This is the story of how a simple idea executed as a multi-venue multi-media art exhibition and event reclaimed a name for a whole nation

- Brought almost every activation medium and advertising discipline together

- Delivered mass national and international reach.

- Set out to be the biggest story in New York City for St. Patrick's Day 2023.

And was.

By creating a cultural moment that reframed Ireland and Irish people in the eyes of the world we secured coveted editorial endorsement for a commercial brand to reach the intended target audience - a hipper, highly educated generation.

Those with Irish American descent (34.5 million) represent the biggest single target demographic for Tourism Ireland, the body that promotes Ireland as a tourist destination to those outside of Ireland.

New York has the most concentrated Irish population.

However research by the Clinton Institute of 18-30 year old Irish Americans found:

- more than 50 per cent had never visited Ireland

- and only 31 per cent were in close communication with Ireland.

Our communications challenge: To engage a younger demographic and raise their interest in Ireland.

Our marketing challenge: We had a small budget - just €150k for fees, production, media, PR & TAXES! How would we reach all of New York never mind the whole U.S.A.?

Objectives:

The primary objective was awareness, then engagement

1. Awareness - as many people as possible to meet a new Ireland

2. Engagement - to start to forge a deeper emotional connection

Paddy Irishman is a unique audio-visual documentary project. It aims to showcase the diversity of Irish men in modern Ireland and challenge the stereotype of ‘Paddy Irishman’

To challenge the stereotype, associated with a million jokes of drunks and other slurs, we partnered with photographer Ross O’Callaghan to find and share the diverse and inspiring stories of real Irish men…called Paddy.

We found film directors, activists, strong men, make up artists, astrophysicists, illustrators and actors. Any many more. All proud to be a Paddy. All proud to be Irish.

For St. Patrick’s festival 2023 we would introduce America - Tourism Ireland’s biggest market – to the real Ireland through 50 real Paddies.

This would be activated through the experience of multiple photography-based exhibitions, an accompanying freesheet newspaper and interactive content accessed through a bespoke website - and by bringing some of the 'real' Paddies to the USA.

Our target audience - those 18-30 are a generation of Irish America that the Clinton Institute asserts is at a stage which sociologists called “late generation ethnicity” – an identity no longer fuelled by new emigrants, traditions and institutions and more with emotions and values.

They are a highly educated from an activist generation and would respond to an experience with news, art and cultural appeal rather than overt brand advertising or commercial messaging.

Our insight: How could we show Ireland as a 'brand for me' for this audience

By partnering with an artist and using the medium of a multi-location, multi-media interactive exhibit would give us multiple touchpoints:

- Editorial Outreach (Press release, news reel, video interviews)

- VIP Launch with projection mapping (Invite)

- Purpose built plinths for the Outdoor Exhibition

- A dedicated website

- Social

The activation took the form of multiple experiences:

- A stunning Press Launch with Projection Mapped Audio Visual Portraits

- A bespoke outdoor installation installed in the centre of Manhattan installed under cover of night

- Interactive Elements from QR codes to the Paddy Times newspaper

- The Real Paddies of Ireland walked in the parade

- By applying to have the exhibition presented under the NYC (DOT) Public art programme ARTerventions the authenticity of the cultural moment was assured.

Multiple ways to engage the public, press and Influencers with the activation included:

- An invite-only VIP press launch experience with projection mapped portraits

- Ensuring we captured celebrity Paddies to maximise interest

- Multiple stories to appeal to special interest publications and the Paddies papers

- A live press office for the week

Timeline

St. Patrick's Day is topical. There was only a few short weeks to sell in.

We surpassed all targets

Awareness - Target Reach 300 million

Achieved - 831 million (Total PR Reach TV, radio, print, online)

Paddy Irishman became the biggest story in New York City for St. Patrick's Day 2023

The campaign generated:

7.51M Viewership

1000 - avg. onsite QR code activations per day

An average of 40,000 people per day was the footfall at the main exhibition site in Pershing Square Plaza

AVE of €614k

The real Paddies featured who travelled to New York were the first to be invited to walk in the parade under their own official Paddy Irishman Project banner

The power of the story led to the donation of a Times Square billboard to showcase the portraits - with 2 million impressions over the 2 weeks it was live.

The City of New York has invited the project to return in 2024 to exhibit a new collection of Paddies.

Since the 1800s the word 'Paddy' has been a slur on Irish males.

A shorthand for a drunk. The punchline to a Paddy Irishman joke.

This doesn't help increase affinity for Ireland among the target audience, or rouse their interest in a visit.

Only on March 10th 2023, a furore broke out surrounding parodies on Saturday Night Live and comments made by host Jimmy Kimmel at the Oscars that diminished the achievements of nominee actors Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson - by mocking their Irish nationality.

St. Patrick's Day is the festival celebrating the patron Saint of Ireland.

It is known as a celebration of Irishness but too often is associated with those very activities that are unattractively associated with Irish culture - drinking, excessive partying.

Devising an accessible but intelligent cultural experience would run counter to the majority of mainstream messages of 'green pints' and 'shamrocks' and 'Paddywhackery'