Ireland Lures Halloween Fans With Eerie Ads

Get your fright on as the country reclaims its heritage

Spooky season is our favorite season—and did you know that Halloween originated in Ireland, dating back 2,000 years in Celtic culture?

With that history in mind, Tourism Ireland created an eerie black-and-white commercial with Publicis London, encouraging travelers to visit for Halloween, an off-season for regional tourism.

The ad, directed by Leon Ward and produced by Tiny Ark, explains the festival of Samhain, which celebrates the dead on Oct. 31, a day when spirits are said to walk the Earth with the rest of us. 

Shot on 16mm film, the spot shows some of Ireland’s legendary landscapes like Newgrange, Poulnabrone Dolmen, Derry-Londonderry, Craggaunowen Crannóg, the Giant’s Causeway and the Dark Hedges. Turnips finally get their time in the spotlight, too, as the OG inspo for jack-o-lanterns.

“Halloween is one of the world’s favorite festivals but not everyone knows that it originated here in Celtic culture around 2,000 years ago,” says Alice Mansergh, chief executive of Tourism Ireland. “We’ve worked with academics and experts to trace the story back and then bring it to life, through scenery, storytelling and culture, with modern-day appeal, given the fabulous festivals there are to enjoy across the island.”

The campaign will run across TV, cinemas and digital channels in the U.K., U.S., Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Nordics, Austria and Switzerland.

CREDITS
CAMPAIGN TITLE: Home of Halloween
CLIENT: Tourism Ireland
ADVERTISING AGENCY: Publicis London
CCO: Noel Bunting
CREATIVE DIRECTORS: Rhys Hughes, Barret Helander and Steve Paskin
DESIGNER: Oskah Manchip
STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Adam McGlashan
SENIOR STRATEGIST: Dalonie Graham
STRATEGIST: Rosie Mahoney
GROUP BUSINESS DIRECTOR: Josh Norris
SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Luke Perry
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Guergana Stoytcheva
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Lucy Wood
AGENCY PRODUCER: Donna Baker
MEDIA BUYING AGENCY: OMD
PRODUCTION COMPANY: TinyArk
DIRECTOR:  Leonn Ward
EDITOR: Rob Hegarty
PRODUCER: Donna Baker & Sid Daffran
POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY: No8
PHOTOGRAPHER: Rich Gilligan