As title sponsors of the Irish rugby team since 2016 we have created a strong activation platform in ‘Team Of Us’ and have the data to prove that the sponsorship drove brand relevance, affinity and most importantly brand consideration. Through #TeamOfUs we have an ambition to ‘create the most interconnected team and fan base on the planet’.
Vodafone is Europe’s biggest and fastest growing 5G network. Reliable network connectivity is a heritage strength for the brand, however competitors are actively trying to gain ground in this area. We recognised the potential of using rugby as a vehicle to talk about network reliability and the possibilities that 5G brings.
The specific problem statement from the IRFU was that it was taking too long to provide feedback to players through video analysis – thus slowing down the learning process. They needed a solution that would allow them to capture analyse and distribute video in almost real time to accelerate the time needed to fix issues identified by coaches during training.
Vodafone addressed this challenge by deploying cutting edge private 5G technology (MPN) at the IRFU’s high performance centre in Dublin. An MPN is a dedicated 5G Mobile Private network which would typically be deployed in a business environment e.g., manufacturing site.
This solution would enable the IRFU to “push new boundaries” when it came to performance analysis in the build up to and during the Rugby World Cup and act as a showcase of the benefits and capabilities of MPN technology.
