The World Cup is the largest sports marketing exercise the World has ever undertaken. In this week’s Sunday Supplement we will look at some of the studies being talked about concerning the scale and effectiveness of what is being done.
This week’s Friday Forum of Sports Marketing experts from within the Sport for Business community takes a look at some of the big issues from an Irish perspective.
The panel this week is Kieran McSweeney from Pembroke Communications, Darragh Rea from Edelman, Patrick Murphy from Atomic Sport and Rob Hartnett from Sport for Business. This is what they had to say…
With the World Cup underway which of the big brand campaigns struck you as most visible in the run up to the tournament?
KM: Unsurprisingly given their market position it is the campaigns from Nike and Adidas that stand out for me. Between them they are the kit suppliers for 19 of the 32 teams at the World Cup (Nike 10, Adidas 9) with hosts Brazil in the Nike camp and heavyweights Spain, Germany and Argentina in the Adidas camp. Nike got in there early with their ‘Risk Everything’ campaign which launched back in April.
Neymar, Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are all involved in as a game moves from a park to a big stadium in front of thousands. The ad has racked up over 74 million You Tube hits. They’ve followed that up with a second ad. This time their stars are in cartoon form. That is already approaching 20 million hits. Both ads are over an epic 4 minutes long. Adidas have gone with ‘Lionel Messi’s World Cup Dream’ for their campaign. Their ad reportedly cost over €90 million to produce. It’s directed by ‘City of God’ director Fernando Meirelles and Kanye West supplies the backing music. Over 33 million have viewed it on You Tube alone. As Adidas are an official World Cup sponsor it’s no surprise they’ve spent the big bucks!
DR: One of the fascinating side shows to any major sporting tournament is the battle between official sponsors and their competitors. The World Cup is no exception with the on-pitch duels matched by a multi-million euro battle for consumer attention. This battle is perhaps at its most intense when you look at the activities of Adidas (Official Sponsor) and Nike (Not a World Cup Sponsor but associated with a number of the teams).
These giants of the sporting world have embarked on some of the biggest marketing campaigns ever witnessed around a World Cup with each spending 10’s of millions to capture football fans attention. From a personal perspective it has been particularly interesting to see how this has played out online with both brands anchoring their activities with a key creative idea and looking to leverage content across platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine and more. The campaign themes are not a million miles apart with Adidas leading with “All in or Nothing” and Nike encouraging us to “Risk Everything”.
Personally speaking I’m a big fan of the Nike campaign which to me does more to drive the emotional connection with the brand and has been executed superbly across a multitude of channels delivering huge traction thus far – a point which would appear to be echoed by the fact that Nike’s campaign has delivered a much greater share of voice than that of Adidas. In reality it probably won’t be until we have a winner on the pitch that we will know which brand has delivered the best results but it promises to be an interesting month.
PM: When it comes to the mega-budget campaigns, I think Nike have really nailed it with the ‘Attack of the Clones’ – amazing asset activation, creativity, good versus evil and, for me, the all-important superstar self-depracation piece which really adds humour and sticks with the viewer. I think it’s possibly Nike’s best ever piece of football work.
On a more achievable level, a Heineken outdoor piece spotted on the London underground this week (left) worked on a number of levels. A nice simple, thoughtful idea within the reach of any brand.
RH: I think that of the top level sponsors Budweiser have got it closest to the mark with their ‘Rise’ Campaign. It’s all about the fans and the experience of watching the tournament which is what most of the world is doing right now. It will be interesting to see how they follow through in venues as the weeks roll by.
Were there any that you expected more from?
KM: Unsurprisingly given their market position it is the campaigns from Nike and Adidas that stand out for me. Between them they are the kit suppliers for 19 of the 32 teams at the World Cup (Nike 10, Adidas 9) with hosts Brazil in the Nike camp and heavyweights Spain, Germany and Argentina in the Adidas camp. Nike got in there early with their ‘Risk Everything’ campaign which launched back in April.
Neymar, Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are all involved in as a game moves from a park to a big stadium in front of thousands. The ad has racked up over 74 million You Tube hits. They’ve followed that up with a second ad. This time their stars are in cartoon form. That is already approaching 20 million hits. Both ads are over an epic 4 minutes long. Adidas have gone with ‘Lionel Messi’s World Cup Dream’ for their campaign. Their ad reportedly cost over €90 million to produce. It’s directed by ‘City of God’ director Fernando Meirelles and Kanye West supplies the backing music. Over 33 million have viewed it on You Tube alone. As Adidas are an official World Cup sponsor it’s no surprise they’ve spent the big bucks!
DR: One of the fascinating side shows to any major sporting tournament is the battle between official sponsors and their competitors. The World Cup is no exception with the on-pitch duels matched by a multi-million euro battle for consumer attention. This battle is perhaps at its most intense when you look at the activities of Adidas (Official Sponsor) and Nike (Not a World Cup Sponsor but associated with a number of the teams).
These giants of the sporting world have embarked on some of the biggest marketing campaigns ever witnessed around a World Cup with each spending 10’s of millions to capture football fans attention. From a personal perspective it has been particularly interesting to see how this has played out online with both brands anchoring their activities with a key creative idea and looking to leverage content across platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine and more. The campaign themes are not a million miles apart with Adidas leading with “All in or Nothing” and Nike encouraging us to “Risk Everything”.
Personally speaking I’m a big fan of the Nike campaign which to me does more to drive the emotional connection with the brand and has been executed superbly across a multitude of channels delivering huge traction thus far – a point which would appear to be echoed by the fact that Nike’s campaign has delivered a much greater share of voice than that of Adidas. In reality it probably won’t be until we have a winner on the pitch that we will know which brand has delivered the best results but it promises to be an interesting month.
PM: When it comes to the mega-budget campaigns, I think Nike have really nailed it with the ‘Attack of the Clones’ – amazing asset activation, creativity, good versus evil and, for me, the all-important superstar self-depracation piece which really adds humour and sticks with the viewer. I think it’s possibly Nike’s best ever piece of football work.On a more achievable level, a Heineken outdoor piece spotted on the London underground this week (left) worked on a number of levels. A nice simple, thoughtful idea within the reach of any brand.
RH: I think that of the top level sponsors Budweiser have got it closest to the mark with their ‘Rise’ Campaign. It’s all about the fans and the experience of watching the tournament which is what most of the world is doing right now. It will be interesting to see how they follow through in venues as the weeks roll by.
Were there any that you expected more from?KM: Coca Cola haven’t really made a huge impression on me in the build up to the World Cup. I know they are being careful over how they advertise given the climate of protest in Brazil so maybe that is a mitigating factor. Their ‘The World is Ours’ song is pretty awful.
DR: I wouldn’t say that there is any particular sponsor that I expected more from but there’s definitely a few that haven’t done enough to surprise or excite. With so many brands vying for attention you have to do more to stand out, it’s not just about throwing loads of money at it but more about creating a campaign idea that connects with your audience. Unfortunately in many cases it appears brands have settled for the former.
PM: In the soft drink wars I think Coke have topped Pepsi, who in contrast to Nike’s amazing activation have really failed to inspire.
RH: I feel that I have seen the Nike ad now over a couple of tournaments. That may be a question of age as every four years there is a new batch of young adults to capture and it must work. On the home front I was a little underwhelmed by the Hyundai stings around the RTE coverage. Very much an international piece and the voiceover is good for the local market but Cadbury at the Olympics set the bar a little higher in my opinion.
Do you feel that brands have underestimated the appeal in Ireland in our team’s absence or are they right to divert money elsewhere?
KM: The results of Webloyalty’s World Cup survey published yesterday made for interesting reading. 53% of the population say they will not watch the World Cup. It’s clear then that retailers will not get the same level of a boost that previous World Cups where we were involved (1990, 1994, 2002) yielded. Further to that, 31% say they will actively go out of their way to avoid watching it. It seems this World Cup is a hard sell because of our absence.
DR: The absence of any Irish involvement in Brazil has meant that the lead up to the tournament has been extremely quiet, certainly in comparison to the massive excitement of 2012. Understandably we’ll probably have to wait until kick off before we see a real jump in excitement however there is still a huge audience (me included) who will be absolutely captivated by what unfolds over the next month. Clearly the size of this audience doesn’t warrant the same level of investment as we saw back in 2012 but it does still represent a significant opportunity for any brand which can reach out in a targeted and relevant manner.
PM: As an agency we believe the real, lasting power of sponsorship is the ability to create a deep emotional connection between consumers and brands. I’m not sure if a broadcast sponsorship, or similar, of a World Cup in Brazil really offers that to Irish brands this year. It’s good to see the GAA and the Rugby Provinces secure really strong partnerships over the big show in Brazil.
RH: The sun has started to shine, the tournament is underway. I think Ireland will be swept up in the mood and would expect that we will have a few very clever, very timely campaigns breaking on social media, perhaps being budgeted in the experimental category.
What’s your personal favourite moment from World Cup history?
DR: I wouldn’t say that there is any particular sponsor that I expected more from but there’s definitely a few that haven’t done enough to surprise or excite. With so many brands vying for attention you have to do more to stand out, it’s not just about throwing loads of money at it but more about creating a campaign idea that connects with your audience. Unfortunately in many cases it appears brands have settled for the former.
PM: In the soft drink wars I think Coke have topped Pepsi, who in contrast to Nike’s amazing activation have really failed to inspire.
RH: I feel that I have seen the Nike ad now over a couple of tournaments. That may be a question of age as every four years there is a new batch of young adults to capture and it must work. On the home front I was a little underwhelmed by the Hyundai stings around the RTE coverage. Very much an international piece and the voiceover is good for the local market but Cadbury at the Olympics set the bar a little higher in my opinion.
Do you feel that brands have underestimated the appeal in Ireland in our team’s absence or are they right to divert money elsewhere?KM: The results of Webloyalty’s World Cup survey published yesterday made for interesting reading. 53% of the population say they will not watch the World Cup. It’s clear then that retailers will not get the same level of a boost that previous World Cups where we were involved (1990, 1994, 2002) yielded. Further to that, 31% say they will actively go out of their way to avoid watching it. It seems this World Cup is a hard sell because of our absence.
DR: The absence of any Irish involvement in Brazil has meant that the lead up to the tournament has been extremely quiet, certainly in comparison to the massive excitement of 2012. Understandably we’ll probably have to wait until kick off before we see a real jump in excitement however there is still a huge audience (me included) who will be absolutely captivated by what unfolds over the next month. Clearly the size of this audience doesn’t warrant the same level of investment as we saw back in 2012 but it does still represent a significant opportunity for any brand which can reach out in a targeted and relevant manner.
PM: As an agency we believe the real, lasting power of sponsorship is the ability to create a deep emotional connection between consumers and brands. I’m not sure if a broadcast sponsorship, or similar, of a World Cup in Brazil really offers that to Irish brands this year. It’s good to see the GAA and the Rugby Provinces secure really strong partnerships over the big show in Brazil.
RH: The sun has started to shine, the tournament is underway. I think Ireland will be swept up in the mood and would expect that we will have a few very clever, very timely campaigns breaking on social media, perhaps being budgeted in the experimental category.
What’s your personal favourite moment from World Cup history?KM: The stand out moment for me will always be David O’Leary’s penalty against Romania in Genoa at Italia ’90. It sent us through to the quarter finals in our first ever appearance at the World Cup. George Hamilton’s commentary is, for me, the single greatest piece of soccer commentary ever – ‘The Nation holds its breath…..yes we’re there’ – spine tingling stuff.
DR: I’m torn between Bonners penalty save back in 1990 and Ray Houghton’s goal in 94 against Italy (only because I was lucky enough to attend the match) but ultimately the phrases “Timofte against Bonner” and “The Nation Holds its breath” still bring back those euphoric feelings which encapsulated the spirit of the country.
DR: I’m torn between Bonners penalty save back in 1990 and Ray Houghton’s goal in 94 against Italy (only because I was lucky enough to attend the match) but ultimately the phrases “Timofte against Bonner” and “The Nation Holds its breath” still bring back those euphoric feelings which encapsulated the spirit of the country.
PM: France v Brazil in the 1986 World Cup is one of my very first footballing memories and I have a vivid recollection of that game. But the memory of Tony Cascarino’s (terrible) penalty versus Romania in Italia ’90 still makes me smile – favourite World Cup memory by a mile!
RH: I can remember back to Cruyff and Muller in 1974. When I look at a showreel of the great moments it’s like a movie of my lifetime memories. Related to them I went to see Ireland play Italy in a friendly at Dalymount Park in 1985. Paolo Rossi was the star having won Italy the World Cup in ’82 and the ground was so packed we were sitting out on the touchline. Rossi’s English wasn’t great and when the crowd kept up a lengthy refrain of ‘Paolo Rossi, You’re a W*&%!R’ he kept smiling and applauding us.
If Sepp Blatter stands for election to another term as President of FIFA, come up with a campaign slogan of six words or less.
KM: ‘Better the Devil You Know’
DR: Given his timely promise to divvy up FIFA’s World Cup Profits into cash payments for each FIFA member you could argue that “Cash for Votes” could be a fitting slogan. Or perhaps an ironic copy of Barack Obama’s slogan: “Change We Can Believe In” would do the trick.
PM: Blatter Control – Keep it at all costs! (Sorry, 7 words)
RH: Our Game, Our Future, Your Choice.
Pembroke Communications, Edelman and Atomic Sport are full members of the Sport for Business community. To learn more about membership click here.
RH: I can remember back to Cruyff and Muller in 1974. When I look at a showreel of the great moments it’s like a movie of my lifetime memories. Related to them I went to see Ireland play Italy in a friendly at Dalymount Park in 1985. Paolo Rossi was the star having won Italy the World Cup in ’82 and the ground was so packed we were sitting out on the touchline. Rossi’s English wasn’t great and when the crowd kept up a lengthy refrain of ‘Paolo Rossi, You’re a W*&%!R’ he kept smiling and applauding us.
If Sepp Blatter stands for election to another term as President of FIFA, come up with a campaign slogan of six words or less.KM: ‘Better the Devil You Know’
DR: Given his timely promise to divvy up FIFA’s World Cup Profits into cash payments for each FIFA member you could argue that “Cash for Votes” could be a fitting slogan. Or perhaps an ironic copy of Barack Obama’s slogan: “Change We Can Believe In” would do the trick.
PM: Blatter Control – Keep it at all costs! (Sorry, 7 words)
RH: Our Game, Our Future, Your Choice.
Pembroke Communications, Edelman and Atomic Sport are full members of the Sport for Business community. To learn more about membership click here.
The Friday Forum will be a regular feature. Contact us today if you would be interested in contributing your thoughts on the issues of the day between sport and business.
