The coverage is coming slowly but surely throughout the media. Americans may not care, but they can’t stop it. The World Cup beckons in June, and it will be in Africa for the first time ever with South Africa, a topographical beauty, taking center stage. Advertisers are stretching their calves for the sprint of product placements for the month-long tournament. Coca-Cola, for example, is teaming up with YouTube for a campaign built around the history of goal celebrations. It will include social media tags and videos from past tournaments. Fans that remember the shots from heavyweights like Breckenbauer, Maradona, Pele, Owen, Baggio, and Milla will be delighted to see them again on the tube. The YouTube push will then request that home viewers upload their own goal celebrations, with FIFA awarding the best with prizes.
Nike has a campaign called “Write The Future”, centered around the game’s global stars like Ronaldo, Rooney, Fabregas, and Ronaldinho that launches on Facebook May 21. It focuses on inspiring those to reach the highest levels within their personal lives. They will roll out a digital application called NikeFootballPlus on May 21, with the world’s best giving tips on training.
The passion behind soccer is a rush of the senses. Marketers also have to contend with plenty of cross promotion that brings up violations of rights. We’ll see who gets a wrist slap and who gets a punch in the proverbial gut. Speaking of guts, this Nike Football commercial with Wayne Rooney will crack it.
