Snacking Giant Doubles Down on College Sports Marketing Mondelēz International announced partnerships with five collegiate athletic programs: the University of Florida, University of Michigan, University of Southern California, University of Arkansas, and University of Texas at Austin. The snack manufacturer will serve as a "Proud Partner" or "Proud Sponsor" across the programs' athletics departments, with featured student-athletes including USC's JuJu Watkins, Michigan's Trey McKenney and Olivia Olson, Texas's Madison Booker, and Arkansas's Jordan Smith Jr. The deal brings Mondelēz's portfolio—including OREO Cookies, RITZ Crackers, CHIPS AHOY! Cookies, CLIF BAR, and SOUR PATCH KIDS—into stadium activations and retail displays. Game-day displays will appear at regional retailers including H-E-B, Publix, Walmart, Meijer, Hy-Vee, and Albertsons, featuring a core lineup of OREO, RITZ, CHIPS AHOY!, and RITZ Bits. "We are thrilled to kick off this massive collegiate campaign by partnering with these powerhouse programs," said Nick Rogers, Director of Portfolio Marketing & Sponsorships at Mondelēz International. "Mondelēz products have been at the heart of gameday traditions for decades. By bringing our broader portfolio, including fan favorites like OREO cookies, SOUR PATCH KIDS candies, CHIPS AHOY! cookies, CLIF BAR and bringing back RITZ football-shaped crackers to premier athletic programs, we continue to cement Mondelēz as the ultimate snack roster for college sports fans nationwide."
Building on Sports Portfolio The collegiate expansion follows Mondelēz's recent designation as the "Official Snacking Sponsor" of the Kansas City Chiefs and past collaborations with professional football's Big Game, Inter Miami CF, and March Madness. Learfield, the media and technology company overseeing college athletics partnerships, brokered the agreement. Activations will span multiple sports including football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, and hockey, with year-round fan engagement and in-venue branding elements. "The best college athletics partnerships fit naturally into how fans already experience game day," said Shawn Hegan, Executive Vice President of Global Partnerships at Learfield. "Bringing together world-class global brands like Mondelēz International's beloved snacks with schools and student-athletes creates opportunities that make sense for everyone involved and gives fans another way to connect with the teams they support."
Why It Matters
For CPG operators and retailers, this move signals sustained investment in college sports as a high-visibility channel for reach to younger demographics and household penetration. The retail component—coordinated displays across major chains—underscores how brand partnerships now integrate merchandising execution alongside stadium presence.
For more insights and trends in the food and beverage sector, check out more articles in The Food & Beverage Magazine family of publications.
Written by FBM Publications Editors
