World Cup Fever: How Is It Affecting Brands’ PR Strategy?
Simply click and drag your
cursor over a passage of
text from the article below
to tweet or share.
Author: Ed Owen, PR Account Director at UMM
The World Cup starts next week! The planet’s biggest sporting showcase will finally get underway as Mexico take on South Africa at what’s sure to be a capacity crowd at the legendary Estadio Azteca.
The unprecedented scope of the tournament – spanning a record 48 national teams across three host countries – means more eyes will be on the competition than ever before. And with a record-breakingly large audience set to watch, brands and sponsors have been keen to set out their stall and adjust PR strategy.
According to Warc Media, the tournament is set to inject $10.5bn into the global ad market. But the sheer scale of the World Cup makes capturing attention difficult, and brands need to go the extra mile to stand out to audiences in a fragmented media market.
But as ever, that hasn’t stopped them from trying! With a week before kick-off, we’ve looked into who’s managed to tap into the fever of the World Cup with eye-catching work and informed PR strategy.
ADIDAS – ‘BACKYARD LEGENDS’
As a guy in my mid-30s, the 2002 World Cup was the first tournament where I could really appreciate the scale of the thing. Fortunately for me, my personal milestone just happened to coincide with Nike’s legendary global advertising campaign, ‘Secret Tournament’.
View this post on Instagram
I mean, look at it – the packed roster of players, the Junkie XL/Elvis ‘A Little Conversation’ backing track, Eric Cantona peacocking around in a way that can only be described as distinctly ‘Cantona-esque’. But above all, the use of a cage and street football concept. It’s great. I love it. I’ll never stop loving it.
So maybe I’m biased when it comes to Adidas’ ‘Backyard Legends,’ which updates the concept for a new generation. Fronted by a Timothee Chalamet extricated from the Marty Supreme marketing boondoggle, it sees the actor recruiting global stars Jude Bellingham, Lamine Yamal and Trinity Rodman to take on an undefeated neighbourhood cage football side. It’s a long watch, but well worth your time.
View this post on Instagram
What makes this film work is its balance between the new generation and nostalgia. From current artists like Bad Bunny, to established global megastar Lionel Messi and the younger Bellingham, Rodman and Yamal trio, it’s got something for everyone, packaged up with that cage football look and feel.
But what really sells it is the appeal to the older audience who’ve grown up with Adidas’s products. Things go fully 2002 – and again, I’m sure someone brought up the Secret Tournament in the planning stages – when de-aged footballing legends David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane and Alessandro Del Piero show up to challenge the neighbourhood team.
Not only is this a great example of a nostalgia pop, it’s also a clever use of AI in mainstream PR strategy. As we all know, AI has a mixed reputation, but being open and honest about it is a good way to go. And if that involves messing with Becks’ ever-changing parade of noughties haircuts mid-film? Go for it.
LEGO – ‘EVERYONE WANTS A PIECE’
From one end of the AI debate to the other, with Lego’s ‘Everyone Wants A Piece’. Using the hashtag ‘#HonestlyItsNotAI’ for its grand Instagram unveiling leans into the unbelievability of the set-up in a very effective way.
View this post on Instagram
Because at first glance, it is -kind of- unbelievable you could put Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. in a room without the whole scene falling into AI’s uncanny valley. And while I’m sure filming tricks were used to match up with everyone’s packed schedules, the sheer star power on show here could make the viewer doubt its legitimacy.
Yet looking at PR strategy, the real stand-out is the film’s message – that despite having a footballing Mount Rushmore in the room, it’s the young fan that gets to finish off the Lego World Cup sculpture. It’s a clever use of celebrity, showing that while the big names will get you attention, shifting things back to the primary audience – children who love Lego – ensures the brand message will resonate.
VISA – ‘TAP IN’
This is just some good old-fashioned wordplay, right? Linking everyday contactless card purchases to one of football’s simplest ways to score is, to keep going with the puns, an absolute open goal.
But without an effective campaign behind it, this is just a slogan, not a PR strategy. Where this campaign – which targets North American markets – really stands out is in its execution. Through a compelling film fronted by part-time Ted Lasso and full-time Jason Sudeikis and a host of promotional activities revolving around goals and fan participation, Visa is placing itself at the heart of the action.
@visa everything is a tap in with Visa #FIFAWorldCup ♬ original sound – Visa
As discussed on Culture of Sport and directly acknowledged by Visa stakeholders, brand sponsorships no longer revolve around simply watching the game. Now, fans consume football media across multiple different channels, and brands must adapt in kind.
Ensuring visibility in as many places as possible, whether through slickly produced films, prize draws or community initiatives, is now vital. ‘Tap In’ is a perfect example of this approach in action, moving something you don’t usually associate with soccer – card payments – into the conversation.
COCA-COLA – COLLECTIBLE COUNTRY CANS
I’m keeping one foot in physical media and into the world of Coca-Cola’s can branding efforts. It might be the very definition of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, but it’s always worth pointing out when the soft drinks brand does a good job with this evergreen PR strategy.
It’s with this in mind that we come to Coke’s Collectible Country Cans Contest. The soft drinks giant launched 20 limited edition cans in the run-up to the tournament, each reimagining the classic can design with vibrant, colourful artwork inspired by tournament participants.
View this post on Instagram
The reason I bring these cans up? Look at them! In the FMCG world, standing out on the shelf is 90% of the battle, and Coke definitely pulled out all the stops. These visually striking products drive sales and increase consumer engagement, with attention-grabbing designs that suit social media sharing.
It’s a great example of brand synergy in action – Coca-Cola driving more sales through eye-catching cans, all while the World Cup is kept at the front of shoppers’ minds both in-store and when browsing their socials. Plus, it might be biased to say it, but that Aus can looks particularly good, doesn’t it?
NIKE – X2 CAPSULE COLLECTIONS
This one’s not even a week old but deserves a special mention for just how mould-breaking it is. Fashion brands have been making inroads into the beautiful game for years, but what Nike is doing with its X2 World Cup Capsule Collections is different.
View this post on Instagram
To borrow a phrase from Soccerbible, Nike’s campaign “feels less like a brand entering football culture and more like one trying to colonise all of its adjoining rooms.” Unveiling seven collaborations with fashion brands and designers tailored to specific World Cup nations is a shock-and-awe approach built to engage specific audiences.
This campaign is still unfolding, but the impact of this PR strategy will be felt in its target countries – the USA, South Korea, Nigeria, the Netherlands, France, England and Canada, for those keeping track at home – and beyond. It highlights the importance of localisation and authenticity, and is a long way from putting a footballer in a suit and calling it a day.
SO, WHAT NEXT?
With a tournament this sprawling and target audiences both large and disparate, it’s no surprise that brands are flexing their creative muscles to make the biggest splash possible. But what unites them on PR strategy is not just a focus on scale, but on emotion too, with an emphasis on meeting fans where they are.
This is something we understand at UMM, and when we’re not watching soccer’s biggest carnival, we’re focusing on what we can do for brands. Come talk to us today.
