Food & DrinkOttimo Pasta × Lee Keegan & Nina Carberry — Social Campaign
Ottimo Pasta partnered with Irish sporting stars Lee Keegan and Nina Carberry to show busy families how quick, easy and tasty fresh frozen pasta can be.
Overview
The campaign
Green Isle Foods used the Sport Endorse platform to connect Ottimo Pasta with nationally recognised Irish sporting personalities Lee Keegan and Nina Carberry. Both created authentic content showing how the fresh frozen pasta could be prepared quickly and enjoyed as a convenient, tasty option for busy families.
The challenge
Ottimo Pasta needed to communicate a simple but commercially important product promise: premium pasta could still be practical for everyday family life. The product was positioned around convenience, taste and quality, but those benefits needed to be demonstrated rather than merely stated. Traditional product photography could show the packaging and finished meal, yet it would not fully explain how the range fitted into the routines of time-poor households.
The campaign also required recognisable personalities who could make the message feel relevant across Ireland. The talent needed broad national appeal, a credible connection with family and everyday life, and the ability to produce content that felt natural rather than scripted. Green Isle Foods initially explored a wider three-athlete concept, but the final public campaign focused on two established sporting names with complementary audiences.
The Sport Endorse solution
Sport Endorse helped Green Isle Foods source Lee Keegan and Nina Carberry through its athlete marketplace. The public Sport Endorse success story confirms that both athletes had strong national reach and produced authentic content for Ottimo Pasta. The creative approach centred on showing the product being prepared and eaten, turning the brand's claims around speed, ease and taste into relatable demonstrations.
The partnership aligned the product with two familiar Irish sporting figures from different disciplines. Lee Keegan brought the profile of an elite Gaelic footballer, while Nina Carberry brought recognition from a highly successful career in horse racing and a strong public presence beyond sport. Together, they gave Ottimo access to audiences that extended across sports fans, families and mainstream consumers.
Internal HubSpot records support the campaign timeline and commercial progression. A Deal titled "Ottimo pasta X 3 athletes" was created in March 2023 and later marked Opportunity Lost, while a separate "Nina Ottimo pasta" Deal was completed with a close date of 8 June 2023. The completed public success story identifies the final pairing as Nina Carberry and Lee Keegan. This indicates that the initial concept evolved before delivery, with the final activation built around two athletes rather than the original three-person plan.
Athlete fit
Lee Keegan was a strong fit because of his national sporting profile and reputation within Gaelic games. His public recognition gave Ottimo an immediate connection with Irish audiences, while his athlete lifestyle made the need for quick, satisfying meals credible. The partnership allowed the product to be presented through everyday use rather than as a detached celebrity endorsement.
Nina Carberry complemented that positioning with cross-generational recognition and an approachable public image. Her background in elite sport, combined with a family-oriented profile, matched the campaign's focus on busy households. Using two different sporting personalities also gave the brand a broader storytelling base and reduced reliance on a single audience segment.
Deliverables
- The public and internal records confirm the following campaign structure and deliverables:
- Two nationally recognised Irish sporting personalities selected: Lee Keegan and Nina Carberry.
- Authentic athlete-led content created to demonstrate Ottimo Pasta preparation and consumption.
- Product messaging focused on speed, ease, taste and suitability for busy family routines.
- Social-first content designed to connect the Ottimo range with the athletes' national audiences.
- Campaign delivery supported through Sport Endorse talent sourcing and internal Deal management.
- Final campaign pairing published by Sport Endorse after the original three-athlete concept was revised.
Results
The available sources verify two activated athletes, one completed final campaign narrative and a product that cooks from frozen in four minutes. Green Isle Foods describes Ottimo as a fresh frozen pasta range made in Ireland, launched in 2022, with convenience and quality at the centre of its positioning. Campaign-level reach, impressions, views, engagement rate, conversion and sales uplift were not available in the records reviewed, so none have been estimated.
“The public Sport Endorse success story includes a client testimonial from Caroline McCarthy of Green Isle Foods beginning: "We found the team at Sport Endorse incredibly helpful and full of energy…" The available excerpt provides a direct qualitative signal that the brand valued the support and working relationship behind the campaign. 2 nationally recognised athletes → authentic preparation content → a quick family-meal message delivered through trusted sporting voices.”— Caroline McCarthy, Green Isle Foods
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