The fourth official at a World Cup match occupies a peculiar position in the sporting universe — present at every moment of high drama, yet largely unnoticed until something goes wrong. Someone at Unilever apparently looked at this anonymous figure, standing at the sideline with a substitution board, and saw an advertising opportunity.
That placement, which put Rexona branding in the vicinity of the official's armpit, was among the more inventive elements of what Unilever described as its largest sports partnership activation ever. The effort, tied to the company's role as official personal care sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, involved more than 35 brands across 120 markets and the participation of some 50,000 content creators. (The number of armpits involved was not specified.)
The campaign reflected what has become an article of faith among major marketers: that a global sporting event is no longer simply a television broadcast but a sprawling, simultaneous conversation happening across stadiums, streams, group chats and, eventually, store shelves. Unilever, which is part of no holding company but is itself a holding company of sorts for brands including Dove, Axe and Rexona, treated the tournament as an occasion to give each of those names a distinct role.
Dove Men+Care positioned itself around the physical indignities of fandom — the face paint, the sunburn, the sweat. Axe, which has long cultivated a younger and somewhat less inhibited consumer, encouraged fans to "smell your best when you look your worst," a proposition that the brand illustrated with the help of creators including the former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand.
The company reported reach figures in the billions and noted that it had produced more than 180 limited-edition products for the occasion.
Whether all of this translated into lasting business results, Unilever acknowledged, remained to be seen. Reach, as the company's Rani Al Hajji observed, shows how far the work traveled. Whether anyone bought more deodorant as a result is a longer story, still being written.
Original story published in The Drum: "Rani Al Hajji: How Unilever mobilized 35 brands and 50,000 creators at the World Cup | The Drum"