The kickoff of the 2026 FIFA World Cup across the United States, Canada, and Mexico has ignited a marketing frenzy, with premium kitchen appliance brand Vatti executing a masterstroke to capture the attention of younger audiences. On the evening of June 12th, Vatti, in collaboration with JD.com, amplified the football fever to new heights. In a livestream on Vatti's JD flagship store, brand ambassador and acclaimed young actor Zhang Linghe made a spectacular appearance with a "World Cup Championship Package," driving immense popularity and flooding the chat with World Cup-related comments.
As a quadrennial global spectacle, the FIFA World Cup is a fiercely contested arena for brand marketing. Amidst the intense battle for consumer attention, Vatti's remarkable success stems not only from integrated online and offline campaigns to expand reach, nor just from engaging activities and rewards, but most crucially from the infusion of "cultural power" into its World Cup strategy. This "cultural momentum" has resonated deeply with consumers, transforming them from passive observers into active participants and brand advocates.
Cultural Strategy: Porcelain as a Medium, Pioneering New Chinese Lifestyle Trends
The defining characteristic of Vatti's current World Cup campaign is its pronounced Chinese cultural theme, saturated with elements of the new Chinese aesthetic. According to the campaign rules, if the Spanish national team wins the tournament, Vatti will gift a "Masterpiece Limited Edition Longquan Celadon Artifact," overseen by Ye Xiaochun, a Chinese Ceramic Art Master and representative inheritor of the Longquan Celadon intangible cultural heritage.
Longquan Celadon is the only ceramic art form globally inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. During the mid to late Southern Song Dynasty, the Ge Kiln of Longquan Celadon emerged, ranking alongside the Guan, Ru, Ding, and Jun Kilns as the five great official kilns of the Song era. Hailing from a family of porcelain artisans, Ye Xiaochun has dedicated four decades to mastering celadon body and glaze formulations, successfully reviving the nearly-lost Southern Song Ge Kiln "ice crackle" technique.
Vatti stated that introducing Longquan Celadon to the World Cup stage aims to leverage this global platform to integrate intangible cultural heritage and craftsmanship into everyday life. Reflecting this vision, the flagship products in the "Championship Package" are imbued with ceramic inspiration. For instance, the "Porcelain Tale Series 6800" offers three colors—"Sky After Rain," "Deep Smoke Purple," and "Elegant Song Dynasty Gold"—drawing inspiration from the profound heritage of Longquan Celadon, Jun Kiln transmutation glazes, and purple-gold glazes respectively. The range hood's front profile is compressed to just 38mm while retaining high-performance top and side suction for effective smoke capture, adapting to various kitchen styles and meeting contemporary demands for both aesthetics and health.
"Vatti has always championed a fashionable and healthy lifestyle, actively engaging in crossovers, embracing new Chinese culture, and integrating it with modern aesthetics," said Pan Yezhao, Vatti's Chief Marketing Officer. "Whether through the Porcelain Tale Series or gifting limited edition Longquan Celadon artifacts, we aim to build a connection between our users and Eastern culture through 'objects.'"
Relevant research indicates that on social media, user-generated content dominates discussions on intangible cultural heritage, with UGC consistently accounting for 92% over the past two years. Negative sentiment in these discussions remains below 1%, highlighting a strong public enthusiasm for integrating heritage into daily life.
Sports Strategy: Partnering with 'La Roja' to Ignite Competitive Passion
Among the "top three" kitchen appliance giants represented by Fotile, Robam, and Vatti, Vatti's pursuit and advocacy of sports spirit is arguably the most pronounced. The "Lucky Cloud Torch" that carried the Olympic flame in 2008 was crafted by Vatti. In 2018, Vatti's first foray into World Cup marketing made headlines with the "If France Wins, Vatti Offers Full Refund" campaign, which spawned numerous imitators.
Having set this precedent, the industry's focus now turns to "What will Vatti do?" with each World Cup cycle. This edition is no exception. Recently, Vatti officially announced its partnership with tournament favorites, the Spanish national team, supporting their quest for the trophy while launching related marketing activities.
Among the elite football nations, why did Vatti specifically choose Spain? The company explained that both share a highly aligned core philosophy of "pursuing excellence and striving for the summit." The current Spanish squad, featuring top players like Lamine Yamal and Rodri, boasts an average age of 24.5 years. With enhancements in possession-based play and attacking prowess, their championship pedigree is increasingly evident. Mirroring the Spanish team's dedicated pursuit of glory on the pitch, Vatti has focused exclusively on the kitchen appliance domain for over three decades, evolving into a synonym for "fashionable scientific kitchen appliances." Its pioneering "Clean Kitchen" concept has also graced international stages multiple times in recent years.
One uses football to演绎 artistry; the other uses craftsmanship to create high-quality kitchens. The progress of both is driven and inspired by the spirit of sports.
Returning to football itself, the thrilling competition, relentless effort, and never-say-die attitude on the field are primary reasons for the sport's enduring global appeal. By leveraging the World Cup platform to join forces with "La Roja," Vatti not only attracts younger audiences to follow the tournament but also ignites the competitive spirit latent in everyone, harnessing an inherently热血 (rousing) appeal.
Youth Strategy: Crafting a 'Ling' Sensation Kitchen for Breakthrough Engagement
As Vatti's brand ambassador, Zhang Linghe is not only a talented actor but also widely admired for his exceptional气质 (presence) and strong fashion sense. During the livestream, when Zhang Linghe slowly moved aside a newspaper to reveal himself, the直播间's popularity surged instantly.
Commenting on this, Yu Kun, Vice President of JD.com Group and Head of JD Five Star Appliance, who participated in the直播, noted that the June 12th launch of the JD MALL in Shanghai's Qibao provided the perfect契机 (opportunity) for JD and Vatti to upgrade their collaboration with this专场直播 (special livestream) featuring Zhang Linghe. He expressed anticipation for comprehensive breakthroughs in breaking through demographic barriers and embracing the youth market.
The day's直播 employed an online-offline integration model, with large screens in JD MALLs across 11 cities including Shanghai, Chengdu, and Xi'an connecting live to the broadcast. After his appearance, Zhang Linghe also connected via live feed to share life insights with fans in multiple locations. Discussing Vatti's World Cup marketing, he remarked, "The idea of combining the火热 (hot) topic of the World Cup with everyday kitchen life is particularly cool."
At the host's invitation, Zhang Linghe experienced three of Vatti's flagship products up close: the Porcelain Tale Series 6800, the XJ516 range hood, and the隐系列 (Stealth Series) Y9 hood. After learning about product advantages like high suction power and self-cleaning, he even demonstrated his culinary skills by stir-frying a signature dish using Vatti appliances live on air, offering sincere wishes to the直播 audience.
Subsequently, Zhang Linghe left his signature on the Vatti Y9 and XJ516 hoods present at the venue. The signed XJ516 unit will be exhibited in stores within a幸运省份 (lucky province) selected via抽奖 (lottery), while the signed Y9 unit was given away via抽奖 to a lucky viewer during the直播 itself. These rare "signature editions" await their fortunate new owners. Furthermore, after receiving a limited edition Longquan Celadon artifact gifted by Vatti, Zhang Linghe抽送了 (gave away via抽奖) an identical piece to a viewer, demonstrating substantial fan appreciation.
As the tournament progresses,话题热度 (topic热度) surrounding the World Cup will continue to rise. In this global marketing extravaganza, a brand's cultural influence and its ability to narrate compelling "cultural stories" for the new era are key to successfully attracting consumers. In this regard, Vatti, as a representative of domestic kitchen appliance brands, has率先 (taken the lead) in setting a commendable example for the industry.