EAST HANOVER, N.J., April 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Mondelez International, the makers of OREO, RITZ, TRIDENT, HONEY MAID and SOUR PATCH KIDS, unveiled an innovative and engaging new campaign which highlights the unique and personal ways that fans and consumers embrace soccer – and invites people everywhere to #PassTheLove.

Beginning this month and continuing as the U.S. Men's National Team prepares for the world's largest sporting event, these beloved cookie, cracker, candy and gum brands – collectively known as the Official Snacks of U.S. Soccer – will partner with soccer stars like Clint Dempsey, Alex Morgan and Omar Gonzalez to create a consumer movement where soccer enthusiasts across the country unite to #PassTheLove of the sport.

This bold, integrated campaign – the company's largest multi-brand program to date – was designed to be sharable at its core and utilize real-time content, adaptive advertising, experiential events and ongoing consumer engagement to empower and reward consumers when they help celebrate the cheers, anthems, pageantry, rituals and all other elements that feed the spirit of soccer.

"Passion for soccer is reaching a fever pitch across the country, and #PassTheLove is a true call to action for people to share the special connection they have to the world's most popular sport," said Stephen Chriss, Senior Director, North America Consumer Engagement and Marketing Services at Mondelez International.

Igniting a Consumer Movement

The campaign will encourage people to share what they love about soccer using #PassTheLove. These individual expressions of fandom from consumers will collectively tell a rich story about the ways people are drawn to the sport.

"This isn't about the X's and O's of the games, it's about inspiring people to #PassTheLove by sharing the personal connection they have with the sport, whether they're cheering from the stands, watching at home or playing the sport themselves," said Chriss.

The fully integrated #PassTheLove campaign will blend elements of media, retail, shopper marketing, consumer promotions, grassroots, PR and social media to create a nationwide consumer movement around soccer passion. Among the many highlights are: 

• Promotion Fueled By Social Content: A nationwide promotion appearing on more than 40 million custom designed packs of cookie, cracker and candy brands that will invite consumers to share why they love soccer using #PassTheLove in exchange for the chance to win a "Game of Your Life" soccer experience that captures the excitement of a major competition, or other instant win giveaways. 
• Experiential Tour & Events: A coast-to-coast grassroots tour kicking off in April, plus key events featuring U.S. National Team members Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Alex Morgan (Portland Thorns FC) and Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy) bringing #PassTheLove to life for fans and media. (Full dates and details to be announced.)
• Mobile Game: A fun, interactive game called "Free Kick Fury" on the smartphone messenger Kik, where consumers can compete in penalty kicks as Clint, Alex or Omar – complete with an engaging "Pactivation" overlay allowing consumers to redeem upgrades found on more than 2 million on-pack codes. 
• In-store Displays: #PassTheLove featured on more than 17,000 in-store displays at retailers across the country.
• Dynamic Media Campaign: Adaptive digital advertising, including a partnership with BLINK Studios.
• Multicultural Focus: A full-scale multicultural media plan tailored for Hispanic consumers that includes partnerships with relevant media outlets like Univision.

Celebrating Personal Connections

#PassTheLove is a mantra that not only resonates with consumers, but also with elite athletes like Dempsey, Morgan and Gonzalez who will take part and fuel the campaign.

"There's no doubt the passion for soccer in this country will be on full display this year, and what I like most about #PassTheLove is how it taps into that enthusiasm and celebrates the culture that surrounds the sport," said Dempsey, a star on the U.S. Men's National Team.

"Everyone has something that drew them into soccer, whether it's a game, a ritual, a coach or some moment that made them stand up and cheer," said Morgan. "What excites me most about the campaign is the way it celebrates these distinctly different ways people grow to love our sport – and finds ways to #PassTheLove on to others."

The designation of Official Snacks of U.S. Soccer extends to the cookie, candy, cracker and gum categories and is inclusive of a series of globally-recognized brands operated by Mondelez International, including: OREO, CHIPS AHOY, RITZ, WHEAT THINS, HONEY MAID, NEWTONS, BELVITA, TRIDENT, DENTYNE, STRIDE and SOUR PATCH KIDS, among others.

"We're excited about the #PassTheLove movement because it will continue to fuel the passion and excitement around soccer in the United States," U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said when the partnership was announced in October 2013. "The sport has enjoyed explosive growth in recent years, and this campaign will help celebrate the many reasons fans and athletes are embracing soccer like never before." For complete details about the contest, including entry requirements, visit www.passthelove.com.

About Mondelez International

Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDLZ) is a global snacking powerhouse, with 2013 revenue of $35 billion. Creating delicious moments of joy in 165 countries, Mondelez International is a world leader in chocolate, biscuits, gum, candy, coffee and powdered beverages, with billion-dollar brands such as Cadbury, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Milka chocolate, Jacobs coffee, Oreo, LU and Nabisco biscuits, Tang powdered beverages and Trident gum. Mondelez International is a proud member of the Standard and Poor's 500, NASDAQ 100 and Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Visit www.mondelezinternational.com and www.facebook.com/mondelezinternational. 

About U.S. Soccer:

Founded in 1913, U.S. Soccer is the non-for-profit, governing body of soccer in the United States and has helped chart the course for the game for more than 100 years. During this time, the Federation's mission statement has been clear and simple: to make soccer, in all its forms, a pre-eminent sport in the United States and to continue the development of soccer at all recreational and competitive levels. To that end, the sport's development and growth in the United States during the past 25 years has been nothing short of remarkable as U.S. Soccer's National Teams have continually succeeded on the world stage and, with the assistance of its members, the fan support and participation in the game continues to reach new heights. For more information, visit ussoccer.com.

About Soccer United Marketing

Founded in 2002, Soccer United Marketing (SUM) is the preeminent soccer business company in North America. SUM holds the exclusive rights to the most important soccer properties in the region, including: all commercial rights to Major League Soccer; the United States Soccer Federation; promotional and marketing rights to Mexican National Team games played in the United States, and the CONCACAF Gold Cup™. SUM also manages promotional and marketing rights in the United States for Mexico's most popular sports team, Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Chivas).

In 2009, SUM announced the creation of the MLS Digital Properties, the only soccer advertising network of its kind, covering all facets of the sport in the U.S., and which allows advertisers to reach millions of soccer fans via online advertising and sponsorships campaigns. These global properties are represented by SUM's slogan: One Sport. One Company.™ For more information, please visit www.SUMworld.com.

About Kik

Founded in 2009, Kik Interactive Inc is the maker of Kik Messenger, the fast, simple, and personal mobile messenger with a built-in browser, that allows over 120 million people across the globe to talk, browse and share content with one another. Kik continues to grow rapidly, with over 275,000 new people joining every day. Kik is the way people love to connect in mobile, and share the things they care about with the people they care about. Kik Interactive believes the future of smartphone era computing is in the mobile web. Kik is committed to building a cutting-edge HTML5 platform, making it easy for developers everywhere to optimize, distribute, and monetize new experiences for the mobile web. Kik Interactive is a privately-held company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

SOURCE Mondelez International