Dromod: A Taste of Home – Celebrating 35 Years with a Nostalgia-Led PR Campaign

The scent of boxty sizzling on the pan. The chatter of cousins in a warm kitchen. The first bite of Mam’s stew after a rainy walk home. For many Irish people, these aren’t just memories – they’re feelings you can taste.

Vroom’s challenge as a PR agency was to bottle that sensory nostalgia and serve it to the world.

Task

When Dromod, a proudly Irish family-run food brand, reached their 35th year in business, they didn’t want a standard anniversary announcement. They wanted a celebration that reached into the hearts – and kitchens – of the Irish public. A campaign that honoured not just their heritage, but the emotional connection between food, memory, and identity. That was the brief Vroom’s PR team was given: to turn decades of flavour and feeling into a story the whole country could taste.

Approach

The creative strategy was rooted in a single truth:

“The smell of something familiar can transport you back in time.”

With that in mind, Vroom PR set out to craft a campaign that would not just mark Dromod’s 35 years in Irish kitchens, but stir something deeply personal and universal — the emotional power of nostalgic food.

1. Narrative Development

Smell and taste are powerful triggers for memory, particularly childhood memories. To bring credibility to this idea, Vroom partnered with Dr. Ian Kearney, Chartered Clinical Psychologist & Clinical Director of The Atlas Clinic, who explained:

“Of all the senses, smell is the only one that connects directly to the brain’s limbic system — which governs memory and emotion. That’s why the scent of something ordinary can spark memories that are decades old.”

This scientific insight became the narrative thread, paired with personal, sensory stories from Dromod customers and Managing Director Áine Faughnan:

“Our customers often tell us our boxty tastes just like what their granny made. But more than that, they say things like, ‘This reminds me of Sunday breakfast before a match’ or ‘We always had this after school.’ That’s the kind of connection we wanted to honour.”

2. Storytelling

Rather than lead with facts and figures, we invited people into the kitchen.

Our hero press release ‘Why Nostalgia is Our Most Powerful Food Memory’ opened with rich sensory scenes: the smell of frying onions, the clink of teacups, the comfort of a warm kitchen. Only then did we introduce the science.

We wove together:

• The neuroscience of food memories
• True stories from Dromod’s customers
• The brand’s 35-year journey, from Timmy Faughnan’s original recipe to a household name
• A celebration of Irish food heritage, from pre-famine boxty to modern-day kitchens

To bring nostalgia off the page, we built a media kit featuring warm lifestyle photography, a heritage timeline, expert insights from Dr. Kearney, evocative food-memory anecdotes, and a limited-time anniversary offer with free delivery.

This approach allowed us to pitch multiple angles: psychology, family business, food heritage, and consumer sentiment tailored to each journalist’s specialty.

3. Media Outreach & Placement Strategy

We distributed the story across a carefully chosen mix of national press, local newspapers, lifestyle magazines, radio, and podcasts — prioritising outlets with strong connections to Irish audiences and the diaspora.

Media selection was based on tone, reach, and editorial fit:

Irish Daily Star — mass-reach national press, perfect for delivering the ‘nose-talgia’ science hook in an accessible, engaging way

Irish Country Magazine — a glossy lifestyle title with readers who value Irish tradition, heritage, and food culture

IrishMirror.ie — strong digital reach to connect the ‘taste of home’ message with Irish communities worldwide

Each journalist received a tailored pitch; psychology, family business, heritage, or consumer sentiment — backed by aligned messaging on Dromod’s credentials and supported with personal follow-ups.

Results

The campaign delivered outstanding earned results across national and regional media:

• 10+ quality media placements
  
• Featured across national press, local news, glossy lifestyle publications, radio, and podcast platforms
  
• 1 million+ total audience reach
  
• Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE): €34,000+
  
• Standout coverage highlights:
  
  • Irish Daily Mirror: “Whiffs of food can generate real nose-talgia” — science-led storytelling that brought the sensory hook to a mass audience
    
  • Irish Country Magazine: “Why Nostalgia Is Our Most Powerful Food Memory” — an in-depth cultural piece reinforcing Dromod’s heritage credentials

The result: Increased brand awareness and emotional engagement across key demographics.

The team at Vroom exceeded our expectations. They created a fantastic concept centred around nostalgia, which really resonated with us, perfectly captured the heart of our brand, and brought our story to life in a way we couldn’t have imagined. This campaign has given us an incredible platform to celebrate our milestone year.

Áine Faughnan – Managing Director, Dromod