- August 27, 2014
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Marketing Scores at The World Cup
Whether you call it soccer or fútbol, there’s no debating that the 2014 FIFA World Cup inspired brand creativity and produced memorable examples of integrated marketing worthy of recognition and introspection.
Not only did the morbid match between Germany and the Brazilian national team gobsmack fans, it earned another distinction: the most talked-about match in Twitter history and a new tweets-per-minute record. (Really? They scored. AGAIN?)
In this year’s competition, we also witnessed the rise of content marketing as a new channel for integrated marketers to reach audiences.
“In content marketing, storytelling is vital for connecting with your audience and making your content truly stand out,” blogged Maya Szydlowski, content strategist for Influence & Co
Of note, Szdlowski recognized Coca-Cola, Listerine and The New York Times for their integrated marketing strategy. These brands captured the unity felt by the worldwide audience, a rare feat in a divided world, and invited fans to participate real time in their campaigns. In addition, these champions also played to fans’ love of soccer history and statistics, giving audiences a reason to embrace their storytelling throughout the month-long exhibition.
I’d like to give the world some hope
Since Coca-Cola introduced its “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” folksy commercial in 1971, the brand has used its integrated marketing platform to share messages of peace and love. And they did it again with the 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign.
Turning to video marketing and social media to share messages that would resonate with any person in any country, Coca-Cola touched a nerve.
Leading up to the games, Coca-Cola released the feel-good “One World, One Game – Brasil (Brazil), Everyone’s Invited — 2014 FIFA World Cup” video. In two minutes, the brand created an emotional impact, intended to break down barriers among nations. Through raw storytelling, the video takes viewers on a global journey, as athletes explain how soccer has affected their lives.
Before you watch the video, grab a handkerchief. You’ll hear extraordinary stories that will give you hope for a united world. As one example of the tear-jerkers, a young athlete from Ōtsuchi, Japan said, “The waves may have washed away our town, but football gave us the courage to go on.”
Everyone wants fresh breath
Mouthwash may not be the first thing you associate with global athleticism, but Listerine signed on as an official 2014 FIFA World Cup sponsor and delivered wave after wave of fresh marketing content to audiences worldwide.
Listerine created the Twitter handle @ListerineGlobal to promote its campaign and gave users the chance to engage by using the hashtag #PowerToYourMouth.
#COL entra a octavos de final con la esperanza de hacer varios bailes victoriosos y recibir cero mordidas. #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/7po2q1mu8e
— Listerine Global (@ListerineGlobal) June 28, 2014
“If you look at the timeline, its tweets vary between English and Spanish, and an ad accompanies most of them,” Szdlowski pointed out. “I’d have to say the “Colombi-AHHH! #PowerToYourMouth” ad is probably my favorite.”
Stats only a fan could love
Given that The New York Times is a respected information source, the publication took a different approach.
It’s “The World’s Ball” campaign published unusual facts about the history of soccer ball design, taking readers down memory lane of past World Cup tournaments. For example, did you know the 1970 Telstar Durlast ball was designed to be television-friendly, lending to its black-and-white color scheme. According to the article, “The enduring black-and-white pattern was said to improve visibility on black-and-white sets.”
The New York Times also merged information with interactive graphics to entice readers, a component of its integrated marketing campaign that prompted even nonsoccer fans to get engaged.
Score a goal with these lessons
Sure, it was oddly captivating to watch Uruguay superstar Luis Suarez bite Italian player Giorgio Chiellini during a match. But that doesn’t help your integrated marketing strategy. Here are the real lessons you can learn from the brand marketers that furthered 2014 FIFA World Cup fever, as summarized by Szdlowski:
- Draw from real-life experiences to create content that encourages audience engagement. “Share your expertise, relate to your readers, and explain what you did right or wrong and how they can learn from your examples,” she directed.
- Use Twitter to get your community involved. Szdlowski’s advice: “You can use high-quality images (or graphics, if they make sense for the campaign) to make your posts stand out — a tactic that has been shown to increase social media engagement by 120 percent.”
- Piggyback on news and trends. “By creating content around timely events that make sense for your industry, readers will see you as a leader in your space and consider your brand a valuable resource.”
- Go for quality over quantity. “As you work to create content for your company blog or external publication, a high level of creativity and knowledge will set your content apart from your competitors’,” she said. As a side note, this may be the right time for your business to engage a creative team and see how great creative can boost your business valuation: “Good Design Equals Good Business: How to Grow Your Value 299 Percent.”
The 2014 FIFA World Cup is not the only sports competition that offers lessons to integrated marketers. See what else you can learn by reading, “What You Can Learn from Super Bowl Advertisers.”
