Revitalising Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny

Turned around Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny by repositioning it as a record performing brand home through a full content overhaul, strategic partnerships and streamlined programming, restoring cultural relevance and driving must-visit status on a shoestring budget.

The Challenge

When I took over Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny (SEK) in Q1 2025, the destination was coming off 15 months of underperformance. Visitor numbers were stagnating, content lacked cohesion, and brand storytelling wasn’t cutting through with either tourists or locals. Marketing was running on a tight budget, which meant reliance on dated assets and limited promotional impact.

At the same time, the experience was competing with other Kilkenny attractions without fully leveraging its biggest advantage: its link to Ireland’s most iconic ale brand. To succeed, SEK needed a refreshed look & feel, streamlined communications, and stronger local partnerships to re-establish its place in both the community and the tourism landscape.

The Process

Over six months, I led a comprehensive turnaround in collaboration with internal stakeholders and external partners (freelance PR and content agencies). My work spanned:

Content & Creative Overhaul

Reviewed all paid and organic content to identify gaps in resonance and performance.
Led a complete refresh of creative assets, repurposing existing materials where possible while working with a diverse set of freelance creators to turn existing imagery into high-quality creative assets at reduced cost.
Established consistent messaging across all channels to reinforce brand storytelling.

Paid & Organic Digital Strategy

Partnered with our digital agency to optimise paid campaigns for performance, testing different formats and creative to maximise efficiency.
Revamped the Smithwick’s Experience blog and SEO strategy, boosting organic traffic and creating a clear test-and-learn system for ongoing optimisation.
Reviewed website copy and imagery to increase clarity, conversions, and alignment with the refreshed brand identity.

Brand & Partnership Strategy

Worked with Smithwick’s Ireland to identify synergies between SEK and the core brand, ensuring shared objectives and leveraging Smithwick’s strong on-trade network to boost consideration at key moments in the visitor journey.
Partnered closely with the Operations Manager to establish strategic, low-cost, high-value collaborations with local Kilkenny businesses, ensuring the Experience was embedded in the community and considered at every stage of trip planning.

Programming & Promotion

Streamlined summer programming, refining the Barrel Yard strategy to maximise occupancy and visitor draw.
Developed clear, replicable promotional processes for gigs and events, working with Kilkenny’s local network to cross-promote and build buzz.
Balanced visitor demand with budget constraints by focusing on experiences that offered the highest impact at minimal cost.

The Outcome

The repositioning of Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny delivered immediate results, reversing the trend of underperformance and setting new benchmarks for success:

Achieved record commercial and brand performance within six months of relaunch.
Increased visitor volume significantly vs previous year, with meaningful growth in NPS and guest satisfaction.
Boosted website and blog traffic through optimised content, improving conversion efficiency and organic reach.
Reached the #1 ranking on TripAdvisor for Kilkenny (April 2025), cementing the Experience as a must-visit destination.
Established a scalable framework for low-cost marketing execution, enabling sustained performance despite budget constraints.