Love Irish Food have launched the 15th annual Brand Development Award, a marketing prize valued at more than €160,000 aimed at supporting the growth of Irish-produced food and drink brands.
The award, which has run since 2012, is open to members of the Love Irish Food network and offers the winning brand a fully funded national outdoor advertising campaign across Global’s retail outdoor media network.
The initiative is supported by trade publication Checkout Magazine and creative agency Marketing Network Group, which will provide creative development services to help shape the winning campaign.
In addition to the outdoor advertising campaign, the winning brand will receive a double-page feature in Checkout Magazine, one of Ireland’s leading FMCG trade titles.
Organisers said the programme is designed to help locally produced brands increase visibility and build market share at a time when demand for trusted, locally produced food and drink continues to grow.
Previous recipients of the Brand Development Award include Blanco Niño, Plant It Food Co., Ballymaloe Foods and Killowen Foods, all of which have used the prize to support brand awareness and commercial expansion.
Entries are open to Love Irish Food members nationwide and will be assessed through a two-stage process. The initial registration deadline was 5pm on March 11, with full submissions due by 5pm on March 20.
Shortlisted entrants will then be invited to present their brands and marketing plans to a judging panel that includes Antoinette O’Callaghan, head of marketing at Global, and Conor Kilduff, executive director of Love Irish Food.
O’Callaghan said previous winners had benefited significantly from the exposure generated by the campaign.
“Over the course of our collaboration with Love Irish Food the winners of the Brand Development Award have experienced exceptional sales growth as a result of their advertising campaigns,” she said.
“As judges, we will be looking for brand owners to demonstrate the drive and passion they have in their products and how this award can be of benefit to them.”
Kilduff said the award provides smaller brands with access to national advertising that would otherwise be difficult to achieve.
“The Brand Development Award delivers real commercial impact for our members,” he said.
“National advertising at this scale can drive awareness, retailer engagement and consumer demand. We are proud to collaborate with Global for the 15th year, as well as Checkout Magazine and Marketing Network Group, to offer a comprehensive growth package that gives Irish brands the tools and platform to succeed at a national level.”
