The first major Discover Ireland advertising campaign in more than three years will seek to persuade Irish holidaymakers to take one extra break in Ireland this year.
The campaign, called #ThisIsLiving, incorporates real holiday footage submitted by Discover Ireland's Facebook fans, as well as video from a formal shoot in Killaloe, Co Clare, Connemara and Galway city.
Fáilte Ireland, the agency that operates the Discover Ireland domestic tourism brand, has a total budget of €3 million for 2014 and it is targeting its new campaign at three segments of the market that it has identified as "connected families", "footloose socialisers" and "indulgent romantics".
The three groups represent 45 per cent of the market and are deemed the most likely to take a holiday in Ireland this year, says Fáilte Ireland director of market development John Concannon.
Its research describes “connected families” as those who “put their heart into finding out everything a destination has to offer” and “like to have a carefully planned itinerary” before they leave home. Their aim is to create memories, which they will share on social networks.
“Footloose socialisers”, meanwhile, are single, divorced or retired people who enjoy getting away for breaks as often as they can. They are value-conscious, independent travellers, who attend cultural and sporting events or engage in pursuits such as hillwalking during their short breaks.
The third group, "indulgent romantics", consider the hotel to the most important factor in their choice of destination. They prioritise finding "the perfect, romantic hub" for their couples getaway, somewhere "they can soak up luxury, reward themselves and be well looked after" – and tell everyone on TripAdvisor about it if they're not.
Soundtracked by All Works Out, the new single by Irish band The Riptide Movement, a television advertisement will debut during RTÉ's Six One news bulletin on bank holiday Monday. This will mark the launch of the campaign, which was created by the agency DDFH&B, with the digital elements provided by digital marketing specialist RMG.
As part of a “digital push” by Fáilte Ireland, a Facebook app will encourage users of Discover Ireland’s Facebook page to interact with prepared “playlists” or activities organised by themes such as #ThisIsAdventure or #ThisIsRomance.
The #ThisIsLiving campaign follows 2007’s Right Here Right Now, which sought to “inject energy” into Ireland’s image as a holiday destination and persuade people who “felt it was a bit boring” to take breaks at home, according to Concannon. In 2010, the last major campaign, The Fun Starts Here, was targeted at people who were struggling through the recession but did not want to sacrifice their holiday.
Fáilte Ireland has been buoyed by recent statistics showing that the number of domestic holidays taken last year rose 2 per cent, with revenues climbing 7 per cent and the number of bed nights increasing 10 per cent.
“There has been a huge decline in holiday spending over the last five years, but almost all of that decline is related to overseas holidays,” says Concannon. “We would be pretty confident that this will be a good year.”
