Dublin sponsorship insuring business success for AIG

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Alyson Reynolds
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Category L: Best Use of Sponsorship (over 50K) Dublin sponsorship insuring business success for AIG In November 2013 AIG announced its arrival as the sponsor of GAA in Dublin.

as sponsor. More importantly they have done this while always keeping our business objectives in mind; objectives that have greatly surpassed. Declan O Rourke, General Manager of AIG in Ireland.

1 Category L: Best Use of Sponsorship (over 50K) Dublin sponsorship insuring business success for AIG In November 2013 AIG announced its arrival as the sponsor of GAA in Dublin. These were unchartered waters for us but PSG Sponsorship have navigated a path through what could have been choppy seas, to bring us to the point where there is now widespread awareness of our role as sponsor. More importantly they have done this while always keeping our business objectives in mind; objectives that have greatly surpassed. Declan O Rourke, General Manager of AIG in Ireland. Introduction When AIG in Ireland struck a deal to become the new sponsor of Dublin GAA a massive opportunity was presented to establish its support for one of the super powers of Gaelic games. From the outset AIG viewed the Dubs as partners, holding the upmost respect its history and tradition. However the task of ensuring the sponsorship was a driving force behind AIG s business goals was also of paramount importance. It was PSG Sponsorship s job to ensure PR was at the heart of the sponsorship activation to maximise the business benefits to AIG.

2 A surprise building wrap announced the sponsorship with a bang and it was vital that this kind of innovation was maintained; from Dublin GAA stars working with AIG, to brand ambassadors starring in television ads. The AIG/Dubs partnership demonstrates clearly how a sponsorship asset of this kind can become a vital element of both marketing and business strategy. AIG surpassed all business objectives and can directly track these to the sponsorship. This sponsorship delivered, beyond expectations, to the bottom line. Grow consumer awareness of AIG Build trust/credibility levels Generate positive publicity Increase propensity to purchase Grow consumer insurance sales (direct and broker) Grow corporate sales Wash out previous sponsor Vodafone Speak to both a male and female audience Reward customers/retention Increase online traffic/seo Link to other sponsorship assets Statement of Business Objectives Activation Programme A high profile launch which included a surprise building wrap and a skills challenge in which Dublin stars and the visiting All Blacks partook marked the opening month of the partnership in November of It was vital that equally as effective PR was focussed on driving business results as the sponsorship moved into Featured here are descriptions of the key activations that were executed for AIG over the course of the 2014 GAA season.

3 Use of a suite of Brand Ambassadors AIG s Brand Ambassadors were drawn from all four codes placing the female sports on the same platform as football and hurling. Bernard Brogan (footballer), Danny Sutcliffe (hurler), Sinead Goldrick (ladies footballer) and Ali Twomey (camogie player) would all have major roles in AIG s sponsorship activation throughout Speaking to a female audience was a key part of AIG s business objectives and throughout the campaign these female ambassadors played a key role. All four ambassadors were involved in billboard campaigns and also television ads, the first time a Dublin sponsor did this. The way AIG committed to giving us a major role in their sponsorship activity right from the start was a major statement of how they felt about backing women s sport and I know that s been viewed very positively by all of our supporters. Sinéad Goldrick, Dublin Ladies Footballer. Dublin players working at AIG Dublin players were brought into AIG and given the opportunity to gain valuable work experience with one of the world s leading insurers. This innovative idea was a sign of AIG s desire to build a lasting partnership with Dublin GAA and also assisted in aiding the improvement of staff morale within AIG. Spirit of Partnership Fostered One massively important factor in the business results achieved is the extremely positive partnership that exists between AIG, its partners and Dublin GAA. All sides have a deep understanding of the sponsorship but also a great knowledge of Dublin GAA. For example AIG s Sponsorship Manager John Gillick plays senior club football in Dublin; the Dublin County Board s Commercial Manager Tomás Quinn is a former Dublin footballer as is PSG Sponsorship s Chief Executive Mick O Keeffe; while PSG Sponsorship s Sinéad Finnegan is a current Dublin ladies footballer. Link to other sponsorship assets By establishing a link between the sponsorship of Dublin GAA and AIG s other sponsorship properties the insurer was positioned as a supporter of all sports. Utilising the massive appeal of the Dubs helped generate further awareness of those other partnerships.

A multi-sport skills challenge involving Dublin players, former All Black Doug Howlett and golfers Shane Lowry and Olivia Mehaffey took place at Carton House in the spring of 2014, to mark AIG s

Dublin GAA stars and visiting All Blacks also had a behind closed doors dinner in November of 2014 from which photography of the players exchanging jerseys were released by PSG Sponsorship.

4 A multi-sport skills challenge involving Dublin players, former All Black Doug Howlett and golfers Shane Lowry and Olivia Mehaffey took place at Carton House in the spring of 2014, to mark AIG s sponsorship of the Golfing Union of Ireland and the Irish Ladies Golfing Union. A PR value of almost 750,000 was generated from this event as media were given access to these sporting stars. Dublin GAA stars and visiting All Blacks also had a behind closed doors dinner in November of 2014 from which photography of the players exchanging jerseys were released by PSG Sponsorship. Ongoing support to the ladies codes Getting the AIG message to supporters of the ladies codes was central to the campaign. Activity was increased as the ladies footballers reached the All Ireland Final. PSG Sponsorship organised various activity including a jersey promotion launch featuring a ladies player, merchandise give-aways on match-day, videos of support from Senior Football Manager Jim Gavin and ticket and jersey drops to well-known Dubs such as Mary Black and Fiona Coughlan. This ensured a sustained conversation in the build up to the big match. Iconic Dublin landmarks were also dressed up in the Dublin jersey as AIG backed the Girls in Blue for their showdown with Cork. It was great to see the support AIG gave the Dublin ladies in the lead up to the All-Ireland Final. They came up with creative and fun ways to encourage Dublin fans to attend the game which we really appreciated. Sinéad Finnegan, Dublin Ladies Footballer. PR launches linked to product offers PSG Sponsorship worked closely with AIG marketing team to deliver timely PR launches to coincide with key product offers. For example, twice during 2014 AIG offered a free kids Dublin GAA jersey or 40 off an adult jersey with new policies taken out & media events were organised to mark offers.

AIG also offered discounted insurance rates to Dublin GAA club members in September 2014. PSG Sponsorship organised a PR launch at which Jim Gavin was in attendance.

Match Day Activation It was vital that AIG took full advantage of the tens of thousands of Dublin supporters that would be in attendance at both league and championship matches.

5 AIG also offered discounted insurance rates to Dublin GAA club members in September PSG Sponsorship organised a PR launch at which Jim Gavin was in attendance. A PR value of almost 600,000 was generated. Match Day Activation It was vital that AIG took full advantage of the tens of thousands of Dublin supporters that would be in attendance at both league and championship matches. A series of match day activations were organised by PSG Sponsorship to help raise awareness of the sponsorship but also to drive sales as a product message was always included. These included flag and merchandise give-aways, showcasing of Sam Maguire, live tweeting of games and the AIG Fan Booth. Corporate Events A series of corporate events were organised for current and prospective corporate customers. Pre-match hospitality was hosted at AIG s headquarters on championship match days where former Dublin stars previewed the matches before guests were transported to Croke Park on an AIG branded double decker bus. A corporate breakfast was also organised allowing customers to network before hearing from the Dublin senior hurling and football managers. Peter Hancock Visit The global CEO and President of AIG, Peter Hancock, visited Ireland in September 2014 to announce the creation of twenty new jobs. This was another sign of AIG s long term commitment to the Irish insurance market. Mr. Hancock emphasised the importance of the Dublin GAA sponsorship to AIG s long term thinking and it was one of his key messages throughout his visit Media Partners PSG Sponsorship helped enlist and acted as the point of contact between AIG and FM104 and The Herald who came on board as media partners during 2014, a relationship that has continued into These partnerships have given AIG a consistent media presence across the GAA season.

6 Grassroots Activation AIG wanted to ensure they also got their message to club members throughout Dublin. Equipment was supplied to nurseries in twenty clubs in 2014; AIG hoardings were put in place pitch-side in clubs right around Dublin and cross bar challenges were organised by PSG Sponsorship at the Dublin GAA county finals at Parnell Park in October The winning teams received equipment for their clubs courtesy of AIG. An awards ceremony to recognise the club and players of the month for 2014 was also organised in conjunction with The Herald. Digital Activation An online user generated content platform was built so fans, players and club members can share Dublin GAA related content and build a community of support with pictures, videos, stories and messages. Throughout 2014 shareable content was generated by PSG Sponsorship on behalf of AIG and shared via AIG s social media channels. The very successful #DublinOurHome social media competition was initiated to help launch the 2015 season. Fans were encouraged to take a photo of themselves in the location they believed best summed up Dublin and post it using #DublinOurHome. Business Results attributed to the Sponsorship Targets for prompted awareness of AIG were smashed Brand trust levels far exceeded AIG targets PR AVE of in excess of 3 million was generated The propensity to purchase figure increased substantially There was growth in volume of consumer insurance sales and in market share Corporate sales grew and additional commercial business was generated The previous sponsor was washed out 91% awareness amongst Dublin fans of AIG as sponsor by June 2014 (Source: B&A) Customer retention grew Increases in online traffic/seo increased greatly exceeded targets

7 Quotations and average weekly calls volumes rose significantly Summary AIG made a massive strategic decision to sponsor Dublin GAA and it has reaped equally massive and tangible business rewards. What was a somewhat fragmented GAA community within Dublin has been united under the sponsorship while AIG now has a greatly increased presence in the market place. This sponsorship s success demonstrates clearly how a sponsorship asset of this kind can become a vital element of both marketing and business strategy. AIG surpassed all business objectives and can directly track these to sponsorship of Dublin GAA. The Dublin sponsorship was the key driver of business success. PSG Sponsorship played a major role in the strategy undertaken by AIG and its implementation, demonstrating how PR can be used to activate a sponsorship to achieve key business objectives. Word Count 1,984

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