Dublin's Irish campaign pays off

We were honestly skeptical about Dublin's ambitious marketing idea to entice travelers from Ireland during St. Patrick's Day festivities.

We're eating crow and corned beef, though, because it actually worked .

What happened: "The Other Dublin" campaign offered Irish citizens three days of free beer if they visited the Columbus suburb between March 8 and March 18.

• "What we lack in size, we make up for with charm … and shameless offers of free beer," read Visit Dublin Ohio's promo page .
• "Plus, you'll be the madman (or madwoman) of your friend group who really flew to America for booze. And that's priceless."

Incredibly, around 10 madmen and women made the international trip over the last two weekends, tourism bureau spokesperson Sara Blatnik tells us, including a group of four lads and several other couples.

• Many have family or other connections here, Blatnik says, but the promotion helped spur their travel plans.

The fine print: Those guests technically didn't get free beer — instead they each got a $200 Visa gift card.

• Blatnik says they pledged to use their gift cards as intended.

The big picture: This promotion apparently delighted Irish residents, news outlets and talk shows, which flooded Blatnik's office with questions and media requests.

• "I'd say our goals have been met for sure," she says, noting the campaign may return in 2025.

What's next: Blatnik wants to collaborate with the Dublin, Ireland, tourism bureau to start a two-way travel promotion each March, but it might take new direct flights between CMH and DUB to make that happen.

• This month, Irish visitors landed in Cleveland and made the drive down I-71 to cash in the promotion.

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