Ireland Marketing Plan 2012

COMPETING TO WINTourism Ireland MARKETING PLAN 2012

Tourism Ireland Marketing Plan 2012


CONTENTS page

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COMPETING TO WIN 2012 AND BEYOND2011 has marked a welcome return to growth for visitors to the island of Ireland. Visitor numbers are forecast to reach 7.4 million for the year, a +7% increase on 2010. This is good news for all of us in the tourism industry and aligns us with our collective goal of welcoming over 9 million visitors to the island by 2015, exceeding the record year of 2007.

2012 is about competing to win. We are rolling out an extensive marketing plan to capitalise on the strong interest in the island of Ireland in all of our markets. Working with our industry partners we will convert that interest to actual travel by promoting the distinctiveness of the destination, the great value available and the ease of getting here.

We will roll out a new communications campaign which captures the essence of a holiday here and plays to our strengths – iconic experiences and warm, friendly people. We will also launch a new website to enhance communications with potential holidaymakers across the world and help us to harness the power of social media even more effectively.

2012 will be an exciting year for all of us on the island of Ireland. The extensive programme of NI 2012 events will offer a golden opportunity to showcase Northern Ireland in a new way while, in the second half of the year, we will promote ‘The Gathering’ 2013 along with the 70 million people across the world who claim ancestral links with the island.

There has never been a more important time for all of us to work together to increase visitor numbers and maximise the contribution of tourism to the economies on the island.

Niall Gibbons Chief Executive Officer Tourism Ireland

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The past three years have been some of the most difficult experienced by the tourism sector on the island of Ireland, with global economic and environmental crises contributing to significant downturns in visitor numbers and revenue. While conditions remain challenging, 2011 appears to mark a turning point with a return to growth for visitors to the island of Ireland.

The latest data estimates that the island of Ireland will receive 7.4 million visitors in 2011. This exceeds the upper end of Tourism Ireland’s Corporate Plan 2011-2013 target range and represents a +7% increase in visitors over the 2010 outturn.

This return to growth has been underpinned by the somewhat improved global economic climate and the relative stabilisation of access to the island of Ireland as well as the impact of Tourism Ireland’s focused marketing campaigns.

Our target for 2012 will see the island of Ireland receiving 7.8 million visitors during the year. This will represent growth in overall visitor numbers of +5.5% over 2011 and will generate revenues of e3.7/£3.2 billion.

OUTLOOK FOR 2012

While the overall outlook for tourism remains positive, recent global economic upheaval is casting a shadow on performance into 2012. Furthermore, competition between destinations is continuing to intensify with downward pressure on prices being a strong feature of the market.

The key trend is that people are continuing to travel but are taking shorter trips, staying closer to home and being careful with their money, as value for money remains an important consideration when making holiday plans. We believe that the island of Ireland has never been better positioned to take advantage of this trend.

Overseas Visitors to the island of Ireland

6.9

m v

isit

ors

7.4

m v

isit

ors

+7%

7.8

m v

isit

ors

+5.5%

2010Actual

2011Forecast

2012Target

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Tourism Ireland has identified 6 strategic areas which underpin our activities and support a continuous growth in overseas visitors to the island of Ireland in 2012.

Key Highlights for 2012

• A Compelling New Communications Campaign

• NI 2012

STRATEGY FOR GROWTH

Tourism Ireland will mainly focus on consumers that are interested in sight seeing and experiencing local culture. In certain markets we will target repeat visitors and those who engage in outdoor activities. The business tourism and golf sector also offer great opportunities in 2012. We will continue to review our best prospects next year to ensure we are targeting the right consumers. Our marketing investment in 2012 will remain focused on our four key source markets - Great Britain, the United States, Germany and France which contribute nearly three quarters of all visitors to the island of Ireland.

A new positioning for the Tourism Ireland Brand has been developed with a view to strengthening our competitive differentiation and increasing the vibrancy associated with a holiday here. The new positioning is focused on making us a more compelling holiday destination that consumers will want to visit now rather than someday in the future.

A new suite of integrated, interactive and engaging communications has been designed for deployment around the world in 2012. The new campaign will highlight the island of Ireland’s distinctiveness through compelling communications showcasing our iconic experiences to achieve maximum reach and impact in our target markets. Consumers will be able to access information and purchase the full range of holiday products on the island of Ireland through all key distribution channels. We will harness the power of word of mouth and increase the island of Ireland’s presence across all online and key social media channels.

NI 2012 offers us a golden opportunity to create stand-out, increase consumer interest levels and position Northern Ireland as a ‘must see’ destination next year and beyond. On top of our proposed spend an additional £4.7/€5.4m from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) will enable us to increase the depth and breadth of our activity to ensure that premium growth in revenue, visitor and promotable numbers to Northern Ireland is delivered during the special year of 2012.

We will increase the number of platforms on offer to industry and trade partners in our overseas markets to help ‘close the sale’ with potential visitors. Our co-operative campaigns will continue to highlight the great value that a holiday on the island of Ireland has to offer.

We will increase our regional marketing approach and ensure it is aligned with existing access. We will work co-operatively with carriers to retain strategically important routes and develop new direct air and sea access.

Communicating a New Brand Positioning

Delivering for Northern Ireland

Increasing Sales Opportunities

Growing Access

Marketing to the Consumer

Targeting Our Best Prospects

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A COMPELLING NEW COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGNIn 2012 Tourism Ireland will roll out a new communications campaign across 22 markets overseas that is designed to say something new and distinctive about our island.

Research tells us that if the island of Ireland is to continue to regain market share and grow visitor numbers into the future, we need to offer potential holidaymakers a more compelling reason to choose the island of Ireland.

Research also shows that overseas consumers feel their daily lives lack a sense of wonder and joy and that when it comes to choosing a holiday destination, they look for an authentic, stimulating experience that will leave them feeling replenished and uplifted.

The island of Ireland is very well placed to deliver this type of holiday experience. The sheer diversity of the iconic experiences on offer to visitors along with the engaging and welcoming nature of our people serve to immerse visitors in a holiday here. Their holiday experience is all the richer for that immersion and we know from research with departing visitors that an island of Ireland holiday can be fun, uplifting and joyful.

The campaign tagline “Jump into Ireland” provides a positive and assertive call to action. It conveys a sense of playfulness and reflects the immersive nature of a holiday here.

The New Tourism Ireland Brand Strategy

Our new campaign will be shown on TV in Great Britain, France and Germany; in cinema in Great Britain and the US; in print in the US, Spain and Italy; on outdoor in Great Britain and online in every other market in which Tourism Ireland has a presence.

The material is designed to highlight a dozen of the leading iconic experiences we have to offer visitors from the Ring of Kerry to the Giants Causeway, from literary Dublin to Titanic Belfast, and from the Cliffs of Moher to our warm pubs and welcoming castles. The campaign will reach over 60 million consumers in 2012 alone and will evolve continuously over the coming years.

Consumer Need

To feel a sense of wonder in life and to replenish my sense of joy

Positioning

Ireland is the island of unique character and characters

Holiday Want

An authentic, stimulating holiday experience

What Ireland Delivers

An immersive experience through the diversity of our iconic experiences and the engagement with our welcoming people

Benefit

Feel a sense of uplifting joy

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NI 2012With an additional budget of £4.7/€5.4m Tourism Ireland will ensure the impact of, and the buzz generated by NI 2012 is fully understood and exploited. Strong imagery and content will be created and integrated into all of our campaigns to take advantage of this opportunity to invite tourists from around the globe to visit Northern Ireland.

With its wide range of major events, celebrations and commemorations, NI 2012 offers a unique opportunity to change perceptions and confidently put Northern Ireland on the global tourism map. It’s the year when Northern Ireland can take centre stage with new, iconic visitor attractions, unprecedented events and historic anniversaries.

Among the major events planned is the Titanic Belfast Festival 2012. Belfast City Council, along with partners Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) and Titanic Belfast, is hosting a fusion of international-scale events to mark the centenary of Titanic’s maiden voyage.

In June, Derry-Londonderry will attract significant international media coverage by hosting a World Peace Day concert. The ‘Land of Giants’ concert later that month will present a unique tale to an audience of 20,000 on Belfast’s newest events space, the Titanic Slipways.

A four day maritime festival will take place in Derry-Londonderry in early July to celebrate the arrival of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race fleet.

We invite NITB and the industry to work with us in our markets in this unique year to help change perceptions of Northern Ireland for the better to underpin long-term tourism growth.

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GREAT BRITAIN OUR ACTIVITIES

• Focus on consumers who are primarily interested in sight seeing and experiencing local culture as these people have a greater propensity to travel to the island of Ireland

• Target repeat leisure and business tourism visitors

• Ensure we continue to target our best prospects with the completion of a segmentation review in 2012

• Build brand equity through a new advertising campaign that delivers a compelling consumer proposition

• Continue to counter negative perceptions of value across all appropriate channels

• Promote ritual iconic experiences to differentiate the island of Ireland as a destination

• Launch the new brand creative proposition across all media in early January

• Integrate social media into all consumer activities and continue to develop a word-of-mouth strategy

• Strengthen our Customer Engagement Marketing (CEM) programme to drive consumers to the active planning stage. We will proactively seek new, compelling stories and angles to bring the unique island of Ireland experience to life

• Build on the success of the St Patrick’s period with high profile ‘greenings’ and PR stunts across Great Britain

• Maximise integration of business and sports tourism with leisure marketing activities

• Undertake direct mail campaigns targeted at business travellers

• Capitalise on London’s hosting of the Olympics in the areas of corporate sponsors, media presence and displaced Londoners




Our campaign will communicate the island of Ireland as a holiday destination in which people can imagine themselves having a distinctive experience from a holiday in Great Britain and therefore worth making the effort to visit.

We will communicate and promote the ‘valued experiences’ that consumers can enjoy as well as creating a strong value for money proposition for the island of Ireland that challenges and overcomes current value perceptions.

An additional £3.8/€4.4m from DETI has been allocated to GB next year to boost our NI 2012 marketing campaign.

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GREAT BRITAIN OUR ACTIVITIES

• Differentiate Northern Ireland through the promotion of NI 2012 across all marketing channels and deliver an impactful publicity campaign to highlight all the events in Northern Ireland next year

• Exploit Northern Ireland opportunities in Scotland and other relevant regions of GB

• Promote Belfast and Derry-Londonderry city breaks

• Develop an Ambassadors Programme using existing links with high profile personalities to endorse the Northern Ireland brand

• Further develop the business tourism strategy to showcase Belfast and Northern Ireland as a leading business tourism destination

• Ensure a year round Northern Ireland golf presence, using the ‘Home of Champions’ tagline

• Develop a tiered approach to offer a wider range of opportunities for industry and trade

• Increase the number of partner opportunities available in both direct mail and online activity

• Undertake trade and industry roadshows in GB building on the success of these activities in 2011

• Undertake regular communications to further enhance our relationships with industry and the Market Partnership Group

• Continue to work co-operatively with air and sea carriers, air and ferry ports to expand our network and to drive demand on our strategically important routes

• Ensure the timing of co-operative marketing programmes with air and sea carriers is aligned with our core marketing campaigns for greater impact



Growing Access

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NORTH AMERICA OUR ACTIVITIES

• Target international holidaymakers who are interested in sightseeing and culture and who already have the island of Ireland in their ‘consideration set’ to visit in 2012

• Develop travel from key business tourism and golf niches

• Exploit the Irish Diaspora and Scots-Irish (Ulster-Scots) opportunities

• Communicate the distinctiveness of the island of Ireland as a holiday destination

• Anchor our message around experiences most relevant to our best prospects

• Feature affordability, good value and convenience of access themes in all messaging

• Maximise the impact of the new advertising campaign through a carefully selected online and offline channel mix commencing in the first quarter of the year

• Use digital and broadcast channels as a key part of the US media mix in 2012, with digital channels the focus in Canada

• Harness high visitor satisfaction levels to generate word of mouth

• Pilot an industry-led promotional programme and a publicity campaign using on-location clips of visitors at key ritual iconic experiences

• Use media opportunities to create a buzz about the island of Ireland as a distinctive, fun, engaging and spontaneous destination

• Utilise PR opportunities to highlight distinctive and newsworthy events including NI 2012, St Patrick’s Week, Titanic Centenary and festivals throughout the island of Ireland




Our target is to reach the ‘magic million’ visitors from North America in 2012 and we will achieve this by hammering home the message that the island of Ireland is a superb, worthwhile vacation destination which should be experienced now.

We will roll out a dynamic, distinctive and engaging communications campaign reminding those consumers who are already international holidaymakers what they are missing out on, thereby creating a sense of urgency to visit the island of Ireland.

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• Leverage the potential of NI 2012 by putting it at the heart of campaigns and promotions

• Promote distinctive iconic experiences that differentiate Northern Ireland

• Exploit the success of our major golf champions as Northern Ireland destination and golf ambassadors

• Engage with Scots-Irish (Ulster-Scots) through tailored promotions and publicity activities

• Encourage travel to Northern Ireland in 2013 for the World Police and Fire Games by targeting Police and Fire Federations in 2012

• Emphasise the ease of getting to Northern Ireland on direct and indirect services

• Work co-operatively with partners to deliver value messages

• Expand the participation base of the Consumer Marketing Partnership programme

• Increase use of new technology to deliver more low cost, real time B2B platforms

• Extend Flavours of Ireland promotion to Canada

• Target decision-makers in key airlines which serve the island of Ireland to encourage further route development

• Actively seek to increase co-operative marketing campaigns with all airlines to the island of Ireland, placing special emphasis on promoting the shoulder and low seasons



Growing Access

NORTH AMERICA OUR ACTIVITIES

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MAINLAND EUROPE OUR ACTIVITIES

• Focus on consumers who are interested in sight seeing and who wish to experience local culture. We will also be targeting consumers who engage in outdoor activities while on holidays

• Target previous visitors who have been to the island of Ireland

• Build market share in the crucial ‘English as a Foreign Language’ (EFL) markets of Southern Europe

• Ensure a strong value message to help ‘close the sale’ and address perceptions around affordability

• Raise the profile of the island of Ireland as a happening, ownable and talkable destination

• Launch the new brand positioning to consumers with TV advertising in France and Germany, and with strong digital and on line brand campaigns across all markets

• Integrate publicity across all marketing activities to maximise and lengthen the impact of advertising campaigns

• Expand ‘greening’ activities for St Patrick’s Day in key European cities

• Build social media activities to increase engagement and word of mouth

• Actively pitch the island of Ireland as a location for TV programmes and series

• Undertake regional communication campaigns to enhance the impact of trade activation, roadshows and sales blitzes




We will promote the island of Ireland as a happening, ownable and talkable destination to consumers in Mainland Europe. Those consumers motivated by a holiday involving sight seeing and local culture will remain our core target.

We will revitalise our relationship with the trade to inspire a consistent, proactive approach to selling the island of Ireland and we will increase the number of sales blitzes in key markets.

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• Undertake dedicated Northern Ireland campaigns which position the region as a ‘must visit’ destination by highlighting NI 2012, Titanic Belfast and the Northern Ireland Signature Projects

• Deliver Northern Ireland standout through inspiring campaign creative

• Promote golf tourism to Northern Ireland using the high profile of the region’s major golf winners

• Target Police and Fire Federations to encourage travel to Northern Ireland in 2013 for the World Police and Fire Games

• Include non-traditional partners such as Guinness, Jameson, Bushmills and Kerrygold in our Brand Ireland marketing activities

• Use the Industry Opportunities website and Sales Connect programme to encourage greater industry participation in platforms such as roadshows and sales blitzes

• Create additional platforms to promote business tourism

• Increase Online Travel Agency (OTA) activities especially for shoulder and off season periods



• Lobby and make the case for increased direct access from Europe to Northern Ireland and the regions in Ireland

• Working closely with partners to create a launch plan of activities around any new routes

• Continue to promote existing routes through year long series of co-operative campaigns with carrier partners

Growing Access

MAINLAND EUROPE OUR ACTIVITIES

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AUSTRALIA & DEVELOPING MARKETSOUR ACTIVITIES

• Target the DINKs (Double Income No Kids) segment in Australia who are interested in sightseeing and local culture

• Maximise the potential amongst the Irish-Australian community

• Target high-spending Indian, Chinese and Middle East visitors who can avail of the new Visa Waiver Initiative in Ireland

• Use the new brand positioning to create a sense of urgency to visit the island of Ireland as a ‘must see’ destination

• Ensure the new brand campaign in Australia has a strong tactical component while in Developing Markets’ the focus is to raise awareness and interest in the island of Ireland

• Use online and social media during the first and second quarter as key channels to communicate and engage with consumers

• Maximise PR opportunities including St Patrick’s Day promotions and the Bollywood film release in summer 2012

• Extend the reach of the St Patrick’s Day ‘greening’ of iconic buildings

• Pursue opportunities for visiting VIPs to the island of Ireland to generate publicity in their home markets

• Pursue more joint marketing opportunities with Visit Britain and ensure the island of Ireland is programmed with Great Britain on travel itineraries




We will create and deliver an outstanding communications plan for 2012, effectively localising the global message to suit our key target segments and ensuring maximum exposure for the launch of the new brand positioning in Australia and New Zealand.

We will also maximise the benefits of the new Visa Waiver Initiative and capitalise on Olympic 2012 opportunities to attract visitors from developing markets.

We will work with market trade to highlight ease of access under the visa initiative and exploit opportunities created by the introduction of new routes.

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AUSTRALIA & DEVELOPING MARKETSOUR ACTIVITIES


• Capitalise on NI 2012 events as a fresh hook for consumers in Australia and New Zealand

• Create a strong word of mouth strategy with a focus on key events happening in 2012

• Create a social media strategy and develop a Facebook app

• Organise a Titanic launch trade event in Australia and work with travel partners to push Titanic and Northern Ireland related products

• Maintain and where possible increase the membership of the Country Clubs

• Develop an Australia Country Club, thereby maximising participation in the November Workshops

• Recruit 10 trade partners to attend the Destination Britain and Ireland promotion in Thailand

• Continue to develop and promote the Shamrock Agents programmes

• Exploit opportunities with gateway airlines Eithad and Emirates

• Work with longhaul carriers to encourage indirect access via their European hubs

• Actively seek out co-operative opportunities with access carriers



Growing Access

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TOURISM IRELANDOUR OFFICES


‡

CANADA

U.S.A.

AUSTRALIA

CHINA

INDIA

JAPAN

NEWZEALAND

SOUTHAFRICA

UNITED ARABEMIRATES

EUROPEEUROPE

Coleraine

Beresford House, 2 Beresford Road,

Coleraine, Northern Ireland, BT52 1GE.

T: +44 2870 359200

F: +44 2870 326932

For contact details for all our worldwide offices please visit www.tourismireland.com

Dublin

5th Floor, Bishop’s Square

Redmond’s Hill, Dublin 2, Ireland

T: +353 1 476 3400

F: +353 1 476 3666

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Ireland Marketing Plan 2012

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Transcript of Ireland Marketing Plan 2012