Coca-Cola Proves Templates Aren’t Boring (If Done Right)

👋 Welcome back to Sponcon Sports, a weekly newsletter dedicated to sponsored content strategy in the sports industry!

Forget training kits—FC Bayern kicked off the 2025 season in lederhosen.

Three days before their Bundesliga opener against RB Leipzig, the club swapped cleats for Bavarian tradition at their annual photoshoot with partner Paulaner.

The shoot has been happening for years, but this season Bayern treated it differently, and the results showed up on my feed. Coverage jumped from just two Instagram Feed posts in 2024 to seven in 2025, plus a seven-minute behind-the-scenes YouTube video.

The payoff? Over 10.3M views and 2.2M engagements across Instagram and YouTube (including Shorts).

Why it worked:

• Timing: Right before the season starts, when optimism peaks.

• Tone: The lederhosen loosen players up, creating fun, lighthearted moments.

• Introductions: New signings like Luis Díaz, Jonathan Tah, and Tom Bischof got their first Bavarian initiation.

• Longevity: It banks content to use across club and brand channels all year.

A full-squad content day for one sponsor is unheard of in the U.S.—mostly because the cost of paying every player would be enormous.

But should more teams try it? If the investment’s worth it, yes—as long as the brand fit is authentic. That’s why Bayern–Paulaner works. Both share Bavarian roots, so fans instantly get why this content exists.

When the brand–team connection is clear, you create space for content that feels natural, and fans reward it.

In Today’s Edition:

• Refreshing Partner Reveal Posts 🥤

• Liverpool’s Pixel Perfect Play 🤳

• Another DeChambeau Daily Challenge 🏌️ 

🏊️ DEEP DIVE
When Templates Beat Hype Videos

Templated partnership creative usually feels like a shortcut — bland, inauthentic, and destined to flop. But here’s the surprise: Coca-Cola just proved the opposite.

By giving Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Manchester United the same visual template — a Coke Zero can surrounded by team-branded microphones — Coke set a consistent stage. Then, they gave each club the freedom to tailor the message with their own copy. The result? Three very different, very authentic announcements that all worked.

For context: Coke announced its return as a Premier League partner in May, reclaiming a category that had been open since the brand left in 2022. In mid-August, the three clubs rolled out their posts.

Here’s how they made a template sing:

Arsenal (31.2M Instagram Followers)

• Image Copy: “Icons Since 1886” — nodding to the founding year of both brands. It’s also why this is the only post of the three featuring a classic Coke rather than Coke Zero.

• Caption Copy: Conversational and punny, leaning into Arsenal’s voice.

• Results: 117.0K engagements (2nd), 0.0038 engagements/follower (3rd).

Aston Villa (4.4M Instagram Followers)

• Image Copy: “Zero Heroes. Only Villans” — clever tie to both product and fans.

• Caption Copy: More formal, but the image line was strong enough to carry it.

• Results: 23.1K engagements (3rd), 0.0053 engagements/follower (1st).

Manchester United (64.6M Instagram Followers)

• Image Copy: “Good Days Are Here” — optimism that fits both the club narrative and Coke’s brand voice.

• Caption Copy: The strongest of the three. “Icon” is overused elsewhere, but here it clicked: two global reds.

• Results: 275.9K engagements (1st), 0.0043 engagements/follower (2nd).

The Takeaway

Teams and sponsors often overthink partnership announcements — assuming they need a big-budget hype video to “make a splash.” Back in January, I wrote about why that doesn’t work. This Coke campaign is proof: a simple, templated approach paired with strong copy can outperform any overproduced rollout.

And there’s another layer: having worked in this business, I’ve seen how soft drink and beer deals hit differently. These are stadium-shaping partnerships — Coke vs. Pepsi, AB InBev vs. Molson Coors — and they’re often polarizing decisions for fans. That polarity drives engagement on its own. Which is why keeping the announcement straightforward, not over-the-top, was the right call.

So next time you think a template is a creativity killer, remember this playbook: consistency + customization + copywriting + restraint.

🔍️ SPONCONSPIRATION
Steal These Ideas

For the Google Pixel 10 launch, Liverpool tapped into the viral rumor of Florian Wirtz demanding the No.10 shirt. A clever way to tie a fan-driven story into a partner announcement.

Bryson DeChambeau is back with another viral daily shot challenge (10M+ IG views to date)—this time teaming up with Underdog Fantasy. The fresh twist? $100 rewards are up for grabs every day. As we’ve covered before, Bryson is best-in-class when it comes to seamless brand reads and product integrations built for social.

Were PGA Tour players fooled by Eli Manning going undercover at the FedEx St. Jude Championship? Not a chance. But the piece was still highly entertaining with some clever product integration baked in.

Speaking of surprises, Josh Allen showed up for Buffalo Bills fans with MVP Pepsi to announce the brand’s 28-year partnership will extend into the new Highmark Stadium opening in 2026.

Baseball and softball teams, take a page from the Little League International playbook: if you’re pitching IHOP (or any baking/baked goods-related partner), this sponsored content series name is a must-use.

You need to check out Man City and Etihad’s Beyond Borders series (Video 1 | Video 2 | Video 3 | Video 4 | Video 5). The edits feel out of this world.

Social shows are officially crossing into sports. Visa launched a mockumentary-style concept, Take Your Driver To Work Day, starring VCARB drivers Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar — already nearing 6M views across TikTok and Instagram.

🚨 ICYMI
What To Watch For

Barca’s Viral Voyage: Adrià Vilà, FC Barcelona’s Brand Manager of Digital Activation, spotlighted five standout sponsored content pieces from the club’s tours in South Korea and Japan — each post averaged an eye-popping 30.2M views.

Novel Fan Engagement: Marissa Tandon explores the rise of sports teams hosting romance novel theme nights — and why they’re effective at attracting new fans.

Serving Short Form: The ATP Tour announced another youth-focused content partnership. After teaming up with Overtime in February, they’re now collaborating with TikTok to help players grow their presence and empower creators to produce content across ATP Masters 1000s and other Tour events.

Binging Reels Made Easy: Instagram finally added Reels Playlists, making it easier to organize related reels and help viewers binge, follow along, and discover more.

Branded Boost: YouTube launched a new Paid Promotion + Brands feature, letting creators tag partners in video uploads (or edits). Brands can now view organic performance and boost the clips as Partnership Ads.