After a three-year partnership with the National Basketball Association, Hellmann’s Brazil reports that its squeezy bottles of flavoured mayonnaise – each variant associated with an NBA team – experienced an eight-fold rise in sales and a twelve-fold increase in value.
The brand collaboration paired eight ‘trend-led’ Hellmann’s flavours with a basketball team by displaying their mascots on-pack; the barbeque flavour was associated with the Los Angeles Lakers, the ‘green’ variety was tied to the Boston Celtics, et cetera.
This approach sought to capitalize on team spirit during the NBA season – and Unilever reports an increase in mayonnaise consumption in Q2 2025, with Amazon sales thought to have risen by 227% during the NBA Finals activations.
Overall, the campaign is thought to have boosted the volume of squeezy-bottle mayonnaise sales eight-fold, while the sales value is apparently twelve times higher. Ecglobal has reportedly ranked Hellmann’s in tenth place in its ‘Brands that Conquered Brazil’ report for 2025.
Unilever targeted the campaign at a young consumer base. Rodrigo Visentini, general manager of Foods Brazil at Unilever, cites statistics that approximately 60% of NBA fans are between 18 and 39 years old.
“Participating in headline-grabbing NBA sports, pop culture and entertainment events is showcasing Hellmann’s cultural brand relevance and making it more attractive to younger Gen Z consumers,” Visentini explained.
“Food is an essential part of the experience for sports like basketball that are primarily watched on TV at home in Brazil,” added Carolina Riotto, director of Marketing for Brazil at Unilever.
“The NBA league fuels an incredible fandom audience in the country, and this collaboration has placed the Hellmann’s brand in the NBA pop culture spotlight, creating a genuine connection with a key consumption occasion.
“By becoming an integral part of the NBA watching-from-the-sofa experience and connecting emotionally with younger fans, Hellmann’s has become a partner in their experience, securing brand trust and long-term equity.”
The campaign was accompanied by digital and primetime advertising, alongside immersive brand events in São Paulo and Porto Alegre.
In a previous collaboration, Hellmann’s joined forces with Ogilvy to develop a smart mayonnaise jar. Its label used thermochromic ink to change colour in different temperatures and warn consumers when their fridge is running at above 5°C – a move hoped to prevent unnecessary food waste.
Since then, Budweiser has celebrated the England Lionesses winning back-to-back European football championships with a line of limited-edition ‘Home Again’ cans. Launched less than 48 hours after the team’s victory in July 2025, the can was designed alongside in-store activations and a giveaway for cans signed by England legend Fara Williams.
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