Announcement
On June 24, 2026, Coca-Cola China announced a new sports‑marketing initiative launched during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The campaign features a real‑time interactive AI avatar of Chinese football icon Fan Zhiyi and a World Cup‑themed AIGC creative film.
Technology Partnership
The avatar was developed in collaboration with Baidu Yijing, Baidu’s multi‑agent AI avatar platform. Baidu Yijing supplied the underlying AI technologies that enable the avatar to recreate Fan Zhiyi’s likeness, facial expressions, and voice with high fidelity.
Avatar Capabilities
The AI avatar operates 24 hours a day, providing low‑latency, real‑time conversational interactions. Fans can discuss live match action, exchange football insights, and hold authentic conversations with the avatar throughout the tournament. Unlike traditional virtual characters that rely on pre‑programmed scripts, the avatar delivers a dynamic, continuously available experience, overcoming scheduling, location, and availability constraints typical of celebrity‑led campaigns.
Strategic Implications for FMCG Marketing
Coca-Cola China positions the initiative as a demonstration that AI can support both content creation and large‑scale consumer engagement. By eliminating the need for a spokesperson’s ongoing live participation, the avatar creates an always‑on engagement model that extends the reach of celebrity endorsements, fosters deeper consumer interaction, and aims to build lasting audience relationships. The campaign is presented as a new model for AI‑powered marketing within the fast‑moving consumer goods sector.
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