Irene Gowing on growing brand awareness: “Sponsorship is a long-term play”

Bord Gáis Energy has been proudly serving customers in Ireland since 1976. With a current base of over 460,000 unique customers, the company’s standing is significant. The sport of hurling is likewise important to the island. To help raise brand awareness in rural areas and support a sport with extensive history and traditions, Bord Gáis Energy partnered with GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) in 2009. In this interview, we spoke with Head of Brand, Sponsorship and Consumer PR, at Bord Gáis Energy, Irene Gowing.

We’ve been a partner of the GAA since 2009. We first entered a partnership with them as the title sponsor of the under 21 Hurling Championship. It was a fantastic competition, and we really got a lot of value out of that. We're also the sponsor of the Bord Gáis Energy Legends tours of Croke Park Stadium, which take place every year and we bring customers on that. More recently in 2017, we started the sponsorship of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and we're one of three partners in that mix. We have a long-standing relationship with the GAA, and it's served us well.