Star Wars | Wild Atlantic Way

Fáilte Ireland

To coincide with the 2017 release of Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, we helped Fáilte Ireland shine a spotlight on the Wild Atlantic Way’s role as best supporting region in a motion picture.

As film lovers the world over marvelled at how the Wild Atlantic Way effortlessly doubled for distant planets in the popular film franchise, we were on hand to show that our west coast really is out of this world. 

Context

The brief was to ensure the Wild Atlantic Way would have its moment not just on the big screen but on the world stage. 

bigO was tasked with leveraging the appearance of several key locations across four counties in the global film franchise. This ask got us thinking: what if an audience from outside of Ireland was invited to embrace the famed Wild Atlantic Way of life? Say, an audience from a galaxy far, far away?

We got our tin foil thinking caps on to find a way to greet other galaxies and seamlessly show that the Wild Atlantic Way is a place so beguiling, it’s truly in another universe.

To showcase the route, we framed an evocative cinema ad, a bespoke website landing page/content, and creative and social, all through an alien lens. 

Creatively devised by Rothco, bigO produced the otherworldly footage of four counties featured in the cinema spot.

The site’s extraterrestrial-themed landing page saw bigO follow the cinema ad’s concept. Users were greeted with tailored descriptions, hero articles and stunning imagery. They could also translate all written content on the page into an alien language.

Companion video content included The Skelligs: 360°, which revealed why the Skellig Islands hit the mark as a Jedi’s home. On Instagram, we had eagle-eyed viewers spotting signs that we were not alone in this universe with Easter egg-laden posts of the route’s best spots.

Innovative, interactive and imaginative, this campaign elevated the Wild Atlantic Way to heights that saw audiences marvel at the sheer beauty right here on Ireland’s doorstep. With the cinema ad reaching over 1 million people and the creative web content gaining 157,000+ page views, the campaign’s highly engaging approach was evident in its impressive reach.

The Wild Atlantic Way brand benefited from increased traffic to its web and social platforms, as well as increased engagement with the actual tourism offering itself. Meanwhile, audiences responded to this creative and fresh look at Ireland’s centuries-old coastline and renowned tourism gem.

News sites such as Journal.ie and Joe.ie, along with many others, picked up both pieces of content and shared them widely.

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The video series included The Skelligs: 360, which highlighted the importance of the Skellig Islands as a home for Star Wars fans, while on Instagram, we were able to show off the best Easter egg-filled posts along the route.  

Through tailored social content, the footage provided for the evocative cinema ad, a landing page that could be translated into alien language, and a variety of accompanying articles, potential visitors were encouraged to feel the force and walk in the footsteps of Jedi along our coastline.

“The Wild Atlantic Way is the perfect place to escape the Dark Side.” — Mark Hamill (a.k.a. Luke Skywalker)

Sector

Video | Campaign Strategy

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