Unilever has announced its biggest-ever sports partnership activation as official personal care sponsor of this summer’s FIFA World Cup, which will kick off on 11 June in North America.
The global campaign will see activity across more than 35 brands – including Dove, Rexona/Degree and Lynx/Axe – to ensure “players, spectators and fans are fresh for every stage”.
The brands will collaborate with a diverse network of influencers and content creators across Unilever’s largest markets – from sports fans, players and sportscasters to people in fashion, lifestyle and beauty. They would “deliver immersive, social-first storytelling that helps fans feel fresh, confident and ready for every moment off the pitch”, the fmcg giant said.
This will be accompanied by ‘House of Fresh’, a dedicated in-person creator hub in three of the World Cup’s host cities: Mexico City, New York and Miami. “The experiential space has been purpose-built for social media feeds, designed to turn live participation into social selling and storytelling at scale,” Unilever added.
The supplier has also established a 24/7 social media hub called ‘The Locker Room’ to deliver real-time responsive content across platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. A team of creator and community experts at Unilever and sports and football strategists would “shape, respond and amplify cultural moments as they unfold” throughout the five-week tournament, the company said. “With large audiences tuning into the live events, Unilever’s social-first activity will help keep conversations going long after the matchday moments.”
FIFA World Cup 2026 was set to be “one of the biggest cultural moments on the planet”, said Afke van de Klashorst, VP of integrated brand experience at Unilever Personal Care. The supplier’s ambition was “for our brands to show up in spaces where fandom lives and in ways that are authentic, native to social and meaningful, by bringing freshness and confidence to matchday moments that matter most for fans, players and spectators”.
Romy Gai, chief business officer at FIFA, added: “Football today lives in real time, in culture and on social platforms – and this tournament is designed to be experienced, shaped and shared by fans wherever they are.
“Working with partners like Unilever helps turn moments on the pitch into meaningful conversations off it, reaching new generations and making the power of football more accessible, inclusive and impactful than ever before.”
Last month, Unilever unveiled a wealth of new products across its major personal care brands, as part of its sponsorship of the World Cup. They include Radox limited-edition Feel Energised FIFA World Cup 26 shower gel (rsp: £1.50) and three limited-edition Men + Care FIFA Active lines: 72-hour (rsp: £5.25) and 48-hour (rsp: £2.80) deodorant sprays and a hair, face & body wash (rsp: £3.75).
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