Cadbury teams up with Manchester United to tackle loneliness amongst elderly

Mondelēz International has partnered with Manchester United and the collaboration will kick off with an activity to support Cadbury’s “Donate Your Words” campaign. “Donate Your Words” is a UK initiative to highlight the issue of loneliness among the older generation.

In a statement to Marketing, Mondelēz’s spokesperson explained that the first activation of the partnership at Old Trafford was an extension of Cadbury’s campaign. This saw the chocolate brand donate the words from its Cadbury Dairy Milk bar to help the 225,000 older people who often go a week without speaking to anyone.

“Cadbury is now harnessing the Manchester United partnership to continue to shine a light on loneliness amongst the older generation. This is a multi-year partnership that will see the two companies working together over a number of seasons,” the spokesperson added.

According to the spokesperson, Cadbury’s partnership will be the initial focus of the partnership. It will then work together to explore what other brand opportunities might exist that are right for both parties. While she declined to reveal the monetary value of the partnership, the spokesperson said the company commits to spending what it feels is necessary to form partnerships that are loved and celebrated by consumers.

Manchester United’s group MD, Richard Arnold, said the global partnership will enable Mondelēz with its expansion into key markets whilst deepening the affinity their customers have for their products. Among the list of brands under Mondelēz include Cadbury, Oreo, Toblerone, Milka and belVita.

“For Manchester United, the partnership enables us to bring Mondelēz’s popular products to our fans and enhances our ability to continue investing on the pitch,” he added.

Colin O’Toole, associate marketing director at Mondelēz, said its alliance with Manchester United will give it the ability to differentiate the company from competitors, by offering consumers added value through engaging products and experiences.

Last year, the football club posted a 8.1% increase in its sponsorship revenue to about US$69.4 million for the first quarter of its 2020 financial year ended 30 September 2019 (Q1 2020). This was due to its new sponsorship deals with LEGO, Visit Malta, Konami, and Yabo Sport, and additional tour revenue. Its retail, merchandising, apparel and product licensing revenue also rose 1.9% to about US$34.7 million year-on-year (yoy). Overall, commercial revenue for the quarter was about US$104.2 million, a 5.9% yoy increase.

It also partnered with Marriott International to offer members of the Marriott Bonvoy travel programme exclusive opportunities to participate in football experiences. The partnership rolled out with a film that features faces from the Manchester United first team and team management, bringing these magical moments to life.