As the Olympics kick off, athletes compete on the field, and a marketing battle has also begun among major consumer brands. In the fashion capital of Paris, Chinese brands are pulling out all the stops. Among them, Panpan Food's marketing layout for this year's Olympics deserves special attention. Why is Panpan deeply rooted in sports events? 1. Do you still remember the panda "Panpan"? The panda "Panpan" became a household name with the 1990 Beijing Asian Games. Six years later, the Panpan brand was established, seemingly destined from birth to be intertwined with sports events. With its inherent "sports gene," Panpan Food has actively engaged in sports sponsorship throughout its brand development. Among various marketing methods, sponsoring and partnering with sports events has become one of Panpan Food's key strategies. This approach not only enhances brand awareness and reputation but also builds a deep emotional connection with consumers. 2. Panpan Food has appeared at multiple major international sports events, gradually establishing a "national big brand" consumer mindset.

2020 Tokyo Olympics: Panpan became the official sponsor of the Chinese sports delegation. 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics: Panpan became an official sponsor and exclusive supplier. 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games: Panpan became an official sponsor. 2023 Chengdu Universiade: Panpan became the designated snack food. ...... Panpan Food has become one of the few snack food companies in recent years to continuously sponsor major sports events. Through precise sponsorship strategies and efficient brand communication, Panpan Food has successfully combined the spirit of sports with its brand image. The "champion quality," "craftsmanship spirit," and "patriotic sentiment" represented by the Olympics align perfectly with Panpan Food's strategic positioning as a "national baking big brand." 3. What is the value of competing in the Olympic marketing battle for brands? As one of the most influential sports events globally, the Olympics attracts billions of viewers, making it a vital platform for brands to promote and shape their image. For brands, the value of competing in the Olympic marketing battle is mainly reflected in three aspects:

  • Brand association The Olympics represent health and vitality. Sponsoring the Olympics helps brands convey a healthy and positive brand concept, attracting consumers who value a healthy lifestyle.
  • Stimulating short-term sales The high exposure and widespread attention during the Olympics often drive short-term sales growth and rapid sell-through. In particular, hero products promoted during the Olympics can attract a large number of consumers to purchase.
  • Long-term brand building More importantly, investment during the Olympics, in the long run, helps establish a solid brand perception in consumers' minds, contributing to long-term market share growth. Exposure of national brands in overseas markets can further stimulate consumers' national pride and establish the "national baking big brand" mindset. So how does Panpan Food systematically plan its Olympic marketing campaign? Two sharp blades: hero product innovation + omnichannel integrated marketing. First Blade: Hero Product Innovation The foundation of marketing lies in product innovation Marketing innovation stems from product innovation and the fundamentals of product strength. Before the Olympic marketing battle began, Panpan Food had already prepared ample ammunition. Product innovation and marketing innovation are the two major drivers of brand success. Product innovation provides fresh content and stories for marketing, while marketing innovation opens up markets and consumers for product innovation. In recent years, through continuous product innovation and marketing, Panpan Food has evolved from "French-style small bread" to the "Rolled Heart Series," successfully completing the evolution of its hero products. This process not only demonstrates Panpan Food's outstanding capabilities in product development and market promotion but also showcases its keen insight into changing consumer needs. In 2005, French-style small bread was born as Panpan Food's earliest hero product. With its soft texture, sweet taste, and convenient packaging, it quickly won the hearts of consumers. Its unique French flavor and high-quality ingredients made it a star product in the market. At its peak, French-style small bread achieved monthly sales exceeding 100 million yuan. As market and consumer demands changed, Panpan Food continuously conducted market research, discovering an increasing demand for health, nutrition, and diverse flavors. This provided important direction and basis for product innovation. Panpan Food invested substantial resources in product development, and in 2024, it launched a new hero product, the "Rolled Heart Series." The "Rolled Heart Series" not only offers richer and more diverse flavors but also optimizes nutritional content and health concepts, meeting consumers' demand for healthy food. The new hero product, the "Rolled Heart Series," achieved sales exceeding 10 million units just two months after its official launch. It is understood that Panpan Rolled Heart Toast selects premium global ingredients, contains 0 trans fatty acids, and is healthy and nutritious without burden. In addition to popular flavors like matcha and salted egg yolk, it also introduces innovative flavors such as hawthorn and coconut latte, catering to different consumer needs. It is worth mentioning that, thanks to Panpan Food's strong R&D and supply chain capabilities, the unique rolling process of Rolled Heart Toast has pioneered the industry's large-scale production of laminated rolled toast. Panpan Food's hero product evolution from "French-style small bread" to the "Rolled Heart Series" is a successful combination of product innovation and marketing. Through continuous market insight, product development, and brand promotion, Panpan Food has not only successfully launched new star products but also established a healthier and more nutritious brand image in consumers' minds. Before the Olympic marketing battle began, Panpan Food had already honed its internal strengths and updated its arsenal. Second Blade: Omnichannel Integrated Marketing Integrated marketing campaign: full-scale assault on the 2024 Paris Olympics Schultz pioneered the strategic theory of integrated marketing in 1993. Integrated marketing is a systematic marketing approach that coordinates and integrates various marketing tools and communication channels to deliver a unified message, maximizing the communication effect of the brand and product. Integrated marketing emphasizes message consistency and synergy, achieving a 1+1 > 2 effect through effective coordination across channels. The core of integrated marketing is to unify all marketing campaigns and activities around basic marketing goals. Just as modern warfare integrates all weapons that consumers can perceive—such as the air force (event sponsorship), strategic missiles (athlete sponsorship), ground forces (offline tactics), and basic weapons (online social media)—into one, allowing the company's products, positioning, and product information to be conveyed to consumers in the fastest time. It also creates more "contact points" or "touchpoints" between consumers and the brand. By reviewing Panpan Food's integrated marketing campaign for the 2024 Paris Olympics, we identified at least four key tactical actions. 1. Seize the high ground — Official event partner: As the official sponsor of the Chinese sports delegation for this Olympics, Panpan Food was honored to enter the "China House." 2. Precise betting — Signed athletes: Multiple sports champions from the delegation, including Zhang Yufei, Ge Manqi, and Wang Siyu, serve as Panpan Food's brand ambassadors. 3. Offline pop-up store: In Paris, the Panpan House Paris Experience Store was launched, attracting champion athletes and Chinese and foreign tourists to queue up for check-ins, quickly breaking through the market. 4. Online social media: Douyin, WeChat Channels, and Xiaohongshu matrix-style output of Panpan Olympic content. Sorting through this, we find that the four tactical actions achieved collaboration and coordination among various tools and channels, including becoming an official sponsor, strengthening brand endorsement, and establishing a consumer mindset high ground. Athlete endorsements were arranged and resources locked in advance, seizing the timing of cooperation. Through rapid decision-making and execution, they acted swiftly when celebrity traffic peaked, maximizing the explosive effect of endorsers' traffic, achieving precision strikes like strategic missiles. The offline pop-up store and online social media self-propagation check-ins achieved rapid breakout, forming marketing events. Summary Two strategic blades, hero product innovation + omnichannel integrated marketing, allowed Panpan Food to stand out quickly in the second arena of 2024 Olympic marketing. The substantial marketing investment is expected to continuously inject confidence into the market, provide brand support for distributors, and strongly empower distributor partners to win the Mid-Autumn Festival battle. As the saying goes: The first half of the year depends on the Spring Festival, and the second half on the Mid-Autumn Festival. Panpan Food, from its strategic positioning as a national baking big brand to the launch of its new hero product Rolled Heart Toast that ignited the market, and then to its integrated marketing campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has taken the lead among brands. Panpan brand, with steady and strategic steps, is bound to reap a bright future.