Brands that Scored with World Cup
By Isha Edwards

If there ever was a time for brands to jump on the sports brand wagon World Cup 2006 was it. Even though this year's games garnered record per-game viewership in the millions it is yet to be fully disclosed if viewership equates to an increase in brand awareness and/or sales.

Intuitive brand managers know that visibility and/or sponsorship during high-profile events may automatically equate to an increase in brand awareness but not necessarily sales. In some cases, depending on viewer perception, an increase in awareness could equal a decrease in sales. It bears noting then that companies who are more visible must work as hard as those who are not to ensure that visibility yields a positive return on investment.

Among the 20 brands displayed during one match: Trinidad versus Sweden, five brands were duly awarded for their attempts in connecting with the viewing audience through commercial ads and the potential for their efforts to either convert viewership to sales or increase brand awareness.

The "Best Brand Commercial" award was given to Budweiser. Budweiser received a ten for creativity and product placement in its fan-directed commercial. The company did an excellent job tying in football's fan-driven enthusiasm and love for the sport with product placement. The end result was a convincing marriage between football and Budweiser beer, brand awareness, and positive sales potential. The "Best Overall Brand Placement" award was given to Adidas who received a score of eight. The company is doing a good job becoming the brand of choice for football wear. This is a solid move as Nike is the dominating brand of choice and sponsor for most other sports especially American football.

Puma's commercial ranked third best receiving a score of six. The commercial was equally creative and fan-directed but focused on celebrity cameos and children to incite an emotional buy-in to their product. It was a meaningful yet typical approach that easily increased awareness although, not necessarily sales. The "Why am I not Surprised this Brand has Product Placement?" award goes to Coca-Cola. The soft drink company has a knack for edging its way into everything visual including top-viewing reality show, American Idol. Coke's presence at World Cup seemed to make it an international celebrity. Even though the bottling company's brand is high-profile, being seen at World Cup may not have an affect on sales beyond the game itself is why the brand received a score of four.

"The Good-Try Brand" award and a total score of two were given to T-Mobile. Although the German company's garnering of an international audience was creative it was less likely to equate to an increase in sales--an easy conclusion to make given that competitor, Cingular Wireless was voted best for least dropped calls. In the U.S. especially, T-Mobile is famous for dropped calls.

Getting product placement in a highly publicized event such as World Cup is a tactical move. For the 20 plus brands that got on board and the five brands that made an impression, you deserve a hearty, "Gooaall!"

For more on branding, visit: http://www.zibs.com/blog

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/may2006/gb20060521_080724.htm [http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=876302006] http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/21/business/ad22.php

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