Kerry County Council spent almost €185,000 on a rebranding project because of concerns the county was falling behind other regions and a “fragmented and inconsistent approach” to marketing and communications.
The Marketing Kerry project included a €126,000 spend on design, development, hosting, and support services for their new website as well as €34,000 in staffing costs.
The total council bill, which included a payment of €15,000 for project management costs and just over €8,000 in tax payments, came to €184,917 according to records released under FOI.
Briefing documents for the rebrand explain how Kerry needed to capitalise on its “well-established reputation” for tourism to also become a leading destination for business, investment, and study.
An overview for the project said: “Kerry’s image and reputation as a place to live, work and invest need to be addressed, in particular the gap between the reality of what Kerry has to offer and how it is perceived in the market.”
It said other regions were powering ahead of the Kingdom and already had in place sophisticated approaches for marketing themselves.
“The absence of an over-arching brand strategy and identity has resulted in a fragmented and inconsistent approach to marketing and communications, and weak messaging,” said the overview.
“There is also a failure to leverage Kerry’s name recognition, heritage, and positive associations in the tourism arena to benefit the overall development of the county.”
It said they were looking to put in place a “striking county brand” based on research they had already conducted and extensive consultation with industry in Kerry.
Among the things that could be emphasised according to a discovery phase report were shorter commutes, the safety of living in Kerry, access to “larger living space” than was available in urban areas, and even the climate, which was attractive for people moving from countries with extreme heat.
It said the county needed to focus on better infrastructure, especially when it came to “turn-key office accommodation” and guaranteed reliability of broadband.
One concern was the absence of a “youth-focused vibrant community culture” and that Kerry needed to move beyond its reputation for “beaches, mountains, and unspoilt environment”.
The report also said that some people moving to the county from places with a “broader range of cultural and shopping experiences” could be disappointed by what was on offer in the Kingdom.
Other difficulties were “distance perception” and how challenging this idea was vital by, for example, saying the airport at Farranfore meant London was just two hours away.
The report said: “We are our own best champions. Provide the tools and resources to allow our business community to become influencers for Kerry.”
The new brand was officially launched in January through the discoverykerry.com website as part of a joint project between the local council, KerrySciTech, and the Kerry Tourism Industry Federation.
A spokesman for the council said: “In addition to the DiscoverKerry.com website, the platform has also been used for microsites which share content with the platform such as the KerryGreenways.ie website.
“It also has very strong countywide buy-in and supports the county’s international connectivity initiatives such as the Kerry Ambassador Programme and the marketing and promotion of Kerry overseas.”
