It’s not exactly what you might think it is.
Posters that read ‘Go Home Irish’ in Toronto have been the cause of consternation amongst Irish people living in the city, even though they were only put there as a joke.
In what turned out to be an ill-advised move, Dublin marketing agency The Social House arranged for posters reading ‘Go Home Irish’ to be placed in various parts of Toronto.
They were put there in an effort to create a bit of mischief and to raise awareness of their campaign to get Irish workers with international experience to return home.
The website listed on the poster, www.pleaseleavecanada.com redirects users to The Social House website, where the message encouraging Irish workers to return home is reiterated.
According to a press release by The Social House, not everyone got the joke and it was the cause of complaints to the agency’s website and the cause of arguments amongst Canadian and Irish workers in one particular ad agency.
“We are looking to hire Irish people who have worked in other parts of the world,” read a statement in the press release.
“We’re not anti-emigration, but we’d love to lure some of these internationally seasoned brains back home by pretending to be Anti-Irish-Canadians.
“We’ve been abroad ourselves. We know the pull of home but the fear that you may have to compromise on your career to come back.
“It can seem from the outside that Dublin doesn’t offer as good an opportunity as somewhere like New York, London, Sydney, or Toronto.
“But Dublin’s finding its feet again as a creative city, and we’re working hard to mess with the system and get make advertising more fun.”
Using such a method to attract attention is a risky strategy as although it will ensure plenty of attention, the reaction could be damaging and it remains to be seen whether The Social House will deem it a success or not.
As long as Irish people working in Canada know that the Canadians have nothing to do with it, there’s nothing to worry aboot.
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