Tourism Ireland is activating around the North West 200 – Ireland’s biggest outdoor sporting event with crowds approaching 100,000 – with a new online film revolving around the world-class bike road racing as the spectacular scenery of the Causeway Coast.
The film focuses on the intense practice and exciting racing that make up one of the world’s fastest road races as it aims to offer a flavour of what to expect when visiting the area.
The spot highlights The three day, Vauxhall-sponsored ‘International North West 200’ – which takes place between 10 and 16 May – to promote Northern Ireland to both motorbike lovers and holidaymakers around the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7XjeY_gONc
The web film drives viewers to a specially-created page on Tourism Ireland’s website – www.Ireland.com/NW200 – which, in addition to highlighting the North West 200, also showcases the other road races taking place in the region under the headline ‘2015: Northern Ireland’s Year of Road Racing’.
This gives the race significant promotion and will attract valuable eyeballs and Tourism Ireland’s international website – www.Ireland.com – is available in 10 languages for 30-plus countries and attracts around 14.25 million visitors per year.
‘The North West 200 is an amazing spectacle and through our new film, we aim to leverage the tourism benefits of this unique event, showcasing the spectacular scenery of this part of Northern Ireland to motorbike fans and prospective visitors everywhere,’ comments the CEO Of Tourism Ireland Nial Gibbons.
The International 2015 North West 200, takes place annually in May on a circuit running between the towns of Portrush, Portstewart and Coleraine – an area of outstanding natural beauty and home of the world famous Giant’s Causeway – is backed by title sponsor Vauxhall Northern Ireland, plus Bet McLean.
The deal between the property owner (The Coleraine and District Motor Club Ltd) and title sponsor Vauxhall sees the auto brand provide courtesy vehicles for the event, a major stand and exhibition space at the racetrack and, as well as the usual trackside branding and hospitality rights, the package also includes online banners and buttons on the race’s website – with links to its own Northern Ireland dealerships
http://www.nivauxhalldealers.co.uk/
Vauxhall Northern Ireland is also activating the event through a live NW 200 Twitter feed.
https://twitter.com/nivauxhall
https://twitter.com/OurLogie/status/598057431332171777
https://twitter.com/nivauxhall/status/598766641950908416
https://twitter.com/nivauxhall/status/598822386348236800
This follows last year’s marketing campaign which was fronted by a co-produced online film developed in harness with the race organisers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCYO2rU_sGk
BetMcLean is also activating with title rights to the opening Supersport race with a promotional campaign fronted by 12-times North West winner Alastair Seeley.
http://betting.betmclean.com/north-west-200
Comment
Tourism Ireland, the organisation responsible for promoting Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland overseas as a leading holiday destination, is responsible for around 5% of Northern Ireland’s GDP (and approximately 43,000 jobs).
In 2014, a total of 1.8 million visitors from overseas came to Northern Ireland – generating revenue of about £508 million.
The North West 200 focused marketing reflects the organisation’s ongoing strategy of building much of its promotional activity around major events and celebrities associated with the properties.
For example, in late April it rolled out a 14-week campaign revolving around hit HBO drama ‘Game Of Thrones’.
Timed to coincide with the launch of the fifth series of Game of Thrones in April, the physical/digital campaign in partnership with HBO aims to promote the North of Ireland globally by engaging with the show’s 100 million fans around the world.
Fantastical props (from giant’s footsteps, dragon’s eggs and three-eyed ravens) and wooden signposts are being placed across the Northern Ireland countryside to promote filming sites for the show.
The activation also takes place across web-based and social media channels in the form of adverts on Facebook and Twitter and will predominantly target the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Scandinavia.
http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/gameofthrones/
The objective is to build on the programme’s popularity and encourages tourists to visit the North to experience the show’s backdrops.
‘Screen tourism is a growth area with high profile, large scale TV and film productions such as Game of Thrones showcasing Northern Ireland on an international scale,’ said Northern Ireland’s Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Arlene Foster at the campaign launch
‘Viewers of the series from America, Australia and across the world now know places such as Dark Hedges in Country Antrim and Castle Ward in County Down and I welcome the partnership between HBO and Tourism Ireland. This campaign will help to encourage audiences from around the world to visit the filming locations and not only experience for themselves the majestic beauty of our countryside but also our local cuisine, restaurants and hospitality.’
Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons added: ‘We aim to build on the success of last year’s Game of Thrones campaign, reaching out to the show’s global fanbase, and demonstrate the spectacular scenery of Northern Ireland.’
‘Game of Thrones fans worldwide will see these ads, spiking their curiosity about the landscapes and locations featured in the series and inspiring them to come and explore them for themselves.’
Other recent event-led activations include this TV spot running in the USA highlighting the Irish Open golf,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5excryplRPA
Team Sky’s Richie Porte promoting June’s Gran Fondo Giro D’Italia Northern Ireland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z97twoBhf4
and Jamie Cullen promoting the City Of Derry Jazz Festival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbJwmaOlUp4
Links
https://www.youtube.com/user/discoverireland
https://plus.google.com/113164493309900174957/posts
https://www.facebook.com/DiscoverIrelandGB
https://twitter.com/gotoirelandgb
https://www.youtube.com/user/intnorthwest200
http://www.nivauxhalldealers.co.uk/
http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones#/
http://www.granfondogiroditaliani.com/
