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Wayne Rooney Manchester United Robin Van Persie

Manchester United players Wayne Rooney, Angel di Maria and Robin van Persie animated by Kazuto Nakazawa for Nissin campaign

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By Natalie Mortimer, N/A

November 8, 2014 | 4 min read

Manchester United players Wayne Rooney, Angel di Maria and Robin van Persie have been animated as part of a marketing campaign for global partner, Nissin Foods as the club looks to deepen its engagement with the Asia Pacific region.

Manchester United Nissin animation

The 'Hungry to Win' animated campaign, by Kazuto Nakazawa, has been created in Anime style with the aim of inspiring consumers to 'rise to the challenge' and be inspired by the football club in turn as its player's are portrayed attempting to do the same.

Speaking to The Drum Manchester United MD Asia Pacific, Jamie Reigle, said that the partnership with the noodle maker marks a change in tack for the club, which is now looking to ink deals with local companies that have a deeper understanding of the region.

"Manchester United is known around the world, we’re very fortunate we have a strong brand and that we are popular around the world, but we’re trying to make a concerted effort to connect with fans in a different way.

"A lot of our commercial partners, for example Nike, have been advertising and doing activations with the club for a long time in Asia, but what we’re trying to do now is partner with companies that really understand those markets, and that’s why we’re looking for companies, particularly in Japan, that are looking to expand out of their own markets."

Reigle commented that the challenges of marketing in Asia Pacific come as the brand looks to "strike a balance" between staying true to its position as a football club, but also providing marketing that meets the expectations of an Asian consumer.

"The idea is to take football, which is a common language, and then to take Japanaese animation which is something that is recognised around the world as a high-end art form and bring those two together. We think that will communicate pretty well around the region."

Richard Arnold, Manchester United group managing director, explained that the Nissin campaign was created to inspire fans to do the best they could do in everyday life.

"This call to action reflects Nissin’s desire and drive to expand its global footprint, using its partnership with the club to further develop its consumer offering," he added.

The campaign will promote Manchester United branded Nissin products available in Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, India, Japan, Mexico and Kenya.

Nissin Foods CSO Noritaka Ando, told The Drum, that he hopes the new campaign, which will be promoted across Manchester United's social channels, will help push forward expansion plans.

"We are accelerating our expansion globally, so it was very efficient because Manchester United already have a fan base and credibility in those markets. Our primary focus is South East Asia and China and that’s were Manchester United are extremely popular are at so it really matched our targets."

The campaign will include competitions at POS, with consumers offered the chance to win match tickets to a Manchester United game.

The animation can currently be viewed on the official Manchester United website.

Wayne Rooney Manchester United Robin Van Persie

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