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Behind the World Cup, Ronshen refrigerators are waging a 'freshness preservation' battle
At 3:00 a.m. Beijing time on July 20, when Spain and Argentina faced off in the World Cup final, Spain defeated Argentina 1–0 after extra time to claim the championship, sending fans at the stadium and around the world into celebration.
However, the conclusion of the World Cup does not mean all stories have ended—because the World Cup has never been just about football.
As an official global partner, Ronshen leveraged the World Cup’s global stage to further expand its brand influence both in breadth and depth.
For the consumer sector, it functions more like a short-cycle global attention window—not long in duration, but extremely dense in exposure, enabling information to spread rapidly and intensively across regions in a short period.
Many brands choose to appear at this moment—some seeking broader visibility and greater recognition, while others aim to reintegrate their products or brands into users’ lifestyle contexts through this window.
Yet in recent years, the significance of this window has somewhat shifted. Understanding Ronshen Refrigerator’s campaign during the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico against this backdrop makes it easier to recognize how this approach delivers more meaningful impact for users.
However, labeling this merely as an 'upgrade in sports marketing' would still somewhat underestimate the scale of this shift.
During the World Cup, Ronshen Refrigerator’s messaging extended beyond the tournament itself, layering in the concept of 'freshness preservation' into viewing-related dining, family social gatherings, and even certain festive consumption scenarios.
Interestingly, this round of storytelling around refrigerators has indeed taken a significant step forward—stepping out of the kitchen.
From preservation to nourishment
For many years, competition in the refrigerator industry has centered on capacity, energy efficiency, and freshness duration.
These metrics themselves are not problematic, but the issue is that they are increasingly reduced to price comparisons—especially online, where this compression happens almost automatically.
What’s ultimately left for consumers to compare is often just a string of specifications.
Ronshen’s repeated emphasis on 'nourishment' this time is, to some extent, an attempt to break open this reductive narrative and help more people understand that the core of its WILL Freshness technology lies in 'preserving the nutritional value of ingredients.'
Put more simply, it’s not about making food 'last longer,' but about making it 'change more slowly.'
The key point of this phrasing isn’t really about the technology itself, but about speed—it emphasizes not the outcome, but slowing down the rate at which change occurs.
Similar discussions have long existed in the field of food science.
A 2021 review published in Foods by researchers from the University of West Attica and the National Technical University of Athens noted that vitamin C degradation is primarily influenced by temperature and oxygen exposure, with reaction rates significantly decreasing under low-temperature conditions, thereby slowing nutrient loss.
Similar conclusions have repeatedly appeared across numerous studies, forming a fairly stable scientific consensus.
A more fundamental understanding is this: the role of cold chain technology is not 'freezing' per se, but rather slowing down molecular movement and reaction rates to decelerate oxidation.
Put more simply in everyday terms, it’s about making ingredients 'change more slowly.'
However, there’s actually a practical question here—whether this 'slowness' is always perceived as better from a user experience standpoint remains unsettled within the industry.
But one thing is fairly clear: refrigerators are gradually evolving from mere storage appliances into environmental control devices.
Ronshen’s 'Freshness Preservation' concept essentially translates this technical logic into consumer-friendly language—for example, food stays fresher longer, flavors don’t degrade as quickly, and overall freshness preservation is enhanced.
These descriptions align more closely with everyday sensory experiences, making the benefits more perceptible to consumers.
World Cup scenario: Refrigerators are being pushed one step further outward
Ronshen refrigerators’ latest marketing campaign reflects a noticeable shift—not staying confined to the kitchen environment, but moving into the sports viewing context.
Cold beverages, barbecues, late-night snacks, and gatherings—these consumption behaviors traditionally associated with the World Cup periphery are now being integrated into a unified ecosystem.
Breaking it down, the connections are quite straightforward: ultra-low-temperature ice-making meets the need for continuous cold drink supply during extended match viewing; dual-system purification addresses odor transfer issues when storing strong-smelling items like durian and barbecue together; and -36°C deep-freeze functionality caters more to household bulk purchasing and batch storage needs.
Combined, these features bring about a more intuitive shift: refrigerators are no longer just for storage—they’re evolving into solutions that keep stored food fresher.
The refrigerator’s physical location hasn’t changed, but it’s now involved in more everyday scenarios. This shift may seem subtle under normal circumstances, but it becomes significantly amplified during high-intensity consumption events like the World Cup.
Mengniu Collaboration: More Like Two Links on the Same Chain
There’s an easily overlooked aspect to the collaboration between Ronshen and Mengniu.
On the surface, it appears to be a partnership between home appliances and food products. However, if you break down the consumer structure, this isn’t really a traditional cross-industry collaboration—it’s more like two links on the same consumption chain.
Mengniu handles 'what to eat and drink,' while Ronshen manages 'how to store it and how to do so more safely.' Ultimately, both converge on a single goal: making household food consumption more stable.
Therefore, the core of such collaborations doesn’t lie in brand stacking, but rather in extending the concept of health in two directions: food is promoting health, and now storage is doing the same.
From Awareness to Sales: Singles’ Day (June 18) as Real-World Feedback
If the World Cup focuses more on building brand awareness, then June 18 offers a closer look at market response.
During the June 18 shopping festival in 2026, multiple Ronshen product lines ranked among the top sellers on major platforms, with several mid-to-high-end models maintaining strong performance within their specific categories.
These figures indicate at least one thing: 'freshness preservation' is no longer confined to marketing rhetoric. Judging by the results, one clear trend emerges: consumer acceptance of mid-to-high-end products continues to rise.
Features such as dual cooling systems, odor elimination, and ice making are now genuinely influencing consumers’ purchasing decisions. The way refrigerators are evaluated is also shifting—from 'capacity plus price' toward 'feature combinations.'
Industry shift: Sports marketing is entering everyday life
Viewed over a longer timeframe, it becomes evident that Ronshen’s strategic path is not an isolated case.
Across the 2018, 2022, and 2026 FIFA World Cup cycles, home appliance brands have consistently engaged in sports marketing—a practice that has now become fairly standard.
However, the main evolution has occurred in content structure: early efforts emphasized brand exposure, the mid-phase focused on technological differentiation, and today’s approach leans more toward integration into real-life scenarios.
In recent years, Ronshen refrigerators have largely followed this trajectory—moving from product-centric messaging toward embedding itself within everyday living contexts.
After the World Cup ends, advertising will gradually fade away, but consumer behavior won’t disappear simultaneously.
A more enduring shift may be underway: people are beginning to care less about how large a refrigerator is and more about what actually happens to food once it’s stored inside.
From the perspective of ordinary consumers, this shift isn’t easily quantifiable—but it is indeed happening.
How refrigerators preserve freshness is gradually becoming one of the focal points in industry competition.
Risk Disclaimer: The above content only represents the author's view. It does not represent any position or investment advice of Futu. Futu makes no representation or warranty.Read more
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