Several NFL games will be played overseas this football season, but none of them will take place in Ireland. And Jameson has something to say about that. So on Sept. 6, the Irish whiskey brand fired up a rally bus and a partnership with former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman and parked outside NFL Headquarters in New York City to make some noise—and its case for bringing a pro football game to Dublin. The stunt served as the launch of Jameson’s Touch Down in Ireland campaign, which will also be brought to life with tailgating activations in Tampa Bay, FL, and Las Vegas next month.
For Jameson, which sponsors a handful of NFL teams, but doesn’t have an official NFL sponsorship deal, the strategy requires finesse. But the brand is up to the task with its sights set on driving earned media and infiltrating football fans’ consideration set on game days.
“You think about sports, it’s a beer occasion. And the Jameson team saw a real opportunity and a real white space,” says Kim Haney, director-experiential at Pernod Ricard. “It started last year. We were like, what if we got the NFL to do a game in Ireland? It’s beautiful. The grass is green. It’s the perfect place to do it. So we partnered with Ryan Fitzpatrick and launched an earned media and social campaign to bring professional football to Dublin. It didn’t happen. So we said let’s do it again this year. Let’s double down.”
And double down they did. When Jameson pulled into NFL Headquarters to drum up buzz in New York, it was hard to miss the spectacle. The branded bus, featuring two giant helmets on its exterior, was packed with cheerleaders, a band, a group of fanatics holding signs and Edelman at the helm with a megaphone, all clamoring for the league to touch down in Dublin. (“How cool would it be if we raise the eyebrows of someone in that building and they go, ‘Why not Ireland?’” says Haney.)
The showdown at headquarters was just the beginning of the fan activation, however. The Jameson rally bus then rolled down to the Financial District for a watch party on Stone Street, known for its massive annual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Edelman led the charge to Ulysses Pub, with the cheerleaders and band in tow. There, consumers could check out a glowing “J” installation, grab a free Jameson cocktail and board the bus to score swag, hang out and watch the Eagles-Packers game, which took place in Brazil.
The brand will next tap into its partnerships with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 21 and the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 27 by activating at game-day tailgates. The setup will include the rally bus and a 50-square-foot space where fans can buy cocktails, listen to a live dj and test their field goal kicking skills. Jameson will also swing through Texas to activate a pop-up tailgate experience in partnership with Culturemap.
“The bus was meant to be just for this stunt, but I was like, wait a minute, we can take this on the road. It was a cool collaboration, taking an earned [media] idea and really parlaying it to an experiential idea that’s going to drive national visibility and then tap down into the local between Florida, Texas and Las Vegas,” Haney says. “We kind of found our thing. It’s going to be sports, and you’re going to see Jameson popping up more. So this is almost like our test run for the big show.” Agencies: 160over90, experiential; Lime Media, bus fabrication.
More Scenes from the Touchdown in Dublin Activation:
Photos: Courtesy of Jameson
