Unilever named as top advertiser for Sainsbury’s Games

The FMCG business will activate the push around the three biggest athletic events in the UK this year – the Grand Prix and British Championships in Birmingham and the Anniversary Games in London.

Advertising will be tailored to each brand with campaigns designed to drive sampling around the events (see box). Unilever says the scope of the games is a “great fit” for promoting its “three family brands” across the UK this summer.

Jon Goldstone, vice president of brand building for foods and refreshments at Unilever UK & Ireland, says: “Athletics has never been so popular in the UK and with many of the Sainsbury’s Summer Series events sold-out already, it’s a fantastic opportunity for our Persil, Magnum and Flora brands to engage with our consumers.”

Unilever’s multi-brand sponsorship of athletics is similar to rival P&G’s long-term association with the Olympic Games. During the London 2012 Games, the FMCG business ran sponsorship activity through its “Proud Sponsor of Mums” campaign.

The tie-up is a return to the sponsorship arena for the Flora brand after it ended a 14-year deal with the London Marathon in 2007. Unilever is looking for ways to promote the health credentials of Flora after it admitted it must do more to communicate the taste and health benefits of its spreads and margarine products after a poor performance of its food division earlier this year.

Sainsbury’s announced earlier this year that it would become the title sponsor of the events after signing a long-term with British Athletics.

Sainsbury’s announced earlier this year that it would become the title sponsor of the the three domestic televised athletics events this summer after signing a long-term with British Athletics.