Shining a spotlight on Northern Ireland around the world
Giro promotions target millions overseas
Tourism Ireland undertook an action-packed promotional programme in key markets around the world, to leverage the tourism potential of the recent Grande Partenza or ‘Big Start’ of the Giro d’Italia in Northern Ireland. An extensive programme of activity included advertising (on and offline), publicity and public relations, e-marketing and social media, as well as consumer and trade promotions.
Tourism Ireland’s new ‘Giro’ television ad aired in Great Britain this spring, reaching some 14 million consumers on the UKTV network, as well as an additional 385,000 people online, on various on-demand television sites. And more than one million Londoners saw stunning images of Northern Ireland on large outdoor ads dotted at 100 prime locations, in the days leading up to the Giro’s arrival.
A targeted publicity programme generated more than £1.5 million worth of positive coverage in the media worldwide about the Grande Partenza – including a major article in the Guardian, reaching almost 200,000 readers across Great Britain with the headline: “The Giro d’Italia comes to Northern Ireland, putting the bella into Belfast”. Tourism Ireland also arranged for Good Morning Britain – the flagship breakfast TV show of ITV – to broadcast live from Titanic Belfast on the eve of the Grande Partenza, reaching hundreds of thousands of viewers across Great Britain.
Social media activity also played a major role in Tourism Ireland’s promotions – with the organisation ‘pinking’ all of its Facebook pages and targeting its 2.1 million fans around the world with lots of posts, images and footage of Northern Ireland.
