Kilkenny Hidden GemsThe Challenge
Kilkenny has many repeat visitors who visit year after year to explore the Marble City. There are many reasons people visit Kilkenny time and time again including the famous Medieval Mile, the vibrant nightlife and a vast array of restaurants. However, the challenge is to showcase that Kilkenny has more to offer than these well known attractions alone.
Kilkenny has a rich history and wealth of attractions and activities across the city and county that the casual tourist may have never heard of.
Our goal is to highlight that there is more than meets the eye to Kilkenny and visitors have only scratched the surface. We needed to design and implement a campaign to celebrate those Hidden Gems, those little known, extra special places or things to do and see around Kilkenny that you won’t find in any of the regular guidebooks.
The Strategy
TL Marketing embarked on a brand campaign project to promote Kilkenny’s ‘Hidden Gems’. The key factor in this was initially creating the new visual style and strapline for the overall campaign; ‘Kilkenny – Dig a Little Deeper’ to capture the essence of the initiative.
To encourage repeat visitors and extended stays we tailored a campaign consisting of social media, press advertising, and Kilkenny Tourism’s website; promoting a list of hot spots and unfamiliar gems to uncover the real Kilkenny.
We also devised a series of press releases and press trips to ensure consistent and regular media outreach, keeping Kilkenny’s Hidden Gems campaign in the news and top of mind.
Visitors to Kilkenny’s medieval city have traditionally been captivated by its looming castle, fairytale turrets and detailed archways as well as the unique character of its many cobbled streets and winding pathways, but the ‘Dig a Little Deeper’ campaign encourages those planning their next visit to learn about mystical stories hidden amongst its city walls, and a region brimming with historical twists and turns.
Hidden Gem Stories
To provide the campaign with a more emotional tone, we developed ‘Hidden Gem Stories’, allowing potential visitors to meet the locals, and hear their stories, and engage in a deeper, more meaningful account of Kilkenny. The stories were tailored according to their channel, and rolled out at impactful moments over a series of months, providing a memorable and visual touchpoint.
Hidden Gem Itineraries
We also developed a suite of itineraries, focused on the Hidden Gems of Kilkenny, to encourage in-depth multi-day visits that absorbs as many Hidden Gems as possible. We crafted multiple customer personas and targeted each itinerary to different demographics – the Culturally Curious, the Family Fun, the Great Escapers, and so on. These itineraries were rolled out through press ads and digital advertising.
The Outcome
Increased awareness of all the activities and attractions Kilkenny has to offer Appeal to a wider target market and increase visitor numbers Attract more international visitors which encourages an increased length of stay Improved promotion of the rural attractions which can be added into the tourism focus Encourage tourism providers, bloggers to take more visual content for Kilkenny.