Liberty Insurance conducted its first Live Twitter Q&A yesterday afternoon, putting Dublin hurler and brand ambassador Liam Rushe in the spotlight.
An important part of Liberty’s five year deal is to build up the personality of the sports of Hurling and Camogie and to assist players not normally seen without their helmets to become better known in the general population and as sporting role models.
Yesterday’s event was managed by digital agency In the Company of Huskies who also work with brands like Guinness and Fáilte Ireland.
“@LibertyIRL is the brand account for Liberty on twitter,” said Huskies’ Michael Corcoran. “It is early days in terms of building an audience so we chose to promote the session using Liam’s own account, that of Dublin GAA and the main brand channel.”
“We started to promote that it was happening towards the end of last week and focused on accounts like @SportforBusines and others to spread the word.”
“Dublin’s Quarter Final draw against Tipperary gave a nice impetus and we are pleased with the way things went.”
Liam Rushe went out to the Liberty offices in Blanchardstown where he sat alongside Corcoran answering questions in real time as they came in and were passed over to him.
There were a number of questions that had been put forward through the morning which provided a measure of continuity but Twitter is very much at its best in a live environment and the flow of questions covered everything from the hurling rule book to his personal laundry.
Fellow Brand Ambassador Anne Geary got in on the act asking whether he felt he would have what it takes to be an escort at the Rose of Tralee. Geary herself will represent Cork this summer on the pitch and in the iconic summer pageant and will be involved in her own Live Twitter Q&A before that.
@LibertyIRL @ODonoghueCathal Defending the U21 Leinster trophy in Wexford Park 2011
— Liam Rushe (@LiamRushe) July 14, 2014
@LibertyIRL@SportforBusines, @paulywayy he’s got my back in matches, and works in Davy’s so I expect good stock selections.
— Liam Rushe (@LiamRushe) July 14, 2014
The plan is to run similar sessions with players like Anna Geary and Joe Canning and to build up the association of Liberty as a real partner for the sport and the players.
“As part of our overall sponsorship strategy, this is the first in a series of social media activities that will facilitate fan engagement and online conversations,” said Annette Ni Dhathlaoi, Head of Marketing for Liberty Insurance speaking after the event.
“It’s all about inviting participation from GAA supporters and our employees and in doing so, continuing to raise the profile of Hurling & Camogie”.
