“Take the NBA Finals and times it by ten and you have the World Cup.” Those are Kobe Bryant’s words, not mine.
Now, it’s finally upon us. The World Cup 2014 has officially begun. If you are anything like me, you have been counting down the years, months, days and hours since Spain hoisted the iconic golden-globed trophy that has become the holy grail of world soccer (it really pains me to use that nomenclature, because I am one of those American soccer snobs you can read about in the WSJ). While players and nations compete on the world stage for global sporting supremacy, brands will compete off the pitch for likes, views, shares, tweets, status updates, hashtags, “Oreo moments” and of course … sales.
Ok, so it’s not exactly like the Super Bowl, but it’s pretty close. I mean, you can hardly turn on the TV or watch your favorite cat video on YouTube without seeing one of these million-dollar campaigns. And who can blame them? There are billions of eyeballs around the world fixed to some sort of screen for the next 32 days. It’s a captive audience, and brands have our attention.
Just like the coaches of respective national teams who have to get their tactics and strategy right, brand managers, CMOs and CCOs need to ensure the same to make the most of this opportunity. So let’s explore some of the best and most popular adverts that have come out in the weeks leading up to and during the Beautiful Game’s biggest party. Opinions and disagreements are welcome, #BecauseFutbol necessitates it.
Nike Soccer
Risk Everything Campaign
I had to start with Nike. They lost the race in terms of sponsoring the event – that title goes to rival Adidas. But somehow, similar to the Newcastle “Big Game” series, Nike was able to hijack some of the attention with the introduction of their “Risk Everything” campaign without mentioning the World Cup by name.
As soccer changes, the playing style, qualities and tactics have changed in turn … sounds like an industry we are familiar with. Nike hits on the fact that to be successful in this sport, caution needs to be abandoned in place of galactic ambition. The gist: success doesn’t come to those who wait, but to those who punch “wait” in the esophagus and tell patience to take a hike. It’s a powerful message – one that rewards audacity. The execution was surprisingly safe.
The first iteration – “Winner Stays”- was the safer of the two. In my opinion, it doesn’t do the message justice; it doesn’t quite go far enough. We’ve seen this ad before (or something like it); it was 4 years ago, produced by – you guessed it – Nike. Sure, this spot has the star power – which has been played out to death – but gleaming pearly whites and glossy hair gel outshine the message. Their instagram account does the “Risk Everything” motif justice – check it out. The campaign is integrated into every Nike Soccer touch point, ensuring a cohesive, focused message.
Overall, “Winner Stays” is an interesting concept that takes cues from some naturally occurring phenomena, like shouting Kobe or Jordan’s name while pretending to take a buzzer beating three-point shot. This advert uses the same idea to unite everyone around the game and encourage individuals to elevate their play beyond one’s perceived capabilities. Solid work, but, if I’m honest, we deserve better from Nike.
The second iteration is animated, so it’s innately riskier. The best part of this spot is the story. It introduces a dystopian era of soccer and channeled a world run by predictability. Stars like Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo and Neymar are the heroes taking on their clones in the “Last Game.” Nike draws some parallels to the evolution of the game (and our planet) and once again rewards bravery. Overall, “Risk Everything” is a message that resonates not only with soccer fans but also with those of us in marketing constantly trying to push the creative envelope. Some truths, actionable insights and of course, soccer are all on display. Pushed the envelope? Maybe, but they didn’t follow their own advice and risk everything.
McDonald’s
Gol!
McDonald’s saw the Nike (and pretty much most of the other brands advertising during the World Cup) framework and decided to go the other way. Instead of using high-profile soccer studs, they use regular, everyday people doing extraordinary things (which I think would really have served the “Risk Everything” well). It’s playful, it’s fun, and it’s surprising. Most people stateside don’t get to see this side of soccer because we fancy trick beer-pong videos and basketball shots.
It’s great because most of the images and emotions are ones we can relate to – they are people like us. What it has to do with Big Macs, I have yet to determine. We know that McDonald’s is exceptional when it comes to extending their brand into different regions of the world. I think they were trying to hint at its global fast food hegemony with snapshots of uniquely talented individuals around the world. I’m not quite getting it, but I’m lovin’ it.
Beats By Dre
The Game Before the Game
I think it’s safe to say that Beats nailed it. They took a sporting truth, an insight about athletes, and blew it out to epic proportions, capturing every detail from player preparations to fan anticipation. They even managed to slip in some pre-game lovemaking, and you know somewhere in the world Diego Maradona was smiling.
Every athlete on the planet prepares differently for a sporting event. Whether it’s superstitious voodoo, lucky socks or traditional prayers, we all have routines. The one thing that is perhaps constant for everyone during the pre-game buildup is … music. It’s that insight, that sporting and brand truth that Beats exploits. The audience can connect with it because, to some extent, we’ve all been there. Beats captured the sentiment and demonstrated how they are intimately linked to the “game before the game.” Think about the NBA. What player doesn’t walk into the stadium without Beats headphones? The new Apple affiliate is breaking into the global game in a way only Beats can – stylishly. It has gotten positive reviews and is currently beating Nike for Youtube views. Cheers lads, well done.
Hyundai
Because Futbol
What other brands were able to pull off in 2-5 minutes, Hyundai did in 30 seconds, and they did so brilliantly. A reference akin to the post WWII baby boom, Hyundai turns the World Cup into a baby-making love machine. Transporting the audience back to Spain 2010, the scene is zealous. Strangers are kissing, flares are fired off, and there is jubilation in the streets.
Hyundai though, failed to make a connection between product and campaign beyond just being an official sponsor. That hurts the strategy but let’s be honest, product connections aren’t always the top priority. Telling a story and getting attention is. This has all the buzz-worthy components, but lacks a strong brand connection. That’s why half of the people tweeting #becausefutbol have no idea it’s for Hyundai – missed opportunity there.
Adidas
The Dream
The two largest soccer powers, Adidas and Nike, go head to head every four years, and just like how we watch teams compete on the field, it’s always entertaining when these two marketing giants face off. Adidas tries to go “all in” for their World Cup spot by bringing in the likes of Messi and co. as well as Kanye West to score the film. Don’t get me wrong, it has all the bells and whistles and rings mostly true of soccer’s emotions. However, it lacks real insight which hurts its overall efficacy. Having said that, there are some great, high-energy soccer moments and who doesn’t love watching Messi working his magic and pulling goals out of his magisterial hat. It’s majestic.
ESPN
Time Zone
This is another insight-rich execution that does a terrific job of showing the worldliness of the tournament while portraying some of the struggles and triumphs of trying to watch the show half a world away. It’s the truth, the world stops. We all have our eyes on the same game, watching it together as one crowd. That’s powerful stuff. There are few events with that kind of unifying effect and the World Cup is obviously one of them. The concept may have been done before, but certainly not like this.
Coca Cola
One World
This is a powerfully uplifting story. The film opens with snapshots of various remote cities around the world portraying a troubled past and present. We meet individuals whose stories are equally moving and what happens next is a bit “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” It’s clearly a marketing stunt but that doesn’t mitigate the narrative. This is the world’s game; it’s for everyone no matter the circumstance, and everyone is invited to share it (although only a few are actually invited to go to Brazil). Coca-Cola “opened happiness” for these young individuals and moved us by telling their story.
It has been a good year for World Cup advertisements. There is a little bit of everything. Of course we have the stars of the show, the dreamers and the unlikely heroes. But creative agencies have done an amazing job in uncovering real insights about the game and our lives and connecting us not just as individuals but as a global collective. I hope that this tournament lives up to the hype. If it’s anything close to the commercial portrayals, it should be epic. I invite you to share your opinions on which advertisements you thought were the most compelling and, of course, enjoy the games!
If you’re interested in picking Brendan’s brain on World Cup branding & advertising, please contact Brendan Lyss at BrendanL@theswitch.us.
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