As creators of #TheToughest platform and sponsors of the All-Ireland Football Championship, All-Ireland Club Championship and AIB Club Camogie Championships – AIB’s role in the GAA is well established.
But this summer they faced their toughest task. How do you support a Championship when there’s no games? Working with Rothco, they quickly realised that this summer the biggest challenge facing players and supporters wouldn’t be on the field, it would be off it. And this summer wouldn’t be like every other year, in fact it would be ‘The Toughest Summer’.
Directed by award-winning documentary Director, Ross Whittaker, ‘The Toughest Summer’ is the story of a summer where sport took a backseat, and support came to the fore. Starring every element of the GAA community, this story takes us from complete lockdown to the first throw-in. First launched as a five-part online series, the campaign culminated in a feature length documentary aired on RTÉ 1 on Tuesday, August 25th.
‘The Toughest Summer’ series is now available to stream on all AIB social channels, and the feature length documentary is available on both AIB’s YouTube channel and the RTÉ Player.
Ray Swan, creative director at Rothco, part of Accenture Interactive comments: “AIB’s #TheToughest has always been about documenting the passion, tenacity and indomitable spirit of the GAA both on and off the pitch. We’ve always had the cameras rolling, never fully knowing the outcome of any particular piece of work we were creating. “The Toughest Summer” is no exception.
“Documenting the GAA in a time when there are no games - right through the summer, from the deserted pitches, right through to the tentative return to training. It’s not a COVID-19 story – it’s a GAA story. It’s a story about the bonds that tie the community together. Bonds that, when tested, become even stronger. We still don’t know how it will end. No one does. And that’s testament to the great relationship we have with our friends in AIB – we’re one team on this.”
Michael Dargan, Head of Consumer Marketing at AIB comments: “AIB’s #thetoughest campaigns have gone from strength to strength over the years and this year has been no exception, despite it being the toughest yet for GAA and for sport sponsorship in general. We are thrilled to be launching this campaign with Rothco and Ross, to bring a unique insight into how GAA players, supporters and communities across the island of Ireland have risen to the challenges of 2020 and displayed the toughness and humanity needed to emerge stronger than ever. The art and craft of storytelling has been captured by Ross in a truly magical manner and we are proud to be able to bring these stories to people in both short-form and long-form across linear broadcast, social, and on-demand channels. We continually ask our creative partners to find ways to break with convention and this year they have pushed the creative envelope further than ever with this latest work.”
