Tipp Crystal pushes radical campaign to conquer slump
The company believes this is the first time a crystal company has done this in Ireland and is optimistic the campaign will help it overcome the effects of economic downturn which are proving very damaging to the market for this type of luxury item.
The giant billboards in Dublin, Cork and Belfast take a bridal theme and are geared to entice people to buy pieces of the new Louise Kennedy Cirrus Cloud collection as gifts.
Hugo Wilson, managing director of the Tipperary Lifeware Group which owns both Tipperary Crystal and Tyrone Irish Crystal, is optimistic and excited about the campaign.
"Louise Kennedy Tipperary Crystal is the fastest growing brand in Europe and this is the biggest advertising campaign the Irish crystal market has ever seen," he says, adding that the company is also planning an aggressive marketing campaign to launch the brand in the British market.
The Cirrus Cloud collection which is said to be inspired by the unusual cloud formations of the Irish skies is aimed at a very different customer from the buyer of the more traditional cut glass.
The Louise Kennedy brand which was launched in 1999 achieved spectacular growth of 30% in 2002 and Mr Wilson expects this to rise to 40% this year on foot of the billboard campaign and the launch in Britain.
"We showed the Louise Kennedy collection at a giftware show in Birmingham earlier this year and it went very well. We have gone after the cream of the cream of British retailers," he says adding that the company now has 30 significant accounts in Britain, including the House of Fraser.
The last two years have been difficult for crystal companies in Ireland- and the drop in the number of US tourists has hurt business severely.
Tipperary Lifeware Group had a turnover of 10 million in 2002 which was a marginal increase on the previous year.
But Mr Wilson is hoping that aggressive marketing in both Ireland and the UK will help the company achieve an increase of between 10% and 12% growth this year.
Tipperary Crystal began life as a co-op set up by four former employees of Waterford Crystal - who set out to create the finest crystal in the world.
It was then taken over by the Yeoman investment group and was later taken over by is Irlandia Investments in 1998. In 2000, Irlandia investments also took over Tyrone Crystal - and the Tipperary Lifeware Group, the second largest crystal company in Ireland, came into being.
Tyrone Irish Crystal was originally set up in 1971 by a local priest with the aim of creating employment in the area and reviving a tradition of crystal craftsmanship in Dungannon.
Tipperary Lifeware Group now has a workforce of 110 with 30 of these based in Tipperary and 80 in Tyrone.
According to Hugo Wilson, the key to a successful future for the Tipperary Lifeware Group is in maintaining the market for the traditional style crystal and while also creating contemporary crystal which will appeal to younger generations.
"The market for Tipperary Crystal in Ireland is almost split in the middle - in the West the demand is for more traditional crystal products while the East, in Dublin and Belfast, there's a demand for contemporary crystal," he reveals.
The development of the Louise Kennedy brand has been a major step in developing new markets and the company has recently launched a Tipperary Crystal contemporary brand with a lower price point which is aimed at younger consumers.
Tyrone Crystal is the number one selling brand in Northern Ireland with 60% of the market.
The demand for traditional crystal still dominates this market but the company has recently launched a new contemporary collection.
In the region of 15% of sales are in the US where Tyrone Crystal trophies have been awarded in some very high profile gold championships.
The company has also produced trophies for some well known celebrities and once made a crystal gun for John Wayne.
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