Panini Group

Men’s Grooming Brands Activate for World Cup

Brands in the men’s grooming category are launching product releases, retail activations and partnerships tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup to reach a growing male beauty audience. Unilever is the official personal-care sponsor for the men’s tournament and will promote brands such as Dr. Squatch, Dove and Axe/Lynx with limited-edition products and creator programs. Messi’s namesake fragrance brand rolled out Messi Elixir Parfum Intense (expanded into Ulta Beauty) and is staging in-store giveaways. Axe is releasing three World Cup–themed scents, partnering with Panini on a scratch-and-sniff sticker, and hosting an influencer space in Mexico. Smaller D2C and salon brands like Kings Domain Melbourne are using pop-up styling events in U.S. cities to piggyback on World Cup fandom. The article also notes logistical and geopolitical entry issues affecting some players and fans arriving in the U.S.

Coca‑Cola Switzerland World Cup Campaign with Akanji

Coca‑Cola Switzerland launched a World Cup marketing campaign centered on national team player Manuel Akanji as a brand ambassador. The activation includes OOH placements, a TV spot with Swiss commentators (German, Italian, French), social‑media activity, a Public Viewing in Zurich's Maag‑Halle on 18 June, and a Panini partnership that hides twelve exclusive stickers under select PET‑bottle labels for the official WM album. The roster also features players Gregor Kobel, Sydney Schertenleib and Alayah Pilgrim, celebrities such as Luca Hänni and Liridon Krasniqi, and a network of over 20 content creators. Agencies involved include Oppenheim (PR), Collabment (influencer/ambassador management), VML and M3 GmbH (creative), and PromoPers (event delivery).

Oliver Wurm Creates Panini-Style Influencer Sticker Album

Journalist and entrepreneur Oliver Wurm has built a business publishing Panini-style sticker albums for non-sport topics — including city-themed albums and a 2017 influencer edition titled “Webstars 2017.” Wurm and his partner Alexander Böker have released over 40 Panini sticker albums; the Webstars product required two reprints, totaling about 1.8 million sticker packets and nine million stickers. Sales picked up after German YouTubers filmed unboxing videos. Wurm describes the albums as his main revenue source and discusses other media projects (magazines, apps) on an OMR podcast episode hosted by Philipp Westermeyer. The OMR post also notes AdRoll as the episode sponsor and lists podcast availability on SoundCloud, iTunes and RSS.