Umbro, Nike, Adidas, Budweiser: will the best World Cup sponsor please stand up?

I will admit that I’m not the most knowledgeable soccer fan, and like most Americans I lost interest in the World Cup after the U.S. lost to Ghana, but I have been loving all the Sports 2.0 activity sparked by the event. We have seen a tremendous amount of innovation by (and even some competition between) brands.

The image above is taken from a new visualization tool sponsored by Umbro, a big brand in soccer apparel which just happens to be owned by Nike. I looked around a bit, but couldn’t find anything that shows Umbro is an official World Cup sponsor, so I assume the brand is not affiliated officially, although it recently has signed on as official sponsor of the UK initiative to bring the WC there in 2018.

Competition aside, the infographic is a savvy initiative for the soccer brand. Umbro is a brand that literally lives on the field. It has immense cache with soccer players worldwide. It makes sense that the brand would seek to add value to the most serious soccer fans by providing an innovative illustration of statistics. This is an engaging piece of content, and and great use of new tech.

From Umbro’s blog: “By simply looking at when successful passes (green lines) have been made in the game, alongside shots (blue triangles) and goals (red circles), you can build an intriguing picture of how the match progressed. For instance, the detail of Spain’s surprise defeat to Switzerland comes to life in the graphic at the top of the page, while an overview of all the action can be gleaned by looking at data from all the matches so far. Click on the picture below to see all the group matches in all their glory, looking more like a musical store than a football report.”

Perhaps inspired by its guerrilla parent, this post shows, Umbro has been uncharacteristically active during the World Cup. the brand has focused heavily on digital media and encouraging fan engagement outside the game broadcast windows. For example, Umbro is also running a photo contest called, “Spirit of South Africa.” (I discovered this initiative view Fast Company).

As I mentioned, competition between Nike (ambush marketer) and Adidas (official sponsor) has been heated throughout the World Cup, garnering both brands a lot of earned media attention.

From ABC News: Social-media monitoring firm Meltwater Buzz looked at online buzz May 24 through Thursday for 11 top sponsors, partners and other key marketers and found outsider Nike had 26% vs. 20% for Adidas, a FIFA partner, and 11% for Sony, also a partner.

Credit Nike’s “Write the Future” soccer ad that launched May 20 on Facebook, says spokesman Derek Kent. It’s had 14 million YouTube views. This Nike video has earned more than 14 million views on Youtube:

Beyond the stadium, beyond traditional TV and beyond the official property Websites, social media has become the HOT place where brands seek engagement with fans. This World Cup tourney is proof that. As footy teams on the pitch vie for goals, the sponsor brands seek exposure and social media followers. But I’m sure questions will arise over the value of fan engagement via social channels.

As I mentioned in my last post, there remains a large disparity in CPM rates between traditional and digital media. Does this gap exist because brands don’t value the exposure they get from digital as much as what they get from TV? Or are brands less willing to pay high CPM for digital because they believe they can earn digital impressions more efficiently through their own engagement campaigns?

Regardless of the reasons and rationale, brands are clearly trying to gain followers on Twitter and Facebook, and in this race, Budweiser is leading the pack among World Cup sponsors. (See this post about the value of a Facebook fan).

Brands gaining ground during FIFA World Cup
Social Media Influence is doing a nice job breaking down World Cup sponsor activity on social media. Below is an image taken from its World Cup social media audit:
Bud United, initiative seems to be generating the most buzz (no pun intended).

Unlike Nike, Budweiser is an official FIFA Wold Cup sponsor, and it is using its entitlement well. The American beer brand is running a global, integrated media campaign that combines traditional and digital media.

Bud’s strategy is right on: connect fans to each other, and connect them to the brand
“Budweiser is doing everything we can to unite beer drinkers during the tournament, and this is a great way for us to connect with people around the world across multiple layers,” said Andrew Sneyd. Budweiser’s global advertising director.

Bud’s usage of World Cup entitlement is powerful: give fans unprecedented access to the experience:
“It’s amazing that FIFA has allowed us to democratize the man of the match trophy, and to let the world decide who the best player of any given match is,” said Sneyd.

I wish I had more time to dig into this topic, but a sunny Saturday beckons from outside my window. Clearly there is something new and something BIG happening here vis a vis sports sponsors and social media. That said, it’s clear to me that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Sports properties have been challenged, and will continue to be challenged, by brands who find ways to activate ambush marketing promotions which borrow excitement from the property without paying for rights.

Here’s a complete list of World Cup sponsors

More on World Cup sponsors from NY Times