Going Dutch for the Puck Goat

There is no such thing as bad publicity.

It is a phrase often used by press officers and PR specialists.

The people of Killorglin have a lot to thank Joe Duffy for. The veteran RTÉ broadcaster spent most of last week giving out about the welfare of the Puck goat.

They may not have all agreed with the sentiments of the conversations but there is no denying that details of the 400-year-old festival was broadcast into thousands of homes that previously knew little or anything about why a goat is king of a town for three days each August.

And this free publicity surely contributed to the large crowds that attended last week’s festival.

So, if there is no such thing as bad publicity can you imagine the results if there was good publicity surrounding an event or product.

That is why I am taking my hat off to Fáilte Ireland.

Have you seen the huge amount of Dutch registered cars touring county all summer? They are very distinctive as both front and rear registration plates are black writing on an orange background as opposed to the EU norm of black writing on a white plate.

I meet dozens of such cars every day and have met coach loads of Dutch tourists checking into Killarney and Tralee hotels.

It got me thinking. How is this the case?

Last Christmas Fáilte Ireland ran a direct marketing campaign in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

Thousands of commuters in both cities saw eye-catching ads for Ireland on trams operating there.

It was all part of Tourism Ireland’s latest promotion in the Netherlands, which highlighted Ireland and, in particular, the ease of access for Dutch holidaymakers to the Wild Atlantic Way.

In addition to the ‘wrapped’ trams, the promotion also included digital billboard ads in metro stations in Amsterdam, which were viewed an estimated two million times between early December and early January.

The colourful ‘Ierland’ trams and billboard ads were seen by many potential Dutch holidaymakers – inspiring them to put the Wild Atlantic Way on their holiday wish-list for this year.

So matter what you do, what club or organisation you represent, tell the world what you are doing. It may not always be plain sailing, as Puck Fair organisers found out last week, but the rewards far out-weigh the negatives.