Tourism Northern Ireland 'Embrace a Giant Spirit'
Northern Ireland is unlike anywhere else in the world. That’s why its new experiential tourism brand needed to be truly unique, stand out and be true to NI. So we got to work – and invited some local Pulitzer and Oscar winners involved along the way…
The Challenge
Research showed that international visitors aren’t just looking for a destination when they book a trip, they’re looking for rich and uplifting experiences. NI can offer those experiences in abundance, but we needed a new tourism brand to make sure the world knew it.
Our Solution
We tested potential brand propositions and expressions across six international markets. This told us exactly what visitors wanted and helped us refine our strategy.
Our creative team then brought that strategy to life with the help of some local creative giants – Pulitzer prize winning poet Paul Muldoon, internationally-lauded artist Colin Davidson and Oscar-winning cinematographer Seamus McGarvey.
The icon is the centrepiece of the new brand. It grabs your eye with wild crashing waves, lush and sweeping greenery and the vibrant spirit of our people and cities represented in a vibrant fuchsia shade
All these elements, and a hand-painted font, were created by Colin Davidson and crafted into a singular icon by the creative team at Genesis. Seamus McGarvey consulted on the cinematography for our launch campaign while Paul Muldoon helped craft the script.
Results
This brand will help Northern Ireland shine on the world stage for many years to come. Demand-testing research suggested it could even lead to a 30% uplift in the number of visitors.
The launch campaign performed well in our main markets (despite being curtailed due to the pandemic in 2020) and was seen and heard over 37 million times.
“I think the most important thing about this brand is that it lets us present NI in a very different way – it’s contemporary and it’s vibrant.” (John McGrillen, Chief Executive, Tourism NI)
