Play this while reading through the storyboard to get the full effect!
TV Ad Storyboard
Print (3 Ads)
Rational
The Challenge
The biggest challenge this brief posed for us was targeting younger Americans who may have lost their connection with Ireland. We decided it would not be enough to simply urge this young, disconnected audience to discover their roots. We instead had to remind these young people why Ireland was cool again. We felt if this was done well enough, the rest would follow.
The Insight
Fantasy novels and television have seen a huge surge in popularity in recent years. ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’, to name but a few. However, one thing the American audience may have forgotten, is that much of the scenery and characters they see here, are based on reality. A reality their ancestors were part of. High kings and knights, kingdoms and battles, clans and monasteries, are all part of Ireland’s rich ancient history. We saw an opportunity to remind the American audience, that much of this legend and fantasy is based on Ireland’s reality.
It was this insight that led us to the key message we would use throughout our campaign: Legend is our reality.
The Process
We decided we would achieve this by giving our American audience a rare opportunity to see Ireland in all of its legendary glory. In both the television and print, we wanted the viewer to first believe they were seeing an ethereal, fantasyland. A place they could never have imagined really existed. We then wanted to evoke a pleasant shock factor when the viewer realised they were watching a ‘Tourism Ireland’ advert.
Television
The television ad is like a scene taken from a fantasy film. It begins and ends with a solitary, enchanted-looking tree. The viewer is magically sucked into the tree itself, and suddenly they find themselves on a thrilling ride through the roots of the tree. The viewer should feel like they are on a rollercoaster during the tree-root scenes. The roots emerge in three different locations along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. The locations have been edited to give the viewer the impression they are in ancient, legendary Ireland. It is only when the viewer is propelled back out of the tree at the end of the ad, that the copy appears, and they realise they were seeing a real place all along: Ireland.
Print
The three print ads have been designed to compliment the television ad. Each print ad has been designed to give the viewer the impression a great secret, fantasyland has just been discovered. A land that up until now has been hidden, that might only have been the subject of legends. We see beautiful, ancient Irish scenes through a hole in a wall, a castle door and beneath some old ripped wallpaper. Once more, there should be shock factor, when the viewer discovers this is not a hidden fantasyland confined to legend, but a reality for Ireland.
Thank You
Art Director Copywriter
Ghydda Jamal Katie Young
