Visit Wicklow Digital Campaign Takes Home Prestigious IDI Award

Wicklow faced strong competition with major campaigns from Bank of Ireland and the HSE also in the running.

Wicklow County Council’s “Visit Wicklow” digital campaign has been recognised on the national stage, winning the Design for Social award in the Experience Design category at the Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI) Awards.

The win follows the Council’s decision in April 2025 to appoint creative agency Good as Gold to elevate Visit Wicklow’s presence across social media. Their brief: transform the channels into the go-to digital authority on all things Wicklow.

The IDI Awards are among the most respected honours in Irish design. They celebrate innovative work that delivers lasting impact for businesses, communities and the wider environment. This year’s competition was fierce, with major campaigns from Bank of Ireland and the HSE also in the running.

Good as Gold’s strategy for Visit Wicklow centred on creating “saveable,” value-led content supported by a distinctive visual identity. The team shifted the channels from generic posts to evergreen, editorial-style storytelling, built around rich landscape photography, clean design and an inviting, consistent tone.

User-generated content added authenticity, while long-form guides boosted engagement and longevity.

Viral moments, including the Carnew Community Centre’s Knitted Map of Ireland, helped propel the campaign to international attention.

The results backed up the creative direction. According to Wicklow County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr. Melanie Corrigan,

Reach increased by 800%, engagement by 650%, and saves by 790%. Visit Wicklow’s audience grew by 58% with Wicklow Passport sales expected to rise by 30% by year-end.

Council Chief Executive Emer O’Gorman praised the achievement, saying:

Congratulations to Good as Gold for such a fantastic win and their work on the Visit Wicklow campaign. Tourism is a key industry for Wicklow, and they’ve created the perfect shop window.

Good as Gold Co-Founder Lauren Higgs credited the campaign’s success to long-term thinking and creative freedom:

We didn’t treat this like a one-off project. Visit Wicklow has become a trusted, inspiring social voice that fuels curiosity and turns engagement into real-world exploration. The freedom given to us by Wicklow County Council allowed us to reach for the stars — and it truly paid off.