Leveraging Japan 2019 Friendlies IRFU Sponsor Vodafone & Gilbert Launch ‘Ireland’s Ball’

Vodafone Ireland, the official sponsor of the Irish rugby team, teamed up with sports equipment brand Gilbert to launch ‘Ireland’s Ball’ ahead of the Rugby World Cup.

Launched to leverage the pre Japan 2019 friendly, warm up matches, ‘Ireland’s Ball’, which was developed in harness with creative agency JWT Folk, runs under the telco’s ongoing #TeamOfUs IRFU activation platform and revolves around a one of a kind rugby ball created to celebrate the diverse fabric of modern Irish society.

The campaign’s aim was to bring to life the idea that ‘regardless of who we are, where we’re from or what our background is, when it comes to Irish rugby, we all belong in the Team Of Us’.

The ball has been made with a bespoke grip containing the fingerprints of 32 different rugby fans – one from every county in Ireland – in order to symbolise this connection with one another and with Irish rugby and to unite the people of Ireland.

This ball will travel to Japan with the team as a symbol of the Team Of Us support for Irish rugby from fans all across Ireland.

The physical ball itself is communicated and supported through a variety of assets including a microsite (https://rugby.vodafone.ie/irelands-ball/), a content series, social and digital assets and a spearhead launch video.

This lead film was amplified across the usual online platforms,

4 Proud Provinces
32 Fingerprints
1 Ireland's Ball@IrishRugby #TeamOfUs Everyone In pic.twitter.com/nKb5Od4Gec

— Vodafone Ireland (@VodafoneIreland) August 20, 2019

with additional supporting content

We created a unique rugby ball with the fingerprints of 32 different people from every county in Ireland, symbolising our connection to each other and to @IrishRugby

Check out their stories herehttps://t.co/lQH2W7BSwG#TeamOfUs Everyone In pic.twitter.com/4heQBlmSBr

— Vodafone Ireland (@VodafoneIreland) August 20, 2019

4 Proud Provinces
32 Fingerprints
1 Ireland's Ball

Click below for your chance to hand the ball over to the team before they head off to Japan > https://t.co/9JPHYaPMDs@IrishRugby

#TeamOfUs Everyone In pic.twitter.com/YA0tUSa3iL

— Vodafone Ireland (@VodafoneIreland) August 28, 2019

and a competition to win a trip to Japan.

View this post on Instagram

One lucky Vodafone customer will win the trip of a lifetime to support @irishrugby in Japan this September Entry and details in the My Vodafone app. #TeamOfUs Everyone In

A post shared by Vodafone Ireland (@vodafoneireland) on Jul 10, 2019 at 10:05am PDT

WIN tickets to see Ireland Vs Wales

Tweet one of the options below and if correct you could be heading along to see @IrishRugby in their final Guinness Summer Series home game before Japan#TeamOfUs Everyone In

— Vodafone Ireland (@VodafoneIreland) August 23, 2019

The initiative was created for Vodafone Head of Sponsorship and Business Brand Gerry Nixon and Sponsorship, Brand and Communications Specialist Jane Lawrence by a team from JWT Folk which included Creative Partner Karl Waters, CEO Abi Moran, Managing Director Enda Kelly, Creative Director Jonny Cullen, Creatives Michael Whelan and Jamie Whelan, Creative Technologist Ed Leamy, Strategist Rachel Haslam, Social & Content Strategy Director Vivian Huynh, Account Director Megan Kelly, Senior Account Manager Lauren Murphy, Broadcast Director Michael Cullen and Producer Eric Brindley.

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Links:

Vodafone Ireland

https://n.vodafone.ie

https://www.youtube.com/user/VodafoneIreland

https://www.instagram.com/vodafoneireland/

https://twitter.com/VodafoneIreland

https://www.facebook.com/vodafoneireland

JWT Folk

https://www.jwt.com/en/jwtfolk

IRFU

http://www.irishrugby.ie

https://www.facebook.com/irishrugby.banter

https://twitter.com/IrishRugby

https://www.youtube.com/user/IrishRugbyTVOfficial