Guinness has emerged as Ireland’s most appealing sponsor so far in 2015, according to the latest release of findings from Onside’s quarterly Irish public sponsorship pulse, unveiled as part of the announcement of significant changes at the leading Dublin based sponsorship agency.
Signs of a double-digit recovery in the Irish sponsorship market in 2015 predicted by Onside consultants in their Annual Outlook in January have been materialising, with big deals including Dubai Duty Free’s title sponsorship of the Irish Open and AIB’s replacement of GAAGO as a sponsor of the GAA Senior Football Championships, examples of the marked bounce happening in quarter 1 of 2015. The Onside Sponsorship Investment Monitor recorded a broad mix of deals completed since January, with almost 3 in 4 being sports sponsorships, and the financial services sector proving particularly active.
With Rugby clearly at play in the sponsor line-up revealed by the latest Onside public survey, Pro12 and 6 Nations sponsors Guinness were also joined by 3Mobile, Aviva and RBS /Ulster Bank in terms of appealing most to the Irish public. 1 in 10 of the public named Guinness as the best sponsor in the market in Quarter 1 2015. Other outstanding sponsors in Quarter 1 according to Onside market intelligence included Heineken, Vodafone, Super-Valu, AIB, Bank of Ireland, and Coca-Cola.
In line with the heightened momentum evidenced in the Irish sponsorship market this quarter, Onside have embarked on a series of developments including an identity refresh and new web presence. A number of key senior appointments have been announced including the addition of Niamh Gogan to the Onside team as Head of Marketing & Strategy, joining Michael Whelan, one of Ireland’s most experienced sponsorship professionals, in strengthening the senior consulting team. Onside has also expanded other areas of the team with additional key appointments to the Insights and Intelligence and Creative and Design sides of the business.
Speaking about the recent investment in the Onside refresh, CEO and Founder, John Trainor said: ‘The Irish sponsorship market has entered a new era in 2015 and Onside are excited about the opportunity that represents for us to build on the solid foundations we have established over the past decade. Our refresh reflects our ongoing commitment to be central to the ongoing evolution of the sponsorship market. The appointment of new key personnel, along with enhanced offerings to our clients will ensure we continue to stand out as key influencers in our field and brings an exciting new latitude to what we can do for clients’.
As part of the refresh, the company also moved office to Lansdowne Road, offering the bonus of a very handy location on big match days ‘next door’ at Aviva Stadium for the strong stable of premier clients of Onside.
