Bank of Ireland have proudly sponsored rugby in Ireland for over twenty years through partnerships with Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster Rugby. This powerful portfolio gives the Bank a platform to drive brand consideration which is higher amongst consumers who are aware of the Bank’s association with rugby.
During 2022 the Bank experienced an overall decline in brand consideration. Two opportunities were identified:
- Bank of Ireland are the #1 brand associated with provincial rugby in Ireland. However, there is limited reach compared to International rugby – the #1 viewed sport in Ireland. An opportunity existed to maximise our association through International Rugby.
- In parallel, the opportunity existed to connect the Bank’s rugby partnerships from the Ireland team, Provincial and grassroots rugby with a 360-degree campaign to drive brand consideration.
To address these points the Bank partnered with the IRFU to become Title Sponsors of the ‘Bank of Ireland Nations Series’ in addition to the provincial partnerships. Based off the success of this, the Bank have recently became the Official Banking Partner to the IRFU in a 5 year commitment.
A 360-degree campaign was developed to connect all of our rugby platforms and to showcase that Bank of Ireland supports rugby from grassroots to international level. Never Stop Competing was our overarching campaign idea and this was executed in a heavyweight campaign across multiple formats and activations. From Q4 2022 to Q3 2023; Brand consideration grew, Ad recall increased, Social Media engagement almost doubled.
