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Join mycarrick.ie€60,000 New Marketing Campaign for Carrick on Shannon Gets Go Ahead
[ Posted on June 29, 2011 ]My Carrick – your Carrick on Shannon – a new high energy marketing campaign led and funded by Carrick on Shannon Chamber of Commerce to really sell Carrick on Shannon as a major tourism & business hub!
Announcing the project Gerry Faughnan, President of the Chamber explains ‘we are delighted to announce the commencement of a new marketing campaign worth almost €60,000 for Carrick on Shannon. mycarrick.ie (the project’s working title) aims to bring the businesses of Carrick on Shannon together to welcome new holiday, leisure or business visitors to our town. We are delighted that we have secured funding from Leitrim Development Company Rural Development Programme (LEADER) which is being matched by our own Chamber funds. It is probably the biggest contribution ever made by our Chamber to the economic wellbeing of our town. Best of all, it is completely free for businesses for the first year –in these tough times, this will be great boost to all concerned’
The new campaign has been on the cards for a while; over a year ago Bank of America marketing personnel conducted research for Carrick on Shannon Chamber of Commerce which identified the need to put a spotlight on Carrick on Shannon by creating a fresh brand identity for the area backed by a high energy marketing campaign.
The campaign will sell the personality of the area through marketing the principle of people and place, hence the title My Carrick – your Carrick on Shannon. This is new and innovative approach – it focuses on the tourist’s individual needs as a new website and marketing message will offer integrated and bundled packages specifically tailored for groups, families, the outdoors, culture & heritage and much more. One of the key marketing tools will be an innovative web portal with a high degree of interactivity and integration of social media marketing – THE ULTIMATE (& lively) GUIDE TO CARRICK ON SHANNON The website tender was won by local company OSD. Appointed as marketing contractors to the project is Leitrim based Momentum Marketing, as Barbara O’Flaherty explains ‘we are planning to show Carrick on Shannon through the eyes and experiences of real visitors through a wide range of marketing campaigns which will include a packed 16 page brochure – full of compelling reasons to come to Carrick on Shannon which will be distributed far and wide to get the My Carrick.ie message out to the masses. Local and national PR, newsletters and ezines will also be timed throughout the year to sustain momentum in the campaign.’
Local photography Keith Nolan has been commissioned to capture the spirit of the project though photography. The Chamber is calling on local businesses to assist with creating a visual databank for the project. As there is no budget for models, they are calling for photos of premises and people enjoying themselves that can be used as part of the marketing campaign. You must have the rights to use the images and full acknowledgement would be given for same. The project also plans a Facebook call out for people to participate in the photography e.g. romantic couple for a meal, walking on boardwalk, shopping, browsing galleries etc. Volunteers are welcome!
Technology will play a prominent role in the campaign and includes the development and promotion of Carrick on Shannon mobile technologies and apps. Business owners will be encouraged to provide free wifi so that the town is recognised as a free hotspot of information and connectivity. Given the great potential of social media and community marketing, a high profile viral marketing campaign is also planned through online advertising, social media marketing.
Gerry Faughnan stresses the importance of the input of the tourism bodies into the project ‘we are working closely with Leitrim Tourism, Leitrim County Council, Fáilte Ireland and Waterways Ireland, through linking into their ‘Lakelands and Inland Waterways’ Brand. This will ensure significant, ongoing promotion of the project beyond the limit of our spend.Our own Chamber members have been fantastic in voluntarily bringing the project to this point, specific mention is due to Colm McGrath and Bernadette Gallagher’.
If you are a Carrick on Shannon business owner and are interested in getting involved in this initiative you can access the application form on www.mycarrick.ie. Monica and Grace from the Chamber have been circulating application forms through the area over the last few days – there is a tight turnaround time on same. Contact Carrick on Shannon Chamber of Commerce, Unit 13 Market Yard Centre, Carrick on Shannon, Co Leitrim. Telephone: 071 962 2245 or email info@carrickonshannon.ie
Press enquiries
Orla Casey, Momentum Marketing 086 2606304
Gerry Faughnan, President, Carrick on Shannon Chamber 087 286 5540
This project received grant aid from the Leitrim Development Company Rural Development Programme which is financed by the Irish Government under the Rural Development Programme Ireland 2007-2013 and by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in Rural Areas.
