FIFA ready for Ambush
Posted by Pat Kierans on June 08, 2010 in Advertising, Branding, Creative, Marketing with 0 CommentsWith the World Cup kicking off on Friday, FIFA is playing hardball with those brave enough to try and ambush the official sponsors.
Thanks to Thierry Henry, the marketing industry in Ireland is not enjoying the full benefits of the World Cup, which kicks off this Friday.
No doubt, had we qualified, we would have been subjected to a significant level of ‘Ambush’ activities.
Depending on your point of view, ambush marketing is either clever and inventive or an underhanded way of connecting your brand to a major sporting event without paying the sponsorship fee.
With over €800m being spent on official sponsorship rights for the 2010 World Cup, ambush marketing is coming under intense scrutiny once again.
Ambush marketing’s beginnings can be linked back to USA‘94, with 258 cases occurring across 39 countries. In France’98 this doubled to 773 infringements in 47 countries. Flash forward another 8 years to the 2006 World Cup in Germany to find that 3,300 rights infringements were committed in 84 countries. FIFA now has approximately 2,500 cases pending worldwide against brands for violating rights related to the South African World Cup, and the contest hasn’t even started yet!
Any ambush marketers looking to hijack the 2010 FIFA World Cup brand should expect a hot reception from the association. For this year’s World Cup, FIFA has patented and put international restrictions on countless different combinations of words. Try putting the words 2010 and football together on your product this year and see how far you get. Metcash Trading Africa, a distributor of consumer products in South Africa, branded a lollipop 2010POPS with images of official balls from past competitions combined with the South African flag before being slapped with an injunction and court costs.
Not only are the head to head rivalries occurring on the pitch but they are also happening in the marketing world. Official sponsors Adidas versus non-sponsors Nike, Coca-Cola against Pepsi and Visa against American Express. There are already signs of this intense rivalry coming out. Nike’s recent ‘Write the Future’ ad campaign
NIKE AD http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idLG6jh23yE
is ambush marketing at its finest and a real mugging of official World Cup sponsors, especially Adidas
ADIDAS AD http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha7duAPYdk0
Pepsi’s ‘Refresh Your World’ campaign features the afore mentioned Thierry Henry, Lionel Messi, Didier Drogba, Andrei Arshavin, Frank Lampard & Ricardo Kaká and incorporates a message with a strong social conscious.
PEPSI AD http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1hMSL7vyD0
This is another fine example of ambush is sure to infuriate Coca Cola in the process.
The stage is set for the biggest and some not so big brands in the world to battle it out during the World Cup. FIFA will certainly be keeping an eye on unofficial brands looking for a free ride.
Pat Kierans is a strategic marketer with nearly 20 years’ experience – He believes passionately that for businesses to reach their true potential, they must embrace the “Brand Is King’ principle.Find out more at Pat Kierans's Profile. Don't forget to subscribe if you'd like to hear more!
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