The Background
The GAA isn’t just a sports organisation—it’s a cornerstone of Irish communities, but in recent years, attendance had declined (-4% YoY) and GAA fandom had weakened, with those showing no interest rising from 29% in 2022 to 36% in early 2024. This shift called for immediate action.
Objectives:
1. drive immediate ticket sales for the Championship
2. increase brand sentiment by maintaining a year-round Brand presence to keep GAA central to Irish culture.
While a performance-driven digital campaign might have seemed like the obvious choice to drive sales, TV (when done right!) is far more effective at driving action (TV drives 3x greater sales volume than any other medium) and boosting brand sentiment (Total TV generates twice the brand impact of online ads, with a 39% loss in impact if removed). TV was therefore the ideal platform to achieve both objectives.
The target audience for the Championship was “Watchers” (primarily males aged 65+ and 35-44, heavy live TV viewers, over indexing on BVOD). These passionate GAA fans prefer their couches over stadium seats, and PHD Media set out to change that. For the Brand campaign, they targeted the entire island of Ireland, focusing on adults 18+.
This campaign was shortlisted in the Best TV Strategy category at the 2025 TAMI Awards
The Challenge
Challenges:
1. Ticket Sales: Attendance numbers dropped YoY as more fans switched to watching live matches on TV, a trend accelerated by COVID.
2. Diverse Audiences: The largest attendance declines were among fans aged 65+ and younger audiences (18-34), who increasingly shifted to BVOD and short-form digital platforms.
3. Brand Campaign Presence: The brand campaign budget only allowed for a short campaign and ideally the GAA needed to maintain a consistent presence beyond traditional bursts drive changes in brand scores.
Opportunities:
1. Sports fans: The target audience over-index in other sports, including soccer, rugby, golf, and horse racing, and they are heavy live TV viewers.
2. Strategic AV Layering: a combination of linear TV, BVOD, SVOD, and contextual placements can extend resonance (GRPs plus adstock) throughout the year.
3. Contra Agreements: RTÉ’s contra budget availability can maximise cost-efficiency and expand reach.
PHD’s strategy was to leverage each opportunity to combat a challenge.
1. Leverage live sports TV to drive ticket sales and boost attendance:
The excitement of live TV is the closest experience to being at a live GAA event in the stadium. To maximise visibility, they strategically positioned GAA around major sporting events, combining linear TV with targeted sports spot buys. This included the Champions League semi-finals and final, along with key EURO matches from April to July.
2.Leverage strategic AV layering to engage diverse and fragmented AV audiences: To capture younger viewers, PHD strategically leveraged Virgin Player, taking advantage of their June/July viewership spike driven by Love Island. They invested in the Love Island Package, which attracted more than 1.9 million viewers in Summer and
secured the No.1 9 PM slot for the 18-44 demographic. Recognising that viewers frequently dual screen while watching live TV, PHD targeted lighter, younger linear TV viewers-with YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. This approach allowed the GAA to engage with them during moments they weren’t watching TV or were interacting with sports content online.
By combining linear TV, BVOD, SVOD, digital video, and contextual placements, PHD were able to stretch the campaign’s impact throughout the year, maximising reach and engagement.
3.Leverage the contra deal to extend the Brand campaign’s presence beyond traditional bursts.
GAA had access to a contra deal with RTÉ across BVOD and TV starting in April 2024, which PHD strategically utilised across the
whole year. By creatively allocating RTÉ contra budgets between the Championship and Brand, they maximised cost-efficiency
and expanded reach. This approach allowed them increase our TV and BVOD spend, as well as invest in spot buys and BVOD packages, such as the Virgin Media package.
The Strategy
The TV plan was designed to drive ticket sales by maximising early reach while maintaining frequency throughout the campaign. Maximising 1+ reach in the first four weeks was crucial while remaining mindful of diminishing returns. The overall campaign’s planned reach was strong, with a 1+ reach of 69.4% across All Adults over 10 weeks, 810 TVRs. Achieving solid frequency was equally important, as this was the first time the audience encountered the creative. Optimising to a 3+ reach of 51.9% ensured exposure to the message multiple times.
The “two weeks on, one week off” strategy aligned with key fixture weekends, building effective reach while maintaining momentum beyond the awareness phase and ensuring top-of-mind presence throughout the Championship. In Northern Ireland, PHD ran a six-week burst finishing by the Ulster Championship Final on May 12th, balancing budget allocation while ensuring sustained presence in a key region. Recognising Sky’s sports programming was strongest early in the campaign, PHD prioritised spends in April and May, leveraging Premier League Final Weeks and major Golf Tournaments before reallocating to other platforms post-May for cost efficiency.
With the target audience highly engaged in live sports, they placed strategic spot buys during the Champions League Semifinals/Final and EURO 2024 key matches.
RTÉ Player reached on-demand sports viewers, while Virgin Media’s Love Island Package ensured relevance among younger
demographics. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok provided additional touchpoints, reinforcing our message among digital-first audiences.
The Results
The campaign surpassed all key objectives, proving that smart AV planning drives success and demonstrating the power of an integrated TV-first approach in revitalising GAA attendance and sentiment.
Business Impact:
• +20,000 YoY uplift in ticket sales, a significant increase in overall attendance.
• +6ppt increase in attendance & participation, signalling a renewed connection with fans.
• GAA fandom rebounded, with engagement and interest returning to 2022 metrics. The percentage of people showing no interest in the GAA dropped from 36% back to 29%, aligning with 2022 levels!
Marketing & Communication Success:
• Awareness of ticket buying options and concessions improved significantly (+6ppt)
• 3 in 5 respondents had seen the Championship campaign, demonstrating strong reach and engagement.
• The Championship campaign’s core message, “Experience the Unforgettable”, resonated powerfully, reinforcing emotional ties to the GAA experience
• Recall of Brand campaign “Where We All Belong” Motto increased across all GAA segments. Over half of GAA fans are now aware of the motto. YoY Increase: +5 percentage points (from 49% in 2023 to 54% in 2024).
The Role of TV in Driving Success:
• TV played a crucial role in mobilising fans—respondents who had seen the campaign on TV were significantly more likely to have attended a match.
• The emotional storytelling in the new creative execution successfully shifted perceptions, driving an increase in positive sentiment towards GAA’s inclusivity, community involvement, and championship excitement.
• The campaign had a greater impact on mobilisation versus previous non-TV campaigns, proving that TV remains the most effective channel for engaging watchers and converting them into attendees.
By combining intelligent budget allocation, high-impact programming, and audience-first planning, the team solidified GAA’s position as the heartbeat of Irish sport and culture, increased match attendance, and reinforced the Championship as an unmissable live experience.
“Our goals for the 2024 GAA Championship & Brand campaign were clear—bring fans back to stadiums and reinforce GAA’s role as the heart of Irish sport. The team’s strategic AV approach was instrumental in achieving this. By combining smart TV planning with targeted AV layering, they ensured that our message reached the right audience at the right time, maximizing both impact and efficiency. Their ability to balance Championship sales objectives with long-term brand sentiment was remarkable. The strategic placement of our campaign across live sports, BVOD, and digital channels meant we weren’t just present—we were impossible to ignore, so the results speak for themselves. This campaign proved the unmatched power of TV in driving both action and emotion. The team’s expertise in AV planning, data-driven insights, and their ability to stretch budgets for maximum impact made all the difference. This was more than a media plan—it was a winning strategy that delivered for both GAA and its fans”
Noel Quinn, Head of GAA Marketing
Credits
Brand:
GAA
Media Agency:
PHD Media
Award:
Shortlisted in the Best TV Strategy category at the 2025 TAMI Awards