Dentsu UK&I has helped brands capture consumer demand during the world’s biggest football tournament through a series of real-time retail media activations delivered with Uber Advertising, enabling advertisers to reach consumers at key moments before and during matches.

The activity uses Uber Advertising's retail media capabilities to dynamically activate campaigns around match schedules, aligning media investment with anticipated spikes in demand as football fans prepare to watch games. The approach has been deployed across categories including beer, spirits and snacking, helping brands reach consumers closer to the point of purchase during one of the world's biggest sporting events.

The work reflects a broader shift in how brands are approaching major cultural moments. Rather than treating global sporting events solely as awareness-building opportunities, advertisers are increasingly looking to connect media exposure with immediate commerce outcomes through retail media networks and quick-commerce platforms.

Dentsu's approach includes activating campaigns around key match times and optimising activity throughout the tournament to align with audience behaviour and purchasing patterns. The activity builds on learnings from previous football tournaments where real-time retail media campaigns demonstrated the effectiveness of activating around live sporting moments.

For categories such as beer, snacks and convenience purchases, quick-commerce platforms are creating new opportunities to influence consumer decisions in the hours and even minutes before kick-off, helping brands convert fan engagement into measurable sales outcomes.

Heidrun Thrainsdottir-Kelly, Retail Media Lead at dentsu UK&I, said: "International football tournaments bring together millions of consumers around shared moments, creating significant opportunities for brands. Through Uber Advertising, we're helping advertisers activate in real time around key fixtures and reach consumers at moments when purchase intent is at its highest. As retail media continues to mature, we're seeing growing demand from brands looking to connect media investment more directly to commercial outcomes."

Holly Dewsbury, Head of Agency Development EMEA at Uber Advertising said: "Major sporting events create unique consumer demand patterns, and retail media is increasingly enabling brands to respond in real time. By combining audience insight, timing and proximity to purchase, brands can become more relevant when consumers are actively making decisions about what to order and buy."

Press contact: ellie.stansfield@dentsu.com