Unilever, the international consumer products giant, has become the latest brand to partner with European soccer’s governing body UEFA, covering next year’s European Championship men’s national teams tournament.
Through the new deal, several Unilever food and personal care brands have become official sponsors of Euro 2024, which will take place across 10 cities in Germany between June 14 and July 14.
Food brands covered by the deal include Hellmann’s, Calve, Knorr, Colman’s, Amora, and The Vegetarian Butcher, while nutritional brands Rexona (known as Sure, Shield, and Degree globally), Dove Men+Care, Axe (Lynx in the UK), Radox and Dusch Das are also official sponsors.
As part of the partnership, Unilever will work with its retail partners to create opportunities for shoppers to win tickets and fan experiences in the lead-up to the tournament. The brands will also activate in official fan zones at the competition.
Peter Dekkers, Unilever’s nutrition general manager in Europe, said: “The enjoyment of food plays such an important role in how we come together with friends and family over sporting events, whether we’re watching together with thousands of others in stadia or cheering from the comforts of home.
“Unilever Nutrition brands are proud to be part of this huge European event, which also has global appeal, and to reach more people through their love of football.”
Unilever said it is anticipated Euro 2024 will attract a cumulative live audience of five billion people worldwide, while 2.7 million fans are expected to attend the competition across the 10 German cities.
The new deal adds to the recent partnership deals organizers have struck ahead of the tournament, including global drinks giant Coca-Cola, which was announced as a global sponsor in October, joining Adidas, Alipay, Atos, Booking.com Engelbert Strauss, Hisense, Lidl, and Vivo in the top-tier designation.
National partners of the 24-team event, meanwhile, include German brewery Bitburger, telecoms giant Deutsche Telekom, railway transportation provider Deutsche Bahn, insurance company Ergo, and poultry company Wisenhof.
Betano became the first sports betting firm to secure a partnership with the competition, with parent company Kaizen Gaming serving as an official global sponsor.
UEFA marketing director Laurent Epstein has said: “Unilever’s nutrition and personal care brand portfolio reaches billions of people every day, and I am confident that together we will bring a new dimension of engagement and excitement to fans everywhere.”
