Problem
As we approached the 6th year of our sponsorship of the Irish Book Awards, we faced a business challenge– our brand affinity was in decline. But with 1-in-6 adults in Ireland struggling to read and understand information, our challenge was two-fold. This was a chance to truly live by our brand purpose of “improving the quality of life now and for generations to come” and we felt we could uniquely support this societal issue, continuing our long-standing commitment to supporting the literacy agenda in Ireland.
Execution
We set a clear and sustainable goal – make reading accessible to everybody:
- We partnered with Children’s Books Ireland, distributing 14,000 books for free to children in need on World Book Day.
- THE DISADVANTAGED: Working with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, delivering 214,000 free books to children in disadvantaged areas.
- GEN Z: We created a book community on TikTok with BookTok amassing 3.7 million views
- LITERACY NEEDS: We launched a campaign called ‘Unlocking Life’ in support of the 1-in-6 people in Ireland who struggle with unmet literacy needs.
Results highlights:
- Brand trust & relatability increased significantly to 78% and 81% respectively for those aware of the sponsorship versus 70% and 72% for all adults
- *86% said the sponsorship reinforces the pleasure of reading
- *59% said the sponsorship encourages reading
- *88% consider the sponsorship a good fit for An Post
- 39% aware of the Irish Book Awards spontaneously recalled An Post as sponsor
Source: B&A *Aware of sponsorship
