A TV advertisement promoting the Isle of Man as an idyllic adventure playground has been short-listed for a high-profile travel marketing award. The commercial, commissioned by the Department of Tourism and Leisure and featuring Island resident Keirron Tastagh, has been nominated as one of the top two best budget TV adverts in the 2009 Travel Marketing Awards.
This is the inaugural year of the award ceremony, which is organised by the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s Travel Industry Group (CIMTIG) and replaces the prestigious Travel Advertising Awards. The awards are judged on campaign strategy, creativity and execution, as well as return on investment among a number of other scoring criteria. The commercial, which features Keirron and friends sea-kayaking and coasteering, was one of three advertisements commissioned by the Department as part of a major advertising campaign, and has been screened on various television channels this year.
The advertisements have focused on adventure, lifestyle and nature to reflect all the Island has to offer in outdoor activities. Martyn Quayle MHK, Minister for Tourism and Leisure, comments, ‘It is a great honour and I am indeed delighted that the Department of Tourism and Leisure has been nominated for a top award in the Travel Marketing Awards 2009. We will most certainly be keeping our fingers crossed for first place!
‘Being shortlisted for this prestigious award will without a doubt raise the Isle of Man’s profile further and I wish to place on record my thanks to the Tourism Division’s team and Truly (the Department's advertising agency) for all their hard work in preparing and producing the advertisements, as well as the local residents who starred in them.’
Keirron, who offers a range of outdoor activities through his company Adventurous Experiences, added, 'I am extremely pleased for the recognition the Island is receiving, and this shows that the hard work has paid off. It was an absolute delight to work with such enthusiastic and professional people, and I am pleased to have played a part in the success of this campaign. We're looking forward to another exciting year of providing adventurous experiences on the Isle of Man!'
The Minister, Keirron Tastagh and representatives from Truly will be attending the Awards ceremony, which takes place on Monday 16th March at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel in London.
A survey, compiled by Travel Tracker, found that spontaneous awareness of Isle of Man advertising increased from 25% to 63%, with one in five respondents indicating they would choose to visit the Isle of Man above any of the other islands surrounding the British Isles, after seeing the advertising.
