Legacy Communications announces indeed Official Partnership with Team Ireland for Tokyo 2020.
“Sports have the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, the power to unite people in a way that little else does”. Nelson Mandela
Grand Canal Dock. There was a freshness about one of Dublin’s favourite business spots last Wednesday, an optimism in the footfall of people hustling towards their first coffee, the multiple cranes stretched across the sky line offering a glimpse of the enterprise yet to come. Its newest resident is indeed, the world’s number one jobs search engine, who last week announced over 600 new jobs for their new European Headquarters for Dublin as part of their global expansion.
As the glass doors opened on the impressive new facility last week, the buzz wasn’t just about jobs, it was also about sport, about the Team Ireland and their run up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic’s and a unique new partnership announced to a packed room of media and “indeedians”. This global tech heavyweight nailed its colours to the mast and committed to standing behind our men and women as they take on the world. The collective message was simple, both sides would work to “get the job done” in Tokyo next year.
For Legacy Communications, the announcement marked the culmination of months of work in shaping a proposition that was unique in many ways. Indeed, having been in Ireland for a number of years and already employing hundreds of people, felt it was time for something different and disruptive in the market. There was a genuine desire to connect more with Irish people across the country, to be part of the conversation at a grassroots level. Yes, they were moving to fancy new offices, and hiring hundreds more people but for indeed that simply wasn’t enough. They wanted to align with something unique to Ireland, to allow them to have meaningful conversations that had real context and connection with their audience.
The Legacy sports team worked through various concepts and ideas linked to grassroots in Ireland before landing on the Team Ireland Olympic proposition which was presented to the global indeed team in the USA several weeks ago. They loved it. Not for the logos or the branding that many sponsors tend to go for, rather it was the shared narrative. The stories that could be told. Indeed’s mission is to help people get jobs. It is a simple mission within a complex environment. The world of work is changing dramatically and everyone is impacted.
When we peeled back the layers on the Olympic proposition, what emerged was initially a story of amateur athletes across the country striving to be the best they can be and working with a team of people to bring their dream to life. Yet life outside of sport was more complex. What happens when your last race is run? What pathway exists to succeed in the world of work?
Indeed saw an opportunity to be part of their team. To play a real and tangible role in the future of athletes across Ireland. Indeed could future proof these athletes for life after sport. As amateurs there is no pot of gold at the end of the journey, for most the reality is an often challenging transition into the workplace. Shorn of the sporting identity, a ‘real’ job can be immensely tough for athletes unless the proper career pathways haven’t been established as part of their sporting careers.
Yet where there are hurdles, indeed will work with these athletes through the Athletes Commission to upskill them, helping them understand their value in a workplace context. To draw confidence from the fact that their skills of commitment, teamwork and discipline are directly transferable and highly sought after by employers. Indeed will help them find the job that is a fit for them and develop a plan to succeed.
It is rare to find a sponsorship partnership that truly works in terms of the shared sense of beliefs and purpose around what everyone wants to achieve. Indeed, as a large technology company based in Ireland, has lit a flame in terms of the type of relationship that multi-national technology companies can have with Ireland and in particular our sports industry. With increasing cynicism around some of the much debated ‘incentives’ for locating in Ireland, this partnership represents a truly outward commitment to the country and our sporting heroes and one I am sure will have caught the attention of others in the space.
With initial coverage of the launch event exceeding all expectations, the real work will begin now alongside both Indeed and Team Ireland to build a best in class sponsorship activation campaign that will uncover and highlight those Olympic stories that will truly resonate and inspire the next generation of athletes to chase their dreams both on the field but also in their career outside of sport.
James Brogan, Director of Legacy Communications