Case study · Lifestyle · Ireland · 2025
A perfume most people had never heard of, in the national press within days.
We launched Ireland's first shop dedicated to oud by leading with its founder, an engineer who spent 20 years in the Middle East before coming home to open a perfumery. Within five months the shop had been covered by the Irish Times, the Sunday Independent, the Irish Examiner, RTÉ Guide and The Gloss.
pieces of coverage logged by independent monitoring, July to November 2025
national titles, from the Irish Times to The Gloss
from opening day to the Irish Examiner
The challenge
An unknown ingredient
Republic of Oud opened in Cork's Winthrop Arcade in July 2025, selling a perfume ingredient most Irish shoppers had never heard of. National beauty desks are full of big brand launches every season. A single independent perfumery needed a reason for editors to write about it, and a reason for readers to make the trip.
What we did
Lead with the founder
We built the story around Alan Coakley himself, a chartered engineer who had worked across the Middle East and came home to chase a long held idea. The launch release on 2 July explained oud in plain terms, as the 'liquid gold' behind collections from Tom Ford to Dior, and the Irish Examiner ran the opening two days later. From there we placed Alan as both founder and expert, with a Me & My Money interview in the Irish Times, a business feature in the Irish Examiner and seasonal advice for Irish Country Magazine. Product news went to beauty and lifestyle editors, including Caspian Cherry by Electimuss London, sold in Ireland only at Republic of Oud. From September the focus moved to autumn scents and Christmas gifting, and Alan also told his story on Cork's RedFM.
Tell the man's story first, and the scent will follow.
The results
Five months, five national titles.
Jul 2025
The opening covered in the Irish Examiner two days after launch, then on evoke.ie.
Jul 2025
Featured in the Sunday Independent's Notions and Necessities pages and on independent.ie.
Aug 2025
Alan Coakley interviewed for Me & My Money in the Irish Times, in print and online.
Aug 2025
Founder feature in the Irish Examiner on bringing oud sustainably to Ireland.
Sep 2025
Named in a Sunday Independent beauty column as one of the most exciting store openings in Ireland of late, with further coverage in The Gloss and the Irish Times.
Oct 2025
Alan's advice on changing scent for the new season in Irish Country Magazine, plus a place on the RTÉ Guide beauty page.
Nov 2025
Recommended in the gift guide on thegloss.ie and picked in Social & Personal.
In pictures
Where Republic of Oud was read
