World Cup Winners!
Marketing inspiration from the World Cup, as chosen by Midphase writer Kelly Kirkham
For the record, I must state that normally I am not a football fan. Until a week ago I knew nothing about the globally celebrated sport, but I must admit – the FIFA World Cup 2014 has motivated me to compulsively check scores, read up on teams and players, and rush home on my lunch break to catch what I can of the game. This is not a part of my character, nor is it a trait I anticipated.
This abnormal behavior could be due to the large prize offered to the winner of our office fantasy World Cup challenge – I’m currently in 10th place. Or, it could be because of the Internet coverage of the beautiful game – in particular, the adverts, the best of which have so far been shared by more than 6.9 million people.
FIFA has received more than $1.35 billion from advertisers who wanted their marketing efforts shown to the 300 million soccer fans around the world. And who can blame them? So far, the World Cup ads have received 31.4 percent more views than the top 20 ads from this year’s Super Bowl.These marketing campaigns are big business and have cost companies a ton of money, especially since many of the ads are more than five minutes long.
These ads are marketing gold, so I thought I’d share a few of my favorites, to get your own creative balls rolling…
Nike Soccer: The Last Game ft. Cristiano Ronaldo
This mini animated movie portrays the world of soccer being taken over by clones in order to make the game safe. A group of soccer devotionals conspire to prove the clones wrong and take back the game by reminding the world that risk is what makes life exciting, encouraging World Cup fans to ‘risk everything’.
Adidas: The Dream: All In or Nothing
No expense was spared in the launch of Adidas’ main brand film with production costing an impressive $84 million. Featuring mega stars like Beckham, Zidane, Bale, and Moura, not to mention a song by Kanye West, we can see how the bills quickly added up. Adidas ups the excitement and the ante with the slogan ‘All in or nothing’.
Puma: El Fastasma Del 50 Ya Esta en Brasil
Spanish speaking skills are not a requirement to enjoy the latest Puma commercial. ‘El Fastasma’ sneaks up on unsuspecting Brazilians in his ghostly attire with a player number printed on the back. This advert gets fans everywhere pumped and is definitely funny. Even if you have no idea what they’re saying, this slightly off-key commercial will leave you with a smile and an overwhelming urge to jump out at someone.
Beats by Dre: The Game Before the Game
Another mini movie commercial production shows the diverse pre-game rituals and superstitions that spectators and players alike perform to insure a win. All the while Beats by Dre streams elevating music to get you amped up. The weight that this ad could pull became even more important to Beats, after FIFA tried to ban the players from wearing the headphones because it presented a conflict of interest with sponsors Sony.
McDonald’s GOL! FIFA World Cup – Brasil 2014
We can always count on McDonald’s to produce a fuzzy-feel-good-with-a-smile advertisement. This adorable commercial shows everyday people performing adorable trick shots with a soccer ball, and quite possibly making each of the 33.7 million viewers smile.
You may have noticed a new trend within these videos, hashtags are popping up throughout World Cup ads to stir-up activity on social media. #allin and #riskeverything are picking up traction like #fifa2014 and #worldcup. This new marketing idea is spreading excitement through the web and encouraging more discussion that would normally be expected. From one corner of the globe to the other, these World Cup ads have infected us all with soccer fever. I know I will be watching. World Cup marketing in 2014 most certainly scored a GOAL!
Be sure to check out the World Cup winning site of Midphase sister company VPS.net, where newly animated RoboPaul, the world’s favorite prediction octopus, can use his psychic abilities to tell you if your team will take home the cup.