Laois man and Bord Gáis Energy Digital Marketing Executive to represent Ireland at Cannes Young Lions marketing competition

Rathdowney local and Bord Gáis Energy Digital Marketing Executive, John Aherne, will travel to Cannes later this week to represent Ireland at the world’s most prestigious marketing competition, the Cannes Young Lions.

John, who is 25, will compete in the Young Marketers category, which will see the world’s top young marketing talent go head-to-head on a global stage, in what is known as the ‘Oscars of Advertising’.

John joined Bord Gáis Energy two years ago, and has proven to be a valuable addition to the marketing team.

In his spare time, he runs the Best of Ireland Instagram page, which has amassed over 470k followers.

John was selected alongside Cathy Lambert from Mountain Productions to represent Ireland following a very competitive Irish heat.

Teams of two were given just 48 hours to respond to a brief for one of three charities selected this year, and John and Cathy were chosen to develop a creative campaign for GOAL. Their entry wowed the judges, who singled it out for being ‘’super-smart, clear, simple with the potential to be emotional and motivating’.

In Cannes, John and Cathy will be set a new brief and task and will have 48 hours to devise a creative response before presenting their work to some of the world’s most successful marketers.

In a statement Bord Gáis Energy said that, "John is an integral part of the company’s award-winning marketing team and helped develop a major brand repositioning strategy for the business in 2021. 

"John’s work producing brave and innovative digital content for Bord Gáis Energy, has helped transform the brand to one of ‘Brilliant Possibilities’ successfully on its own digital communications channels since then. 

"John’s content has helped people better understand the importance of transitioning to more sustainable home energy management services and starting their journey to net zero."

Passionate about all things digital, in his spare time, John created the hugely popular Best of Ireland social media account with a friend which is now the largest independent travel page in Ireland, with over 470k followers.

Commenting ahead of his trip to Cannes, John said: “It’s a privilege to have been chosen to represent Ireland in the Young Marketers category at the Cannes Young Lions Competition.

"I’m really excited to take part and meet the other competitors from around the world. Cathy and I have received huge support from our teams at Bord Gáis Energy and Mountain Productions and we’re really looking forward to the next stage of the journey.”