The KPMG Women’s Irish Open is not your average sponsorship. Yes, the KPMG brand name is front and centre as a title sponsor. And yes, the KPMG Women’s Irish Open tournament was heavily branded. But it was KPMG’s pursuit of a business objective to improve brand equity through its partnership of women in sport that allowed the brand to think differently about the role of sponsorship, and how and where the brand would show up. Using an existing sponsorship platform of ‘Inspiring the Future’, KPMG made every element of the tournament and our campaign activities into something that can inspire the future – whether that was having the trophy designed by Chupi Sweetman, whose business success as a female entrepreneur is an inspiration; or bringing the best female golfers in the world to Ireland to inspire a more equitable future for women in sport; or turning Leona Maguire’s birdie count into books donated to local schools to inspire a love of reading in children. The KPMG Women’s Irish Open sponsorship was not only a successful tournament that achieved attendance figures and media coverage that exceeded our expectations, but it also delivered brand awareness and affinity among the general public and connected to a new audience of golf fans.
