'We really felt we had to change the narrative': Campaign to see 'rebranding' of Midleton 

“THE challenge of future flooding still exists but, from the town’s perspective, we can’t stand still because of that - people still need to sell stock, need to fill seats in restaurants, and what we’re trying to do with this is to show the versatility of the locality.”

That was the declaration of marketing campaign director Niamh Hegarty, who is heading up the rebranding of the east Cork town of Midleton, and the launch of a new website, both of which will be unveiled at an event in the town this evening.

Speaking to The Echo, Ms Hegarty said that she had worked with two other local agencies, graphic designers Chapter, and website developers Spéire, to put together a campaign with the aim of changing the narrative about Midleton, which she feels has been dominated by ‘bad news’ associated with the flood devastation for several months now.

The campaign is being developed with the support of the Midleton Chamber of Commerce.

“A lot of the press around Midleton since then has been negative - it’s not the fault of the media, it’s just that the news has been negative, about businesses closing down, about the impacts the floods have had,” said Ms Hegarty.

“We really felt that we had to change the narrative, Midleton is open for business and businesses do bounce back despite what happened.

“Midleton is very much a vibrant town still despite everything that happened.”

The aim of the campaign is to shift the narrative around Midleton and its target audiences includes investors, entrepreneurs and tourists, both local and global.

The result will be a new brand for Midleton and a directory website that will give visitors a guide to where to eat and shop and visit in the town.