Tourism Ireland in the United States is partnering with premier kitchen and home furnishings retailer Williams Sonoma, in a new campaign called ‘Authentic Ireland’, which is being rolled out in conjunction with Bake from Scratch magazine. The digital campaign will highlight Limerick and Ireland for 2020 to prospective American visitors.
As part of the campaign, five food and lifestyle bloggers have been visiting Limerick, together with a videographer, photographer and team of editors. Their action-packed itinerary saw them visit Adare Manor for afternoon tea and an overnight stay. They also enjoyed dinner and traditional Irish music at Aunty Lena’s, in Adare.
The bloggers – who have a combined audience of around 600,000 followers – have been capturing and sharing content of their time in Limerick via their social platforms. The content will also be used to produce a special ‘Authentic Ireland’ edition of the popular Bake from Scratch magazine, which has a print circulation of 150,000 and a digital monthly reach of 30 million readers.
The campaign includes a dedicated page on the Williams Sonoma website featuring ‘Authentic Ireland’ recipes, to inspire Americans to discover some of our culinary offerings and traditional recipes. Williams Sonoma will also offer customers the opportunity to learn how to make ‘Authentic Ireland’ dishes in over 200 stores across the US, at an ‘Authentic Ireland’ cookery demo in early March. And, Williams Sonoma will host a sweepstakes (competition) on its website, offering one lucky person the chance to win a trip to the island of Ireland.
The partnership is part of Tourism Ireland’s strategy to connect with prospective American visitors in new and unexpected ways, by partnering with high profile lifestyle brands like Williams Sonoma and Bake from Scratch. Tourism Ireland has prioritised North America as a market which offers a strong return on investment, in terms of holiday visitors and expenditure.
Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America and Australia, said: “We are excited about our new collaboration with Williams Sonoma and Bake from Scratch magazine, which promises to be a great way for us to showcase Limerick and Ireland, and connect with their customers and readers.
“Working with iconic brands like Williams Sonoma and Bake from Scratch will help us raise awareness of some of the many unique experiences to be enjoyed around the island of Ireland, inspiring American travellers to put a trip to the island of Ireland on their ‘must do’ list for 2020.”
