North American football competition Major League Soccer has agreed multi-year partnerships with multi-national snack foods company Mondelez and the consumer division of Johnson & Johnson.
As the official snacks of the MLS, Mondelez will promote a number of its brands in association with the league including Oreo, Chips Ahoy, Ritz, Wheat Thins, Honey Maid, Newtons, Belvita, Trident, Dentine, Stride and Sour Patch Kids.
Mondelez will gain exposure in association with the MLS through media, retail, in-store marketing, consumer promotions, PR and social media, while it will continue its previous collaboration on the #PassTheLove football engagement campaign into a second year.
Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson becomes the official healthcare sponsor of the MLS, along with the US men’s, women’s and youth national football teams.
The sponsorship includes television and in-stadium advertising, with MLS Business Ventures president and managing director Gary Stevenson telling the Bloomberg agency that Johnson & Johnson will enable the league to reach new demographics.
“They can deliver the MLS and U.S. Soccer message into grocery stores, into drug stores, and homes that quite frankly we can’t get into,” he said. “We have new stars, new teams, new stadiums, a new logo in our 20th season, new television contracts and new corporate contracts. You put all of that in a blender and you have a lot of momentum and energy around the sport.”
The Mondelez and Johnson & Johnson deals come on the back of automotive company Audi joining the MLS official partner portfolio earlier this month.