When Ireland’s largest hotel group, Dalata, sought to reposition itself as a people-powered brand with heart, it turned to the nation’s most-loved sport. In 2025, Dalata became Title Sponsor of the GAA U20 All-Ireland Football Championship, launching its first-ever national sponsorship under the rallying cry: “For Difference Makers.”
The PR brief was simple: make an untested sponsorship feel like it had always belonged.
Through earned media, emotive storytelling, and smart integration, Dalata reframed its business narrative — from hotels to hospitality, from service to spirit.
Throughout the championship, Dalata created PR opportunities to maximise the activation window including bringing to life their creative platform “Difference Makers” through a media discussion panel with Tomás Ó Sé, Aishling O’Reilly, and GAA players, generating 853 pieces of national and regional coverage, €1.6M media value, and 45.1M reach. It turned a first-year sponsorship into an emotionally resonant, earned-led success story — proving that great PR doesn’t tell a story; it creates one.
