- The two leading brands seek quality, as well as quantity, in their deals, supplying kits for eight of the top 10-ranked nations at the tournament using the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. However, Adidas and Nike also have deals in place with South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Russia, the four lowest-ranked nations at the tournament.
- Coca-Cola Exec Discusses ‘FIFA 17’ College ESports Plans. With Matt Wolf getting a promotion to vice president of entertainment, ventures and strategic alliances at Coca-Cola, his colleague Alban Dechelotte has been named head of global eSports for the soft drink company. Dechelotte told alistdaily that he’s been working behind-the.
This year’s FIFA World Cup yielded many surprises not just for fans and players but for brands and analysts as well. Facebook and Instagram saw massive spikes in interaction during the game and Pepsi finally got an ad victory over its arch-rival, Coca-Cola. Meanwhile, Nike and Apple proved that you don’t have to be an official sponsor to be the most popular, fans turned away from the TV and onto devices to watch the action and Chinese brands threw their very expensive hat into the advertising ring. Meanwhile, England consumers weren’t thrilled about a “bombardment” of gambling ads.
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Americans Prefer Advertising From The “Other” Football
The World Cup (and soccer in general) may be loved the world over, but data compiled by Ace Metrix shows limited appeal in the US, at least in terms of advertising. Overall ad effectiveness, attention and likeability represented by the Ace Score, for this year’s World Cup ads trailed significantly behind both Olympics and Super Bowl creatives, the company said.
The most popular ad in terms of attention score was Pepsi’s #LoveItLiveIt ad, in which famous soccer players kick a ball filled with blue paint. This campaign had the strongest unaided brand recall, according to Ace Metrix.
The second most popular ad that aired during the World Cup was Powerade’s “Unstoppable” ad, followed by Coca-Cola’s “Get Ready for the #FIFA World Cup.” Pepsi’s small victory over its rival should make its team happy, as the company ramped up marketing spend this year to better compete in North America.
Facebook Shares World Cup Hype On Its Platforms
The FIFA World Cup only happens every four years, building tremendous hype before exploding as countries face off in international competition. Between June 14 and July 15, 383 million people interacted on Facebook and 272 million interacted on Instagram with soccer/football content, Facebook reported on Monday. On Instagram, there were 11 million stories produced relating to the football tournament and over three billion World Cup-related interactions.
Barcelona soccer star Lionel Messi was the most-talked-about player on both Facebook and Instagram and his new profile picture became the most popular tournament-related Facebook post. The most-loved post on Facebook came from Mexico’s Raúl Jiménez when he shared a photo of his team after it upset Germany in the group stage.
OTT Streaming For The Win
The 2018 World Cup broke records for online TV streaming habits, with more than 23.3 million hours viewed during the quarterfinals, according to analytics company Conviva. Among those not watching the final on traditional television, Conviva observed a worldwide average of 64.6 minutes viewing time streamed per unique viewer.
“We also saw a trend of in-app dominating browser plays (with 67 percent of successful plays in-app versus 33 percent in-browser),” Conviva toldCNBC.
Nike ‘Believes’ It Walked Away A World Cup Winner
Coca Cola World Soccer Rankings
Despite not being an official partner of the FIFA World Cup—unlike its arch-rival, Adidas—Nike walked away with its first “all-Nike final,” the company said in a statement. Ten of the 32 teams in Russia wore Nike kits as well as three of the four teams in the semifinals and two of its sponsored teams made the finals. A total of 100 goals were scored by players wearing Nike boots, the company said.
When France won this year’s World Cup, fans rushed the Nike store in Paris to get their hands on the new France shirt that features two stars, representing two World Cup wins. Riot police had to break up the crowd before it was eventually announced the coveted shirt would go on sale Tuesday.
Throughout the World Cup, Nike aired a series of motivational spots called “Believe” that featured Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr. and others. Nike says the spots earned over 100 million views and 50 million engagements.
Players Unofficially Model Apple Accessories, Piquing Interest
Apple was another brand that gained a lot of recognition during the World Cup despite not being an official sponsor. Several pro soccer players were spotted wearing Apple AirPods, headphones or Beats headphones during commutes and before matches. In accordance with FIFA’s strict rules against “ambush marketing,” players covered any logos with tape—but the products’ unique designs made them hard to mistake for any other brand.
China Joins The Game
This year’s World Cup saw a dramatic increase in advertising from Chinese brands. In fact, Chinese companies spent $835 million on advertising and promoting their brands during the international sporting event, accounting for 35 percent of total sponsorship. This year’s top-tier sponsor was Chinese brand Wanda, which joined six other sponsorship partners from the country.
Coca Cola Fifa World Rankings
“Similar to our passion for soccer and the World Cup, which brings out the competitiveness in all of us, Chinese brands are also becoming more competitive in the global market,” said the China Internet Information Center in a statement.
ITV Faces Scrutiny Over Gambling Ads
British television network ITV is being criticized for favoring gambling ads over any other category during the World Cup. According to an analysis by The Guardian, one in eight commercials during the first 30 games on ITV were centered around gambling totaling almost 90 minutes. The sheer volume of these advertisements resulted in 115 complaints made to The Advertising Standards Authority, expressing concerns about showing these messages to children watching sports.
The Labour party says it would impose a mandatory levy on the industry to fund increased research, education and treatment of gambling addiction and the effects of advertising, adding that an estimated 25,000 children under 16 addicted to gambling.
Coca-Cola Signs Alex Hunter as Brand’s First Virtual Athlete
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Ahead of next summer’s 2018 FIFA World Cup, The Coca-Cola Company has released its first ever in-game advertising spot for use on external marketing platforms.
Welcome to the Coca-Cola family, Alex Hunter! #WelcomeAlex #CokeZeroSugar #FIFA18 (Photo: Business Wire)
The advert, which features EA SPORTS™ FIFA 18 virtual athlete Alex Hunter is a nod to the brand’s classic 1979 “Mean Joe,” television spot, in which an American Football star is given a bottle of Coca-Cola from a fan after a tough game.
The story behind the fully computer-generated ad spot is told within “The Journey: Hunter Returns” mode for the PlayStation 4, Xbox and PC versions of EA SPORTS FIFA 18 which allows players to experience life as emerging soccer star, Alex Hunter. As part of the game’s story, Coca-Cola signs the rising player to become its ambassador to launch the new Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.
The unique collaboration with EA SPORTS FIFA 18’s Alex Hunter will extend beyond the game through specialized packaging and retail partnerships within the US and globally. The ad spot will be shared on social channels and displayed on marquee out of home sites including the recently installed Coca-Cola Times Square sign, the world’s first 3D robotic sign.
“This is an exciting brand innovation,” said Matt Wolf, Vice President of Entertainment, Ventures & Strategic Alliances at The Coca-Cola Company. “Signing Alex Hunter puts Coca-Cola at the intersection of gaming and brand marketing within the most popular franchise sports game in the world.”
“It’s great to be a part of this truly unique collaboration, the first of its kind,” said Dave Madden, Head of Global Brand Partnerships for EA. “This in-game Coca-Cola endorsement gives our fans a taste of life as a renowned football star and the opportunities that come along with it.”
EA SPORTSFIFA 18 will be available for purchase on September 29, 2017.
About The Coca-Cola Company
Coca Cola Kit Fifa 21
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest total beverage company, offering over 500 brands to people in more than 200 countries. Of our 21 billion-dollar brands, 19 are available in lower- and no-sugar options to help people everywhere more easily control added sugar. In addition to our namesake Coca-Cola drinks, some of our household names around the world include: AdeS soy-based beverages, Ayataka green tea, Dasani waters, Del Valle juices and nectars, Fanta, Georgia coffee, Gold Peak teas and coffees, Honest Tea, Minute Maid juices, Powerade sports drinks, Simply juices, smartwater, Sprite, vitaminwater, and Zico coconut water. At Coca-Cola, we’re serious about making positive contributions to our world. That starts with reducing sugar in our drinks and bringing new and different drinks to people everywhere. It also means continuously working to reduce our environmental impact, creating rewarding careers for our associates, and bringing economic opportunity wherever we operate. In fact, together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people around the world. For more information, visit our digital magazine Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow The Coca-Cola Company on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 300 million registered players around the world.
In fiscal year 2017, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.8 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, EA SPORTS™ FIFA, Battlefield™, Star Wars™ Battlefront™, Need for Speed™, Dragon Age™ and Plants vs. Zombies™. More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.
Fifa Coca Cola Standings
EA SPORTS, The Sims, Dragon Age, Plants vs. Zombies, Battlefield and Battlefield 4 are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. and its subsidiaries. John Madden, NFL and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission.
The Coca-Cola Company
Kate Hartman, +1-404-245-1084
kahartman@coca-cola.com
Source: The Coca-Cola Company
Released September 21, 2017