Bank of Ireland faced significant consideration and repetitional challenges in a sector disrupted by digital-first ‘neobanks’.
Despite long-standing partnerships with Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster Rugby, the bank remained something of a sponsorship sleeping giant.
We delved deep into this problem, conducting 70, 1-on-1 interviews with colleagues (from boardroom to branch), and the clubs (from CEO to groundskeeper). This was augmented by island-of-Ireland quantitative research with 1,500 fans of provincial rugby.
We found four fierce rivals with unique tribal identities. Clubs that see success on the pitch as a catalyst for success off it. Clubs determined to lift trophies, and lift communities.
And so, the clubs compete. They compete for 80 minutes of a game, and for 10,080 minutes of a week. They compete against each other, and against whatever stands in the way of their community’s ambitions. That’s something we can all relate to, because everyone is competing against something. And sometimes, we need a reminder to push past life’s stop signs.
Never Stop Competing is a celebration of competition, and an invocation for us overcome that which obscures our dreams.
The platform was launched nationally and provincially, and deepened personally with vulnerable, inspiring stories of obstacles overcome.
In its first 5 months, Never Stop Competing turned a sleeping giant into a key tool in driving consideration and enhancing reputation. And, as Ireland reopens, the Bank of Ireland brand is now poised to compete against whatever stands in its way.
