Yili, a leading dairy brand in China, has built up a longstanding brand association with sports throughout the years, and is a long time sponsor of major sporting events such as the Olympics.
However, one important arena where it has struggled to build a significant presence in is the World Cup – the most watched sporting event in China by far, with over 660 million viewers tuning in for the last World Cup.
Making matters even more dire, Yili’s biggest competitor had snagged the official sponsor status this year, which meant Yili wouldn’t have access to any of the official matches and their broadcasts.
Faced with this steep uphill battle, Yili nonetheless set out to achieve 3 objectives:
• Keep Yili top of mind for World Cup viewers throughout the tournament
• Increase brand favourability among younger Millennial and Gen-Z consumers
• Defend their market share during the World Cup period
