A World cup It is one of the most valuable periods on the planet for the marketing industry. In the year of the World Cup, companies try to connect with fans in every way possible to sell more products, gain relevance and expand their space in the market. But there is an important difference between those who can officially explore the tournament and those who need to find alternative ways to join the conversation.
Fifa or national team sponsor brands have free access to the official symbols of the competition and turn this into aggressive sales campaigns. THE Coca-colafor example, uses the World Cup logo and distributes stickers on the back of the labels.
Guaraná changed the colors of the cans to refer to the tournament. THE iFood will sell the Canarinho Pistola on its platform. THE SanDisk launched themed products, from USB C pen drives inspired by whistles to SSDs in competition colors. THE Rexona printed players on deodorant packaging. THE Lego created a World Cup cup to be assembled into pieces. THE McDonald’s also joined the movement with special sandwiches linked to the World Cup.
Planner InfoMoney
Keep your finances under control this year
Read more:
These are advantages reserved for those who invest heavily to become an official sponsor of FIFA or the confederations. The right to use logos, mascots, images and direct references to the tournament is expensive and comes with an important promise: total protection against competitors who try to free ride on the event without paying for it.
FIFA is known for its strict control over so-called “ambush marketing”, a practice in which companies try to associate themselves with a major sporting event without being official sponsors. During the World Cup, restrictions become even more severe. Not even Canarinho Pistola, a popular mascot among Brazilian fans, can officially participate in the team’s parties because only mascots authorized by FIFA are allowed in environments controlled by the entity.
Continues after advertising
There are also historical episodes of investigation into possible improper associations. One of the best-known cases occurred at the Women’s World Cup, when Marta was investigated after using a lipstick that raised suspicions of indirect promotion of a brand outside the tournament’s group of official sponsors.
Still, companies that are outside the official list find ways to take advantage of the “hype” of the World Cup. The strategy involves avoiding the direct use of World Cup trademarks, confederation shields and protected symbols, while exploring themes linked to football and the culture that revolves around the tournament.
“You don’t need to be an official sponsor of FIFA or one of the national teams to benefit. Football doesn’t just happen within the four lines, it lives on social media, in conversations, behind the scenes and in culture. Brands that understand this realize that there are many ways to insert themselves in this game in a genuine way: thematic content; segment influencers; local activations, among other strategies.
In the end, what makes a brand remembered at a World Cup is not the size of the investment. It’s the creativity and authenticity of the connection with the fan”, says Bernardo Pontes, CEO and founding partner of ALOB, an agency focused on activation and intermediation of influencer marketing.
Read more:
These alternative actions usually include hiring former players, campaigns about passion for football, activations in bars and public spaces, production of themed content on social media and even historical references that do not use official images of the competition.
Continues after advertising
“There are always a number of specific demands before major sports events such as the World Cup, coming from brands that are not official sponsors of major events but understand that they can ‘surf’ in this moment of great visibility. I always believe that well-activated long-term sponsorships can enter into the strategy of brands in any segment, bringing visibility and increasing market share in line with what the sponsor needs”, points out Renê Salviano, CEO of Heatmap and specialist in sponsorships and sports marketing activations.
In the end, the World Cup generates billions not only inside the stadiums, but also on shelves, apps, social networks and advertising campaigns. For official sponsors, the tournament offers direct access to football’s most valuable brands. For those outside the group, creativity remains as the main weapon to enter the game.
