Independent News & Media & The National Library
The Business Challenge
The National Library of Ireland’s collection of Yeats manuscripts is one of the largest literary collections and the largest collection of Yeats manuscripts in a single institution anywhere in the world. It sought to develop public interest in the exhibition Yeats: The Life and Works of William Butler Yeats and required a national media sponsor to help position the exhibition as one of the main cultural and educational highlights available Dublin and to encourage greater engagement with the library among primary and secondary schools.
The Solution
A 24 page supplement was developed for The Irish Independent entitled WB Yeats – A Poet for Everyone in conjunction with the National Library. The supplement provided academic and expert perspectives on Yeats from a range of contemporary Irish poets and literary figures. Approximately 350,000 copies of the supplement were distributed around the country of which 32,000 promotional copies were mailed to schools.
Benefits to Company
The collaboration enhanced The Irish Independent’s position as an educational resource for schools and aligned itself with one of the leading cultural institutions. The newspaper leveraged their investment with a specially produced advertisement for national radio in the weeks prior to the publication of the supplement, which generated additional sales and brand exposure.
Benefits to Stakeholders
Having a national distribution channel for the dissemination of information on Yeats and the exhibition at the Library was of immense value for the library. The supplement was distributed six months after the opening of the exhibition and has resulted in a greater number of regional visitors to the exhibition and a significant increase in the number of primary and secondary school visits.
The National Library of Ireland’s collection of Yeats manuscripts is one of the largest literary collections and the largest collection of Yeats manuscripts in a single institution anywhere in the world. It sought to develop public interest in the exhibition Yeats: The Life and Works of William Butler Yeats and required a national media sponsor to help position the exhibition as one of the main cultural and educational highlights available Dublin and to encourage greater engagement with the library among primary and secondary schools.
The Solution
A 24 page supplement was developed for The Irish Independent entitled WB Yeats – A Poet for Everyone in conjunction with the National Library. The supplement provided academic and expert perspectives on Yeats from a range of contemporary Irish poets and literary figures. Approximately 350,000 copies of the supplement were distributed around the country of which 32,000 promotional copies were mailed to schools.
Benefits to Company
The collaboration enhanced The Irish Independent’s position as an educational resource for schools and aligned itself with one of the leading cultural institutions. The newspaper leveraged their investment with a specially produced advertisement for national radio in the weeks prior to the publication of the supplement, which generated additional sales and brand exposure.
Benefits to Stakeholders
Having a national distribution channel for the dissemination of information on Yeats and the exhibition at the Library was of immense value for the library. The supplement was distributed six months after the opening of the exhibition and has resulted in a greater number of regional visitors to the exhibition and a significant increase in the number of primary and secondary school visits.
The Lake Isle of Innis Free by W.B. Yeats