The 2014 FIFA World Cup will kick-off tonight, presenting a glorious opportunity for marketers all over the globe to attract new business.
We're going to examine some of the best marketing campaigns for this year's tournament to highlight how brands are capitalising on the beautiful game's biggest event.
Nike: Risk Everything: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XviR7esUvo
Nike are renowned for their spectacular World Cup marketing campaigns. With a budget that dwarves many of their competitors, the brand are able to call upon some of the world's biggest sports names to promote their products.
As part of the company's Risk Everything campaign, the brand can call upon some of the stars of the tournament. Christiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Neymar Jr and Andrea Pirlo are just some of the football icons starring in the ad.
Developed by Wieden + Kennedy, the ad opens in a park with two teams of youngsters competing in a game of "winner stays on". After calling out the names of players they wish to be, the players magically morph into them.
Millions of youngsters emulate their football heroes while playing with friends and Nike have capitalised on this brilliantly.
Sony: One Stadium : http://football.sony.net/en/
Sony have developed an engaging and informative campaign focussing on their mobile devices. The One Stadium campaign shows fans joining in the World Cup celebrations with a number of different Sony products.
Created by Isobar, the campaign aims to highlight how football can be celebrated using mobile devices regardless of where people are. The One Stadium website is the hub of the project. Fantastic videos and content are featured to show Sony's products being used for the big tournament.
Fan challenges and online Twitter conversations encourage high levels of engagement from visitors. The campaign does not have the razzmatazz of other brands, but it links the competition to Sony effectively and markets products successfully. Overall, One Stadium is highly effective at using the World Cup as a vehicle to showcase the effectiveness of Sony products.
Adidas: All In : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR1XQsCiAKE
The battle for marketing supremacy between Adidas and Nike is always compelling. To counteract their rivals' blockbuster campaign, Nike have focussed primarily on engagement with All In.
The campaign enables customers to choose whether they want to receive communications from the brand, or select "nothing" and opt out of the brand's customer relationship management (CRM) initiatives.
A 1 minute-14 second clip is the centrepiece of All In. Entitled Leo Messi's World Cup Dream, the video features the Argentina striker dreaming of him and his rivals taking part in jaw-dropping football action. There are tricks and goals aplenty, along with a soundtrack provided by Kanye West.
It's a captivating ad, with the option to select "All In" appearing in the closing moments. Giving the viewer the chance to opt in and out of marketing communications is a refreshing approach that many customers will appreciate. At a time when businesses from across the world are attempting to jump on the World Cup bandwagon, Adidas have adopted a high-quality, confident approach.
Image source: Tomasz Dunn