Alistair Johnston Helps Hellmann’s Poke Fun at Hydration Breaks in World Cup Campaign

As football fans come down from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Hellmann’s and Ogilvy Canada are marking a different kind of result.

Near the start of the tournament, they rolled out ‘Hellmann’s Mayo Break’, a cheeky campaign starring soccer star Alistair Johnston that riffed on the event’s mandatory hydration breaks. The goal? Tap into a cultural discussion, and place the product at the centre of it.


“When we were briefed, there was a lot of talk about mandated hydration breaks being a controversial addition to the World Cup,” ​explains Ogilvy Canada senior copywriter Chris Belanger. “For three minutes, fans wouldn’t be locked into their screens, and that just might be enough time to make a snack with Hellmann's. So, we came up with the ‘Hellmann's Mayo Break’. This was an opportunity to reference something happening around soccer culture, while poking a little fun at it.”

The decision to poke fun at the new rules went down well with viewers. From depicting someone almost taking a sip of Hellmann’s, to placing the product on posters as if it was a water bottle, the Ogilvy team says the creative hijacked conversation during games meaningfully.

Not only that, but when players took their on-field hydration breaks, fans were encouraged to enjoy their own ‘mayo breaks’, using that three-minute pause to get up and prepare something delectable.

“From brief to delivery, the excitement around this idea was clearly felt from both sides,” says Ogilvy Canada’s chief client officer, Chris Perron, to which Unilever associate brand manager Hannah Wilson adds, “The ‘Hellmann’s Mayo Break’ leaned right into sports culture, at a moment happening in real-time. This hit the sweet spot for us from day one, and we couldn’t wait to get it into production.”

Bringing the work to life, however, was a mixed bag. On the one hand, Ogilvy had a fairly straightforward time landing Canada Men’s National Team player Alistair Johnston for the project. The defender’s willingness to be involved added a strong degree of personality and local connection to the work, as well as fed into Unilever's desire to tie its brands as closely as possible to culture.

The actual film production was where things slightly derailed. Specifically, while shooting in Glasgow, Scotland, the Ogilvy team’s hotel went up in flames on day one. Fortunately, everyone – and the gear – made it out safely, and chuckles were had at the irony of a water break-inspired commercial kicking off with an uncontrollable blaze.

“That was something!” laughs Chris. “However, Alistair’s Team Canada kit was locked away in our art director’s room the night before the shoot. None of us were allowed to go back into the hotel, and the shoot was the next morning. Thankfully, Unilever shot stills with Alistair the day before, and we were able to use that Team Canada kit.”

Despite this initial degree of chaos, the senior copywriter notes how this was one of the “smoothest overseas shoots” that anyone could have asked. Ogilvy’s UK production partner, Three Shades Creative, made sure the agency was well taken care of, and Alistair himself proved a “great sport” for the entire shoot.

“Alistair’s performance truly made the spot,” Chris adds. “His willingness to go all-in made all the difference in the final edit. Even after being doused in water several times, in cold and gray Scotland, he was always up for more, to make sure we got the perfect shot.”

Running across Canada via TV, CTV, social, and print, ‘Hellmann’s Mayo Break’ has already achieved strong reach, although final numbers are still being calculated. However, for the larger team, there’s already much to celebrate, especially from a production point of view.

“Shooting at Hampden Park, a real, professional football field in Glasgow, Scotland was worth the trip,” Chris concludes. “Even despite the historic fire!”