Retail & FashionBenetti Menswear × Ronan O'Gara — AW21 Launch
Benetti Menswear partnered with Ronan O'Gara to launch its AW21 collection, combining premium menswear with timely rugby PR to maximise nationwide brand exposure.
Overview
The campaign
Benetti Menswear partnered with Sport Endorse to launch its Autumn/Winter 2021 collection by securing rugby legend Ronan O'Gara as its brand ambassador. Timed alongside the 2021 Autumn Nations Series, the campaign combined premium fashion marketing with high-value sports media opportunities, creating nationwide PR coverage and establishing a successful multi-year ambassador partnership.
The challenge
Benetti Menswear wanted to introduce its Autumn/Winter 2021 collection with a recognisable Irish ambassador capable of strengthening the brand's premium positioning while generating meaningful media attention.
Rather than relying solely on traditional advertising, the brand wanted to capitalise on a major sporting moment to increase visibility across both fashion and mainstream media. Finding an athlete with broad consumer appeal, strong professional credibility and genuine alignment with the Benetti brand required a carefully managed ambassador selection process.
The ideal ambassador needed to resonate with Benetti's core audience of professionals, business leaders and rugby supporters, while also providing long-term value beyond a single seasonal campaign.
The Sport Endorse solution
Sport Endorse identified Ronan O'Gara as the ideal ambassador to front Benetti's Autumn/Winter 2021 campaign.
Using the Sport Endorse platform, Benetti secured an established sporting personality whose reputation extended beyond rugby into leadership, professionalism and premium personal branding.
The campaign launch was strategically timed to coincide with the 2021 Autumn Nations Series, particularly Ireland's highly anticipated fixture against New Zealand. This enabled O'Gara to participate in media interviews discussing Ireland's prospects while simultaneously launching the new Benetti collection.
Sport Endorse managed the ambassador partnership, helping coordinate campaign delivery while ensuring both parties could maximise the commercial value of the collaboration. The success of the campaign ultimately led to the partnership being extended into a multi-year ambassador relationship.
Athletic Fit
Ronan O'Gara represented an authentic extension of the Benetti Menswear brand.
As one of Ireland's most respected rugby figures and an internationally recognised elite coach, O'Gara embodied many of the qualities Benetti wished to communicate through its collections: confidence, professionalism, leadership and understated style.
His credibility appealed naturally to Benetti's target demographic, particularly professionals and rugby supporters, while his extensive media profile created opportunities that extended well beyond traditional fashion advertising.
Rather than appearing as a celebrity endorsement, the partnership felt genuine and aligned with both O'Gara's personal image and Benetti's premium positioning.
Deliverables
- Strategic ambassador identification and recruitment
- Contract negotiation and partnership management
- Ronan O'Gara appointed as Benetti AW21 Brand Ambassador
- Autumn/Winter 2021 campaign photography
- National PR launch aligned with the Autumn Nations Series
- Rugby-focused media interviews supporting campaign visibility
- Digital marketing assets for website and social media
- Retail marketing and promotional imagery
- Point-of-sale campaign assets for stockists
- Image licensing for campaign marketing
- Multi-year ambassador partnership established following campaign success
- The Trusted Quote
- "Ronan is great to work with and is hugely popular with our retailers and the public alike, and Sport Endorse have been great too!"
- Vincent Nally | Consultant
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