The Spanish national team secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Belgium with a late 88th-minute winner from Mikel Merino at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on July 11th, advancing to the World Cup semi-finals. The 'Matadors' are set to face the 'Les Bleus' of France in the semi-final at 3 a.m. Beijing time on July 15th, vying for a spot in the championship match.
On one side is Spain, Vatti's current deeply-committed partner built around a core of Generation Z players. On the other is France, a legendary partner from eight years ago that created a marketing miracle and is etched in public memory. These two European football powerhouses represent not only cherished favourites for countless fans but also two iconic IPs in Vatti's journey of deep cultivation in World Cup sports marketing.
This semi-final is a life-or-death battle for both teams to reach the final. For Vatti, however, it is a dramatic reunion with a former flame.
The Refund: A Textbook Marketing Masterstroke
Rewind to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. At that time, Vatti accurately predicted France's championship potential, officially signing as an official sponsor of the French national football team. It subsequently launched the heavyweight "If France Wins the World Cup, Vatti Offers a Full Refund" marketing campaign, with related advertising posters flooding social media.
That World Cup, France charged forward triumphantly and ultimately lifted the trophy. Vatti promptly initiated the refund process, accumulating over 63 million yuan in refunds. The campaign leveraged total sales exceeding 1 billion yuan across all channels, with offline retail sales surpassing 700 million yuan—a 20% year-on-year increase—and online retail sales exceeding 300 million yuan, growing 30% year-on-year. Brand exposure broke through the 10-billion mark.
This marketing effort fulfilled all promises with utmost sincerity, reaping explosive market sales while establishing a brand image of accountability, boldness, and sharp foresight. It was hailed as a "textbook-level operation" within the industry, earning Vatti the nickname "The Prophet" among netizens. To this day, it remains a classic marketing case study frequently revisited by the industry and vividly remembered by consumers, solidifying an irreplicable foundation of World Cup champion marketing for the brand.
The Celadon Gift: An Evolution in Marketing Logic
Eight years later, Vatti's World Cup marketing logic has evolved.
On the stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Vatti once again made a forward-looking choice, officially announcing its role as the Official Kitchen Appliance Partner of the Spanish National Football Team in Mainland China. Simultaneously, it launched the "If Spain Wins the World Cup, Receive a Masterpiece Limited-Edition Longquan Celadon Artifact" campaign. The marketing approach shifted from "price-based rewards" to "cultural export" and "value resonance."
This set of "Pink Celadon × Plum Green Longquan Celadon Lotus Petal Bowls" celadon artifacts was jointly created by Vatti and Ye Xiaochun, a Chinese Ceramic Art Master and inheritor of the Longquan Celadon intangible cultural heritage. Tempered through the intense heat of the kiln, they are as smooth as jade with naturally formed textures, embodying millennia of Eastern artisan heritage and symbolising irreplicable excellence and perseverance.
Just before the World Cup opening, Vatti also hosted a "With Porcelain as the Medium, Saluting Glory" themed event, formally presenting this set of celadon bowls along with the "Auspicious East Longquan Celadon Ice Crack Pattern Plate" to the Embassy of Spain in China. In return, Buytrago, the Minister-Counselor and Consul General of the Embassy of Spain in China, presented an official Spanish national team jersey.
Pan Yezhao, Chief Marketing Officer of Vatti, commented on this: "Choosing Longquan Celadon as the token of victory stems from the high degree of alignment between celadon, the brand, and the spirit of sports competition on the core principle of 'being tempered through trials and achieving success through utmost sincerity.'" The Spanish team's exquisite tiki-taka, Ye Xiaochun's ice crackle glazing technique, and Vatti's over thirty years of dedication to kitchen appliances, though different paths, collectively interpret the belief in "using professionalism to realise talent and reaching the pinnacle through perseverance."
From "full refund" to "gifting celadon," from traffic explosion to cultural cultivation, Vatti's World Cup marketing has completed a comprehensive dimensional evolution.
The Semi-Final: A Final Showdown of Destiny
A porcelain gift and a jersey, completing a cross-cultural exchange across mountains and seas; a new favourite and an old flame, two generations of champion IPs meeting on the pinnacle of the pitch. The French team Vatti once backed and the Spanish team it now staunchly supports are set for a head-on clash in the semi-final.
From correctly predicting France's victory in 2018 to partnering with Spain in 2026, Vatti has been fondly dubbed "World Cup Mysticism" and "The Prophet" by the public. This "new favourite vs. old flame" semi-final is destined to be full of看点. On one side is France, the seasoned champion Vatti accurately bet on to lift the trophy, carrying the brand's glorious past of phenomenal marketing. On the other is Spain, the new generation team Vatti has heavily invested in, built around post-00s players and embodying the brand's renewed championship aspirations.
If the Matadors successfully eliminate France and advance to the final, it would once again confirm Vatti's astonishing "championship instinct." Accurately backing France eight years ago, decisively choosing Spain eight years later, and now these two teams偏偏 meet in the semi-final. In this showdown of destiny, regardless of who wins, Vatti stands on the side of victory.
From achieving fame with the "France Wins, Full Refund" campaign in 2018, to partnering with Portugal in 2022 for systematic transformation, to now teaming up with Spain in 2026 for brand elevation through intangible cultural heritage. Vatti's history of World Cup marketing is a textbook of continuous evolution and iteration. Each choice is not a random gamble but benefits from its nearly two-decade-long "marathon" in sports marketing, where the spirit of sports has long been deeply imprinted in the brand's foundation. Every team selection and each iteration of marketing tactics is closely tied to the brand's development goals at different stages, showcasing Vatti's long-term strategic thinking and acute market judgment.
On July 15th, the pitch battle between these two top European teams will commence. The clash of two generations of champion IPs on the same field carries inherently high viral传播 potential. Countless fans and industry observers are waiting to see if Vatti's "championship mystique" of accurate predictions over eight years can prove effective once more.
Regardless of the match outcome, the immense attention brought by the France-Spain showdown will once again show the public: as a leading Chinese high-end kitchen appliance brand, Vatti consistently possesses the pioneering marketing boldness, the deeply accumulated experience in event operations, the sharp instinct for spotting championship trends, and the continuous use of sports as a bridge to convey the craftsmanship and power of Chinese intelligent manufacturing to global consumers.
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