Unilever’s big World Cup bet is all about building ‘desire at scale’

In today’s CEO Daily: Unilever USA president explains the business case behind its World Cup partnership.

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Good morning. About one-third of the estimated $8.9 billion in revenue that FIFA will collect from the 2026 World Cup comes from an ecosystem of official partners, sponsors and supporters. And that doesn’t include the billions that brands like Adidas, Coca-Cola, Visa, Qatar Airways, Lenovo, Hyundai-Kia, Aramco, AB InBev, Bank of America and Verizon will pay to supplement those efforts in what’s been described as one of the most complex marketing stages in the world.

What’s in it for the sponsors? Nike’s star-studded Rip the Script has been viewed 79 million times while studies show World Cup sponsors outperform the S&P 500 during the tournament. Associating with star players helps too. (Expect Argentina’s stunning comeback against Egypt to enhance the aura around Lionel Messi.)

For more insight on how the World Cup fits into a broader business strategy, I spoke with Herrish Patel, president of Unilever USA and CEO of Personal Care North America, a division that launched its biggest-ever sports partnership as “official personal care sponsor” of the World Cup. Patel says the deal is core to his strategy to build “desire at scale” in Unilever’s high-priority U.S. market. His approach:

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