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Coca-Cola, IOC, China Mengniu Dairy Company announce worldwide Olympic partnership till 2032
MUMBAI: The International Olympic Committee (IOC), The Coca-Cola Company and China Mengniu Dairy Company Ltd today announced that they have signed the first-ever Joint TOP Partnership Agreement. The partnership combines the non-alcoholic beverage and the dairy categories into a new joint category, and brings the Chinese dairy company Mengniu into the family of worldwide TOP partners.
The new joint agreement has a 12-year term running through to the Olympic Games 2032. The agreement includes unprecedented investment in traditional and digital media to promote the Olympic values globally.
This agreement extends The Coca-Cola Company’s association with the Olympic Movement to a historic 104-year-long relationship. The Coca-Cola Company is the longest continuous partner of the Olympic Games.
Mengniu becomes the first Chinese fast-moving consumer goods company to become a TOP partner. The Joint TOP partnership supports Mengniu’s ambitious international growth plans, with the company aiming to become one of the top dairy producers in the world by 2025.
IOC president Thomas Bach said, “This long-term agreement is another demonstration of the relevance and stability of the Olympic Games in these times of uncertainty. Having our longest-standing partner, Coca-Cola, an iconic American brand, together with a young Chinese company, Mengniu, joining hands under the roof of our Worldwide TOP Programme is a great example of the unifying power of the Olympic spirit. This partnership will give another dimension to the promotion of the Olympic values around the world.”
The Coca-Cola Company chairman and CEO James Quincey said: “We are honoured and privileged to be a part of the Olympic movement that makes it possible for athletes from all over the world to come together to represent their nations, pursue their dreams and be a part of history. A lot has changed since we sold the first Coca-Cola at an Olympic event in 1928. With a fresh approach to our business and to our sponsorship, we are proud to join with Mengniu to promote and celebrate future Olympic Games.”
Jeffrey Lu, CEO and executive director of Mengniu, said: “Membership of the TOP Programme will act as a catalyst for Mengniu to grow around the world. This is a vital step in our international strategy, and we are honoured to have the opportunity to build a positive reputation of Chinese food and beverage brands among consumers globally. As a worldwide TOP partner, we look forward to using the unrivalled platform of the Olympic Games to promote health and joy to Olympians and fans alike.”
The Joint TOP agreement also includes marketing rights for the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Paralympic Games through the IOC-IPC long-term collaboration agreement, as well as for the Youth Olympic Games.
Olympic marketing programmes are based on the fundamental principle of exclusivity within a specific product category and territory. The current Beijing 2022 domestic partner’s exclusive rights in its designated category in the Chinese market will not be affected.
IOC marketing commission chair Jiri Kejval said: “We are very excited to continue our relationship with our long-standing partner Coca-Cola for many years to come, and to begin working with Mengniu. The agreement represents an unprecedented commitment to support the IOC to engage young people and promote the Olympic values around the world. We are also delighted to bring another Chinese company to the Worldwide Olympic Partner family as part of this collaboration.”
The Coca-Cola Company chief public affairs, communications, sustainability and marketing assets officer Bea Perez said: “We’ve been a part of bringing so many incredible moments to Olympic Games fans over the years – moments that have been inspired by the pursuit of excellence, the possibility of opportunities, the spirit of competition, and a vision for a better world. With the past 90 years as our foundation, we can’t help but be excited for what the future holds.”
Mengniu vice-president of strategy Yong Zhang added: “The Olympic movement and Mengniu are naturally aligned. We both aim to bring health and joy to people and Mengniu’s brand advocates ‘Born for Greatness’ – another natural fit with the Olympic values. Mengniu reaches hundreds of millions of consumers worldwide and will encourage more people to follow and participate in the Olympic Movement, while also contributing ‘China’s strength’ to the global development of the Olympic cause and successful hosting of future Olympic Games.”
Worldwide Olympic Partners support every National Olympic Committee and their teams, and every Organiser of the Olympic Games, as well as providing support for athletes’ training and development. In addition, they promote the ideals and values of the Olympic Movement and help create memorable experiences for spectators and fans around the world.
The Coca-Cola Company has had a presence at the Olympic Games since the 1928 Games in Amsterdam. With its current agreement with the IOC ending in 2020, The Coca-Cola Company will now continue its partnership with this new Joint TOP agreement through to the Olympic Winter Games 2022 in Beijing, the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, the Olympic Winter Games 2026, the Olympic Games 2028 in Los Angeles, and the Olympic Games 2030 and 2032. The host city for the Olympic Winter Games 2026 will be named later today.
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Madison World to launch AI platform M BrAIn for media planning
Agency group invests about $1 million as it shifts to AI driven growth planning.
MUMBAI: If media planning once ran on spreadsheets and gut instinct, the next chapter may run on algorithms and curiosity. Madison World is preparing to roll out the first version of its proprietary artificial intelligence platform Madison M BrAIn in early April, as the independent agency group accelerates its transition toward AI driven planning and product led media services.
The platform, expected to involve an investment of around $1 million, is designed to reshape how the agency approaches strategy by combining internal knowledge, external data sources and advanced AI models into a single intelligence ecosystem.
According to Madison Media, OOH and Hiveminds partner and group CEO Ajit Varghese the initiative forms part of a larger structural rethink within the organisation. “Traditionally agencies built frameworks around media planning and allocation. We are redesigning that structure into what we call a Growth Planning System (GPS),” Varghese said.
The shift reflects a growing belief that effective media strategy must begin earlier in the decision making process. Instead of jumping directly to channel allocation, planners must first decode the market itself identifying consumer barriers, purchase triggers and the core challenges facing a brand.
Once those insights are mapped, agencies can build clearer growth agendas for clients and design media strategies that connect more closely with business outcomes.
To support that approach, Madison has built Madison M BrAIn as what it describes as a human AI cognitive ecosystem. Acting as a central intelligence hub, the platform aggregates proprietary insights alongside external data sources and large language models, enabling planners to access deeper market intelligence before building campaign strategies.
Varghese said one of the core objectives is to democratise knowledge across the organisation. “In the past, this level of understanding was largely available to senior leaders or experienced strategists. With Madison M BrAIn, even a junior planner should be able to access the same intelligence and approach clients with a far more informed perspective,” he said.
The agency has already implemented the new planning philosophy internally and completed three months of testing for the AI platform, with early trials showing encouraging results in terms of learning capability and system performance.
While the first version relied on global large language models, Madison is now developing its own proprietary Small Language Model (SLM) to serve as the core of the M BrAIn ecosystem.
“The SLM will be able to read global LLMs, but the LLMs cannot read the SLM,” Varghese explained. “That ensures all the intelligence we build remains within the Madison ecosystem and strengthens our proprietary knowledge base.”
The first version of Madison M BrAIn is expected to go live in early April, with a more refined version targeted by the end of June. Over time, the platform will integrate additional external data streams and APIs including consumer insight platforms, social listening tools and client datasets.
These integrations are expected to enhance the system’s learning capability and enable it to generate increasingly sophisticated strategic recommendations.
Although the platform is currently being deployed for internal use, Madison sees potential for it to evolve into a licensable product in the future.
“At the moment, our focus is to stabilise and strengthen M BrAIn internally. But over time there is potential for this to become a product that could be licensed externally,” Varghese said.
The AI platform is also part of a wider technology transformation underway at the agency group. Alongside M BrAIn, Madison is building a broader digital infrastructure called the Catalyst operating system, which aims to integrate operational processes, data and product platforms into a unified ecosystem.
This broader technology stack could require an additional $1 million to $1.5 million investment over time, though spending will be phased and reviewed regularly.
“We are evaluating progress every three months and prioritising the most critical capabilities first,” Varghese said.
Madison expects the full AI and operating ecosystem to be fully functional within 12 to 18 months, positioning the agency to combine human strategy with machine intelligence as the advertising industry enters its next data driven phase.
