RIOTS AD BAD EFFECT

Failte Ireland pulled marketing for Dublin

FAILTE Ireland pulled ads promoting Dublin after rioting engulfed the capital last month.

Tourism chiefs feared their marketing campaigns would be hijacked for social media “memes and gifs” as shops were looted, buses and trams were burned and gardai were assaulted.

Staff said their adverts needed to be pulled as they would seem “inappropriate while there was so much devastation happening in the city centre”, internal emails show.

One said they were concerned their messages would result in memes and gifs “that would create ridicule and more negative content about the city”.

Failte Ireland paused its social media output as well as its Winter In Dublin weather sponsorship, which was due to air after the RTE News at 9pm.

The tourism agency said the financial implications of pulling the adverts was minimal as they were mostly able to run replacement material in place of Dublin-specific material. One briefing document explained how Failte Ireland also pulled two print advertisements at the last minute as they risked being “inappropriate and insensitive to the situation”.

More than 30 people were arrested in connection with the rioting which unfolded after a stabbing at a creche at Parnell Square East. There were also plans for a media partnership with radio station Today FM promoting Winter In Dublin which had to be shelved and replaced with an alternative. The briefing note detailed how it was “vitally important” that visitors to Dublin felt secure and had the best possible experience of the capital city.