On March 3, 2017, Global travel deals publisher Travelzoo announced a digital partnership with Tourism Ireland to bring the tradition of St. Patrick's Day directly from Ireland to screens across America. Travelzoo worked to feature dozens of live television segments and a live web broadcast directly from Dublin, giving viewers insider access to the St. Patrick's Week festivities.
The partnership had multiple objectives coalescing around Ireland as a top travel destination. Coupled with the St. Patrick's Day Facebook Live, Travelzoo and Tourism Ireland led a fully integrated campaign focused on world-wide engagement. The company wanted to bring a long-standing Irish tradition to life through a social experience making the audience feel as if they were onsite. By highlighting the land, people, music and travel while showcasing the immersion of cultural findings through the lens of digital and technological innovation, the campaign intended to increase interest in traveling to Ireland.
With the team on the ground, they not only hosted and produced the segments, but toured Ireland's well-known destinations to capture compelling and authentic footage that would be shared during live broadcasts. The fun and charismatic style was designed to amplify engagement and create truly enjoyable segments aiming to increase tourism to Ireland.
Creative Announcement: Leverage Traditional Media, Social Media and Blogs
On March 17, 2017, Travelzoo's Senior Editor, Gabe Saglie hosted a widely-successful Facebook Live broadcast from Dublin announcing the partnership and offering viewers an inside scoop on the St. Patrick's Week festivities. In order to maximize global exposure and create a fully integrated activation, Travelzoo strategically leveraged traditional and emerging methodologies. From broadcast to a blog series on Ireland travel and bylines, the vast compilation of "moments" collectively garnered widespread awareness for this exciting travel destination.
Captivate Audiences with Creative Elements
In order to capture the destination in a highly visual manner, Travelzoo and Tourism Ireland placed emphasis on live broadcast and streaming in addition to engagement across social. From the Wild Atlantic Way to Ireland's Ancient East, Travelzoo compiled photo and video assets bringing segments to life ensuring the local culture was authenticated in an impactful way. Travelzoo included footage of Ireland's landscapes, people marching in the St. Patrick's Day Parade, events throughout the week, musical performances and more.
To further amplify engagement following the Facebook Live, Travelzoo and Tourism Ireland launched a #GoToIreland campaign, highlighting on social media some of Ireland's most treasured and beautiful locales.
Integrating Trends and Deals
Driving interest in visiting Ireland was a core priority. Throughout the campaign, Travelzoo used data and research to highlight trends and deals including the increase in flights from North America to Ireland, making easier than ever to visit from many new getaways across the country. A number of deals were also featured on Travelzoo's site in addition to key features in the "What we Love" section about destinations in Ireland.
Facebook Live St. Patrick's Day in Dublin
The "Live from Dublin, St. Patrick's Day Facebook Live" event garnered global engagement: 736K Views; 15K likes, 12.6K shares, 6.1K comments and 2 million people engaged in Ireland specifically.
Traditional Media:
Featured on 30 television networks throughout the U.S., Travelzoo reached 6.4 million viewers. Following the Facebook live, fans were able to stay connected by tuning in to their local TV stations in 19 participating cities in the United States. Travelzoo also published supporting articles such as, "What to See and Skip in Ireland" featured on ABC (reaching 24 million unique visitors).
Travelzoo Blog Series
#GoToIreland Twitter Chat
The partnership also included a Twitter chat as well as regular updates on the Travelzoo Instagram and Pinterest handles. In 60 minutes, the chat reached 24 million timelines (Source: Twitter Analytics, March 2017).
Brand Awareness Following the Campaign
