Unilever x FIFA World Cup 2026 Sampling Activation

As Unilever activated its position as an Official Personal Care Sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Tiebreaker was brought in to take four of its leading personal care brands directly to fans throughout Toronto.

Across the tournament, we developed and executed a city-wide sampling program for AXE, Degree, Dove Men+Care and Dove Beauty, combining product trial with brand education, retail conversion and a football-inspired fan experience.

Tiebreaker managed the program from planning through execution, deploying Brand Ambassadors across key fan destinations and high-traffic tournament moments. Consumers were introduced to the products through live sampling, educated on key product benefits, provided promotional coupons and directed to retail partners to help turn trial into purchase.

To make the experience more engaging than a traditional sampling program, we introduced an interactive keep-up challenge that tapped directly into the energy of the tournament. Fans competed to set the high score while interacting with each brand, creating an approachable entry point for product discovery and generating strong participation throughout the campaign.

The program delivered 60 activation occasions, distributed 54,000 product samples and generated 18,220 coupon distributions, exceeding the campaign target of 15,000. The strongest-performing locations included Harbourfront, FIFA Fan Fest, Nathan Phillips Square and the Strachan and Fleet Street area.

Beyond reach, the activation created meaningful product discovery. Consumers responded positively to the experience and product scents, with Dove Beauty emerging as the standout consumer favourite throughout the program.

Sampling activation + content capture in partnership with Cruel