Fifa World Cup runneth over

SHUT UP ABOUT ADVERTISING
By PAUL LOOSLEY

HERE we go! Here we go! Here we go! World Cup fever is upon us again. And, as usual, quite suddenly, and often not too wisely, vast amounts of cash are flying around. And the competition amongst the advertisers becoming at least as hotly contested as the games themselves.

To kick-off, in Ad Age we hear that Trevor Edwards, Nike’s VP-brand and category management, feels “It’s the No. 1 event in all of sports, viewed by half the world’s population.”

If he’s right, that would explain another report in Media magazine that CCTV supposedly paid in excess of the US$292.7mil for coverage of the 2002 tournament.

If they and others are still spending that kind of money, and there’s every indication they are, then that’s a lot of moolah for a recession-struck world.

And there are, as usual, a lot of “official” advertising sponsors who are obviously handing over huge sums to FIFA and spending equally large bundles on advertisements.

Regular sponsor Coca-Cola are out there with a quite cute, 60-minute spot that features the story of Roger Miller, the first player, appropriately an African, to do a goal-scoring victory dance. So they trace the evolution of the football victory dance ever since. Lots of money on stock footage, all probably handed over to Russian club owners.

Campaign magazine picks the Adidas’ Star Wars Cantina spot as a standout. In the commercial they have assembled a team of celebrities such as David Beckham, Franz Beckenbauer, Snoop Dogg, Noel Gallagher, Ian Brown, Ciara, Jay Baruchel, Daft Punk and DJ Neil Armstrong.

These folks have been magically incorporated into the cantina scene from the original 1977 ‘Star Wars’ movie (nerd alert; Episode IV: A New Hope).

It must have cost a mint for both the celebrity’s fees and for George Lucas film rights (all of whom really need the money).

And it may be a little bit of a stretch to use the theme line Celebrate Originality, with a bit of old film and stars that are not all fully match-fit.

AdWeek likes the Nike Write the Future spot (and so do I). It shows many prominent soccer stars at pivotal, win or lose moments in a football game.

In a flash forward they imagine how their lives might turn out should they not perform too well. The sight of Wayne Rooney as bearded and down and out and living in a caravan is wonderful. And the cameo by Homer Simpson is a blast.

The director is Alejandro G. Iñárritu, who made the movies Babel and 21 Grams.

The spot debuted on TV but has become a big viral hit; being talked about, passed around and celebrated on Facebook and YouTube.

Again, it probably cost the national debt of Greece, but it certainly proves the actual worth of a well-written, brilliantly executed TVC.

Yet not everyone plays by the ‘official’ rules it seems.
FIFA are getting a bit edgy as some people are realising that paying for the right to call yourself “official sponsor” isn’t worth as much as FIFA and Trevor Edwards maybe think it is.

In fact FIFA are trying to stop people using other anthemic songs about football as opposed to paying FIFA, I guess, to use the “official” World Cup songs; Waka Waka. This Time for Africa (written by Fozzi Bear one assumes and performed, oddly, by that not-at-all African hip-swinger Shakira) and Waving Flag (an infinitely better song with real African feel and sing-a-long zeal).

Campaign magazine again reports another sponsorship foul. It seems that Mars (the very sweet, caramelly chocolate bars) paid a heap of dosh for official sponsorship of the English footy team.

Then they made a fairly dull spot that shows old sportsmen and women reliving past glories.

But then Kit Kat, (the greenly-challenged chocolate biscuity fingers) which didn’t fork out great heaps of cash for sponsorship, is being advertised using a football theme too, and with a far more imaginative spot to boot.

So Mars are talking about suing Nestle. I’m told this is called “ambush marketing”. But hey, anyone who can afford it (and it seems they can) is advertising using football as a theme.

Pepsi have a neat ad where a bunch of soccer stars, en route to a game in South Africa, are waylaid by a bunch of kids who challenge them to a soccer match for their cans of Pepsi.

Problem is the crowd, who form the goal mouth and the boundary, keep moving. So the stars lose. People have been saying it portrays Africans as cheats.

The Cup may be big, but minds remain small. Carlsberg beer has an ad featuring creaky old timers like Bobby Charlton, Alan Shearer and the ilk playing an afternoon pub game.

Old pros again, but this time done with immense charm. Optus, the Australian telco have an excellent spot where a team is training and playing against African animals like rhinos and elephants. Jolly exciting, beautifully made and quite relevant.

And, as a penalty shootout, Malaysia has old makciks dancing about, more old football players and football players turning into what appear to be African animals. A yellow card I suspect.

There it is, the final whistle. Another great result for the World Cup and its sponsors. It provokes many excellent creative ideas, which is very good indeed. But within days it’s all over and will be quickly forgotten.

Advertisers who have plead poverty for three years have turned up with surprise money, as if suddenly and miraculously discovered down the back of the sofa, and they’ve blown the lot.

The lack of moderation and the feeding frenzy that accompanied the event does tend to end with one asking whether it was all really worth it.

In the rush to participate did they all take their eye off the ball (boom tish!)

For me it’s all a bit too much, so I think I’ll lock myself in the dressing room for the duration. And ask myself:
“Is the cash more beautiful than the game?”

Wake me when it’s over.

Paul Loosley is an English person who has been in Asia 32 years, 12 as a creative director, 20 making TV commercials. And, as he still can’t shut up about advertising, he tends to write every month. Any feedback, email
p.loosley@gmail.com (but only if you swear never use the word ‘soccer’).