built on one simple belief: don’t interrupt the conversation, earn your place in it.
As a brand that is part of everyday Irish life, we want Centra to feel as familiar in the feed as it does in communities across Ireland. That means showing up with humour that is timely, recognisably Irish and rooted in moments our audience actually experiences – from chicken roll orders and coffee emergencies to sport, entertainment and whatever Ireland is talking about that day.
But ‘Best Craic’ doesn’t mean jokes for the sake of it. Every meme, trend or reactive post must still feel unmistakably Centra. Products, offers and commercial priorities become part of the entertainment rather than interrupting it. A chicken roll can become a cultural reference, a store colleague the star of a TikTok and an offer the punchline of a trend.
We combine planned content with the freedom to move quickly, monitoring trends and conversations daily so we can react while moments are still relevant. Performance and audience response continually inform what we do next.
Ultimately, we want people to follow Centra even when they’re not thinking about shopping. If we can make someone laugh, send our post to the group chat and think of Centra at the same time, we’ve done our job.
What Were The Outcomes For This Campaign Metrics Next Question
The outcome has been a more distinctive, recognisable and culturally relevant Centra presence on social. By prioritising entertainment, humour and timely participation in conversations, we’ve built an audience that doesn’t just see our content – they react, share, tag friends and join in.
Campaigns such as The Traitors Ireland demonstrated how this approach can turn a major brand partnership into a conversation audiences actively want to be part of, while our always-on reactive and trend-led content keeps that personality alive week after week. Employee-led content has also brought greater authenticity, putting real Centra people at the heart of some of our most entertaining moments.
Crucially, the outcome isn’t humour for humour’s sake. The craic earns attention that can then support product discovery, offers and wider commercial priorities – even contributing to increased sales of featured products.
Ultimately, we’ve created a social personality people recognise as distinctly Centra, proving that retail content can entertain, build cultural relevance and deliver for the business at the same time.
What Are Your Metrics For This Campaign Real Metrics Please
Centra’s social strategy is delivering strong, measurable results across both always-on and campaign activity.
So far in 2026, Centra has achieved:
• 2.5M+ reach across Meta and TikTok
• 694K total engagements
• 146M impressions
• 21K follower growth
Our ‘craic’ consistently translates into audience action, with Centra generating an average of 25K+ engagements every week.
The Traitors Ireland campaign in 2025 is a standout example of this approach in action. Planned and reactive social content contributed to 16M video views and 58K engagements across Meta, TikTok and X. Crucially, the impact went beyond social: featured products delivered a +40% year-on-year sales uplift, while brand modernity increased by +5 percentage points – demonstrating that entertaining content can build both brand relevance and commercial results.
Individual reactive and trend-led posts have also broken through at scale in 2026. Top-performing Meta content in 2026 has achieved up to 1.6M views and 58K engagements for one post, while TikTok content has reached up to 3.5M views and 36K engagements for one video.
The numbers prove the craic isn’t just getting laughs – it’s getting attention, engagement and results.
Is There Anything Else You Want To Add Be Brief
The best way to explain Centra’s craic is to show it. These examples demonstrate how we turn trends, cultural moments, products and everyday Irish life into content people want in their feeds.
Reacting at the Speed of Social
https://www.tiktok.com/@centra_irl/video/7597830762406153494
We gave a rising TikTok trend a distinctly Centra twist.
2.6M views | 18.4K interactions
Bringing the Craic to The Traitors
https://www.instagram.com/p/DOtVE0jClz0/
We joined the conversation around one of The Traitors Ireland’s most talked-about moments.
283.5K views | 6.8K interactions
Our Store Teams Steal the Show
https://www.tiktok.com/@centra_irl/video/7667121007588642070
Local store-created content proving some of our best craic comes straight from our teams.
1.1M views | 27.5K interactions
Finding the Craic in Everyday Ireland
https://www.instagram.com/p/DaxxOMalocW/
A simple, relatable reaction to Ireland’s rare heatwave.
37.5K views | 1.3K interactions
Making the Product Part of the Punchline
https://www.tiktok.com/@centra_irl/video/7626385502068804886
We made the humble jambon the star of the joke, turning product content into entertainment.
2.2M views | 36.2K interactions