Giftmas Day is Dundrum Town Centre’s annual shopping event, designed to kick off the festive shopping season with incredible discounts for one day only.
Dundrum Town Centre engaged Harris PR to elevate Giftmas Day, turning it into a culturally relevant media moment which would drive excitement and awareness long before doors opened on November 6th. Cutting through the festive noise, the brief was to position Giftmas Day as an ownable festive moment not to be missed at Ireland’s premier retail and leisure destination.
In a period increasingly dominated by noisy, bright and bold festive campaigns, we wanted to deliver a softer, more heartfelt approach. Through research we uncovered that Irish people recognise that the festive period can be a lonely time for many, and that the act of giving can be a powerful driver for human connection. These insights lay at the heart of our campaign.
We know that consumers crave value, experience and surprise, especially at Christmas. So, our challenge was clear: build a one-day-only festive takeover that rewards shoppers, captures the magic of the season, and delivers commercial impact for tenants. With peak season competition fiercer than ever and media diaries packed with events, we needed a carefully phased campaign featuring a standout creative idea and talent to capture attention.
At the heart of our PR activation was Ireland’s first Live Advent Calendar: a giant, interactive installation that revealed surprise retailer gifts for lucky shoppers in real time. It became the visual anchor of the campaign, a photo ready centrepiece designed to spark social sharing and land instantly with press.
To build fame and secure early coverage, we worked with Irish music icon Samantha Mumba as campaign ambassador. Her nostalgia factor, strong media pull, and legacy hit cover of All I Want For Christmas, made her the perfect choice to officially announce Giftmas Day’s return and the Live Advent Calendar. Against the backdrop of a festive photocall, Samantha spoke with invited media and surprised shoppers with an acapella rendition of her festive No. 1, ensuring the launch moment resonated strongly on social media.
On Giftmas Day morning an exclusive media and influencer preview featured guaranteed prizes to create early momentum. This allowed press and content creators to experience the magic first, generating real time content that spread across social channels within minutes of doors opening.
Giftmas Day cut through one of the busiest moments of the festive season, securing strong national and regional attention through high impact photography, quality earned coverage in key media outlets, media and influencer engagement with the live Advent Calendar, creator and publisher social content, and a stunning viral social moment with Samantha’s impromptu rendition of All I Want For Christmas.
Rather than feed into the saturated Black Friday and Cyber Monday news cycle, we instead challenged audiences to disconnect from their hectic lives and watch the 12-minute film as a reminder of the important things in life.
Together, these results transformed Giftmas Day from an annual shopping event into a culturally resonant Christmas experience. Driving chatter, coverage, footfall and sales, we ensured the day felt bigger, brighter and more newsworthy than ever before, reinforcing Dundrum Town Centre’s position as Ireland’s leading festive shopping destination.
Vika joined Harris PR following her selection as the recipient of the 2025/26 Harris PR Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Bursary, developed in partnership with the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII) and the Open Doors Initiative. Originally from Ukraine and displaced by war, Vika came to Ireland in 2022 and brings over eight years of experience in communications including a wealth of strategic insight, creativity, and international perspective.
As part of the Bursary, Viktoriia is completing the PRII Diploma in Public Relations, combining academic study with hands-on agency experience at Harris PR, where she supports clients in the retail, health & wellness, festivals and NFP sectors.
Eve is a skilled communications specialist who joined Harris PR in 2026 bringing extensive experience in strategic PR across the business, technology, and consumer sectors.
Eve previously spent over four years at tech-focused communications agency Beachhut PR, where she delivered strategic positioning, executive profiling, and global media relations for high-growth companies and multinational brands, often translating jargon heavy language into clear messaging. Her experience spans fintech, automotive, e-commerce, Web3, med-tech, supply chain, and enviro-tech industries.
She plays a key role in shaping and delivering integrated communications strategies, working closely with clients to build strong narratives, deliver insight-led storytelling, and drive meaningful media engagement.
Emma started her career in Internal Communications before undertaking a Masters in Public Relations and Strategic Communications. She moved on to become a Public Relations Manager in a fast-paced retail environment for over two years before joining Harris PR in 2025.
Experienced in delivering and executing PR campaigns across corporate, consumer and sustainability communications, whilst nurturing brand reputation, Emma manages clients in the health & wellness, retail, festivals and NFP sectors. A true media relations pro, her passion lies in storytelling and identifying news angles that will generate positive coverage while landing key messages.
With over 20 years’ experience, both agency and in-house, Niamh is a versatile and passionate PR expert who joined the Harris PR team in 2020.
During the course of her career she has worked with a broad range of corporate entities and consumer brands from industries spanning retail, telecoms, and FMCG, and has been the recipient of a number of PRCA awards in recognition of her work. She later served on the judging panel for the annual industry awards for several years.
Niamh specialises in strategy, planning, media relations and influencer management at Harris PR, and is the account lead for a number of brands in the retail, food & beverage, health & wellness and travel & tourism sectors.
Sonia established Harris PR in 2009, following a decade in agency PR and three years as a journalist with the Sunday Independent. Her vision is to provide a truly people centric service, delivering standout creative work that moves the dial, while acting as an extension of client teams
While taking an active role in client work, alongside running the business, Sonia is responsible for strategic counsel, creative oversight and KPI delivery. She has advised multinationals, start-ups, NFPs, and more over the course of her career and is deeply committed to advancing the PR industry by investing in talent and building an agency culture rooted in fairness and inclusivity.
Sonia is committed to advancing DEI in the PR Industry, and recently commissioned research and prepared the first benchmark report and toolkit for employers on the state of DEI in PR Ireland. An active member of the PRII, and co-founder of the DEI PR Bursary now in its third year, Sonia has recently joined the board of the PRCA, and is committed to driving more inclusive hiring and workplace practices throughout the industry.
