LONDON: Mondelēz International, owner of Cadbury, Wednesday announced a partnership with English Premier League side Manchester City FC, making the chocolate brand the club’s Official Snacking Partner.
The deal cover territories in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, China, the US, India, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Brazil and the UAE.
The focus of the collaboration will initially celebrate worthy causes, individuals and businesses who have gone above and beyond during the COVID-19 pandemic to help those around them and deserve recognition.
In the first collaboration between the two brands, Cadbury will champion the Club’s Cityzens – City’s wide-reaching network of global supporters. ‘Cityzens’ from around the world will be given a platform to nominate the people, community initiatives and local businesses they’d like to recognise for their acts of kindness, generosity and support of those around them, over the course of the upcoming 2020/21 season.
Each month, Cadbury will work with Manchester City to award the ‘Cityzen of the Month’. Nominations will be made by registered Cityzens via City’s official website and mobile app, and celebrated with fans and followers around the world across the Club’s digital platforms.This spotlight aims to give valuable visibility to the winner at a time when they need it most.
The winning entry will also receive 50 Manchester City squad branded Cadbury Dairy Milk bars to share with their friends, family or those who supported them through the pandemic.
According to SportBusiness, the Cadbury brand will not be renewing its central sponsorship with the Premier League next season, with Mondelēz preferring to pursue a club-based strategy. Deals have been completed with Manchester United, Spurs, Chelsea and now City.
Omar Berrada, chief operating officer at Manchester City, said: “This new partnership with Cadbury will truly have fans at the heart of it. We have been overwhelmed by the incredible efforts of City fans all over the world to support their communities in response to this pandemic and we are delighted that Cadbury will be helping us to celebrate these achievements.”
Samantha Greenwood, Global Brand director at Cadbury added: “Every person and business, in every community, plays a vital role in our economic recovery. Manchester City’s fan base and the Cityzens network enables us to shine a light on the incredible work that these individuals and businesses have been doing, and we hope boost the contribution each plays on our journey to recovery from the pandemic.”
Throughout the duration of the partnership, Cadbury will also be offering Manchester City fans unique access to their club through a series of activities that fans can look out for over the coming months and seasons.
The first such promotion will be Cadbury’s Match and Win promotion, returning for its fourth and biggest year in late August, running across more than 180 million Cadbury products.
