If you’re in China while Mbappé whips through teams in the World Cup, you’re probably pretty used to opening Family Mart fridge doors and seeing his face looking back at you from a bottle of electrolytes. He was a big signing for Dongpeng (东鹏) to splash across their bottles of Bushuaila (补水啦). Now his face – caught in a mid-match rainstorm – has sent the brand viral.
Dongpeng Beverage first signed the French captain as the face of its electrolyte drink Bushuaila in April. The campaign launched with online traction right from the whistle: Mbappé introduced himself in Mandarin, butchering tones on the line, ‘I am Mbappé Bushuaila’ (‘我是姆巴佩，补水啦’). His French accent led many to mishear the phrase as ‘I’m not sleeping’ (不睡啦). And so, the slogan turned meme.
Bushuaila’s biggest success came from a thunderstorm
That joke resurfaced during the France vs. Iraq game. Heavy rain and thunderstorms in Philadelphia forced organisers to extend half-time by almost two hours. Mbappé went on to lead France to a 3-0 win on a rain-soaked pitch.
The Chinese viewers watching this unfold from home joked that the man had literally been ‘hydrated’ by the weather. Others referenced FIFA’s new hydration-break rules, describing the lengthy stoppage as an ‘extended hydration timeout’.
Bushuaila’s marketing team quickly joined the trend. The brand published posts including ‘Mbappé is even stronger after hydrating!’ and ‘This time he really did hydrate!’, echoing the language and humour already circulating among fans.
The Dao view: Bushuaila so speed is always key with this Mbappé stunt
Brands spend millions trying to manufacture viral moments. Bushuaila’s biggest campaign boost came from a thunderstorm. You couldn’t script it. The real marketing success – as always in these situations – comes from the speed at which the brand recognised the opportunity and inserted itself into the conversation before the meme had passed.
