Northern Ireland revamps image with national brand

The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) is developing a national

brand in an effort to overcome its image problem and attract more

tourists.

The brand strategy will be launched at the World Travel Market, which is

being held in London this week.

Travel marketing consultancy Springpoint designed the strategy,based on

the idea of ’unspoiled naturalness’. It will form the core of a

three-year marketing push that will include both above- and

below-the-line advertising.

Research conducted by the NITB revealed that potential tourists knew

little about the country beyond its political background.

The campaign follows the announcement of a DM campaign to improve the

image of Northern Ireland’s capital, Belfast, (Marketing, November

4).

Mark Alexander, the NITB deputy chief executive, said: ’The brand will

help give potential visitors a positive impression and it will help the

region’s business sector by giving a coherent strategy for

investment.’

Northern Ireland’s advertising is handled by Edinburgh-based One

Agency.

The NITB spends an average of pounds 5m a year on marketing, but

Alexander added that this is expected to rise during the re-branding

programme.

This article was first published on Marketing