Are you leveraging the TT as a brand this year?

Every year without fail (COVID aside, obviously) the Isle of Man does something extraordinary; we close down so the Island can come alive. Yes, that's right.

For two weeks in spring, an island of fewer than 90,000 people transforms and becomes the centre of attention for the global motorsport world, and with it comes one of the most powerful organic marketing opportunities available to any local business on the Island.

In 2025, we welcomed over 50,000 visitors to the Island, the highest attendance in over 15 years (and as someone who was genuinely trapped inside the course, trust me, I felt every single one of them), with visitor expenditure projected to hit over £50 million, which is a 38% increase since 2019.

Now let's get onto the fun bit. The Island pulls in over 30 million YouTube views, and the official social media following has grown by 228% since 2022. Even Amazon has clocked on, a Brad Pitt and Channing Tatum TT film and docuseries is in the works. The world is for sure watching.

Why the Isle of Man has an advantage that no other market can buy

A brand based in Manchester or Leeds can slap a TT graphic on their Instagram in June, they can write a blog post about the races, they can run a "TT-inspired" promotion and call it seasonal marketing.

What they cannot do is walk out of their front door and film on the Mountain Course, they cannot interview a marshal who volunteered for their fifteenth consecutive year, they cannot post a reel from Hairpin at golden hour and have their local audience immediately recognise it, feel it, and share it.

Authenticity is the most valuable currency in modern marketing, and for Isle of Man businesses, it is built into the geography.

The TT gives local businesses something mainland competitors can only approximate: a genuine story to tell, and in an era where audiences are more switched on to performative marketing than ever, genuine wins every time.

What local businesses can do right now

You do not need to be in hospitality or motorsport to make the most of TT season; the opportunity exists across almost every sector.

You need to find your angle.

Here are some ideas worth stealing:

• The local's guide content series: If you are a café, restaurant, or retail business, TT brings an influx of visitors who have never been to the Island before. A series of posts positioning you as the insider guide, which include your recommendations, your favourite spots, your version of the Island, builds a connection with visitors and positions your brand as proudly Manx.

  
  

• The collaboration play: Two or three local businesses partnering on a TT campaign creates shared audiences, shared content, and twice the reach. A hotel partnering with a restaurant. A mechanic partnering with a merch brand. A fitness studio partnering with a sports therapist. The TT crowd is broad, and there is definitely room for creative pairings that would not make sense in any other context.

• The "We Are from here" brand story: The TT puts the Isle of Man on a global stage. This is the moment to lean into your Manx identity and not in a forced or gimmicky way, but genuinely:

  • What does it mean to run a business here?

  • What is it like to live through the TT fortnight as a local?

These are stories that resonate with visitors in the moment and with a global online audience watching from afar.

• The post-TT recap: Most businesses drop their TT content the moment the roads reopen. The ones who continue to share results, highlights, community moments, and gratitude are the ones who build the kind of following that converts long after visitors have gone home.

The TT is not just a two-week event

It is a year-round brand asset for the Isle of Man and, by extension, for every business that operates here. The global interest generated by TT season creates a window where the Island has the world's attention, and a well executed content strategy does not just drive footfall in June, it builds brand awareness that compounds over time, growing your audience and your reputation with every piece of content that reaches someone who has never heard of you before.

Mainland businesses are watching from a screen, wishing they had your access. We have a 37.73 mile closed public road, 51,000 visitors, and a global media moment, all of which you can walk to.

This is not a coincidence. It is your advantage, and it is time to use it.

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O.H Marketing is run by Olivia Murtagh, a marketing freelancer based on the Isle of Man, specialising in social media strategy, content creation, and copywriting for Island businesses and beyond. Get in touch at info@ohmarketing.uk. Whether you have a fully formed brief or just a half-baked idea, let's talk.