Tourism Ireland, marketing awards, award, Dublin hotels, hen party, stag party, gathering 2013
TOURISM IRELAND, THE all-island tourism body, has won two gongs at a major marketing awards event.
The DMAs (Direct Marketing Association) were held in London and looked at marketing campaigns carried out by a number of major organisations and firms.
Tourism Ireland won a gold medal in the travel and holidays category and a silver for best use of email marketing.
Its gold-winning effort was an innovative social media campaign which saw a couple from Brighton in England brought to Ireland for a five-day mystery tour. The twist was that they were guided to each of their stopping-off points by Twitter and Facebook communities around Britain, who solved various clues and sent the couple to their destination each day. The couple then logged their journey by sharing maps, photos and videos and on a blog. They visited Antrim, Down, Meath, Kildare, Kilkenny, Wicklow and Waterford.
The email marketing campaign was an out-of-office email which was designed to look as though it had been set up by the recipient, sending them off on a dream holiday around iconic Irish landmarks (and presumably making them wish they were actually there).
Next year will be a big one for Tourism Ireland and associated tourism bodies with The Gathering 2013 launching here on New Year’s Eve, and hoping to attract extra overseas visitors to our shores.