Campaign to put Waterford’s best foot forward

WATERFORD city and county’s appeal to visitors, investors and those considering relocating is being showcased in an ambitious, €225,000 marketing campaign promoting the area this year.

The campaign features television and radio advertising and a major public relations drive to build on the improved perception of Waterford that research indicates has taken hold nationally in recent years.

The campaign by Waterford Marketing & Tourism has already secured core funding totalling €125,000 from South East Tourism, Waterford City Council, Waterford County Council and Waterford Crystal.

Voiced by RTÉ presenter Carrie Crowley, a newly-created television advert, produced by WLR FM and shot by Dyehouse Films, features the music of Paddy Casey and captures scenes from Waterford city and county while directing viewers to www.discoverwaterford.com for further information.

Waterford Marketing & Tourism chairman, John Foley, said that while Waterford’s image had received a tremendous boost with the successful hosting of Tall Ships’ Races 2005, it was important to continue work on establishing the city and county as a destination of choice, whether for visitors, would-be investors or those families and individuals who may relocate.

“Marketing is not something you can do intensively for a period and then let lapse. However, the success of the Tall Ships’ Races in Waterford obviously gives us a better base to build on in 2006 and beyond. Promotional work for Waterford has got to be maintained over time and we’ve got to adjust our message to take account of what the market is telling us.

“Independent research conducted for this group shows that awareness of Waterford has grown noticeably in the last five years or so but that there is still a huge opportunity to draw in additional visitors and to present the city and county in a better light to those who may not have been here before or who haven’t been for some years and hold outdated opinions.”