Electric Ireland and Liberty Insurance scooped the top awards at this year’s European Sponsorship Awards which were held in London.
Electric Ireland won the “Best in Europe” Sponsorship Award for its sponsorship of Team Ireland for the London Olympics 2012. The award was for the best overall sponsorship in Europe across all categories and they were up against the national sponsorship winners from the UK, Germany, France, Sweden and Slovenia.
Liberty Insurance, meanwhile, claimed the much coveted Business to Consumer Award for its partnership with the GAA, in particular the innovative sponsorship of both hurling and camogie. In winning the award, it saw off stiff competition from BMW, Budweiser and The O2.
Peter McKenna, Stadium & Commercial Director GAA & Croke Park, Annette Ní Dhathlaoí, Head of Marketing, Liberty Insurance and John McDonagh, Head of Marketing, Direct Sales and Corporate Communications, Liberty Insurance.
The European Sponsorship Association’s (ESA) annual awards recognises excellence within the sponsorship industry across Europe. ESA received a record number of entries from 11 countries, which were then assessed by an independent panel of expert judges from across the continent. The ceremony attracted a record number of marketing and sponsorship professionals from leading brands and rights holders across Europe.
Helen Day, the ESA Awards Chair of Judges explained that the entries this year were of a very high standard. “With very different entries, the judges found the breadth and quality difficult to compare but relied on clear strategy, activations and results to determine the placings”.
Liberty Insurance was lauded for their innovative strategy and approach to uniting two of Ireland’s oldest games, through a campaign that really resonated with consumers, delivered outstanding results in a short period of time, and helped them meet significant business objectives.
Other Irish sponsorships shortlisted for awards on the night were An Post in Best Community Sponsorship for the An Post Cycle Series, RaboDirect for @raboinsider in Best Social Media and WH (Wilson Hartnell) Sport for the ESA Professional Development Award.
