FIFA World Cup 2018: Here’s how brands are slugging out fan’s cash, attention

Irrespective of caste, creed and religion; Football transcends geographical boundaries and unite fans all over the world. While the football fever grips the nation, brands are leaving no stone unturned for promoting the tournament among its Indian fans.

Sony Pictures Network (India), the official India broadcast partner for FIFA World Cup 2018, is all set to kickstart the most exciting global sporting event.

The World Cup in Russia promises to be one of the biggest tournaments in the world, which is scheduled to start from June 14 until July 15. This will be the first World Cup held in Europe since the 2006 tournament in Germany, and the first ever to be held in Eastern Europe.

As of now, the broadcaster has already finalized 15 brands for the association, and is seeking more partnerships for the grand event. Take a look:

• Hero
• Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI)
• Honda Motors
• VW
• Apple
• Parle Agro
• Castrol
• Apollo Tyres
• Uber
• Indeed
• Carlsberg
• Amul
• HDFC MF
• Airtel
• Adjavis
• Adidas
• Alcis Sports

How brands are trying to win people’s hearts?

In an India-exclusive initiative, long-time FIFA brand partner and official sponsor of the World Cup, Adidas will release 100 special GIFs in collaboration with WhatsApp.

Coca-Cola European Partners has released a new packaging across its portfolio ahead of the event. In a partnership with sports gaming company EA Sports, Coca-Cola’s Zero Sugar and Classic drinks will have a code printed on promotional labels from 30 April to 17 June. Apart from this, Coca-Cola has partnered with film exhibition chain INOX Leisure Ltd to give away branded merchandise to fans across the country from April to July.

World Cup 2018 will also see Adidas launch its “most customizable film in the world” with special edits for different international markets. The sportswear major is kit sponsor for 12 of the 32 teams including Germany and Spain.

The sports brand will also leverage digital, outdoor and on-ground activations to connect with fans across cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune, Chennai, Cochin and Guwahati.

Meanwhile, Alcis Sports has associated with the tournament for the first time by bagging the mandate to sell official FIFA merchandise. Alcis Sports has lined up a comprehensive range of over 550 articles that will be exclusively available on Flipkart including apparels such as T-Shirts, Polo T-shirts, Shorts, Track pants, Tracksuits, Hoodies, Jackets, Sweatshirts, Jerseys and Caps.

However, industry experts feel the key packages (title and presenting sponsorship) is ranging between Rs 10-15 crore. “Associate sponsors deals are standardized so it’s not easy to compare but it can be between Rs 3-7 crore depending on the involvement of the brand while spot buyers is Rs 2-3 lakhs,” a senior media planner was quoted from the Exchange4Media.

Coca-Cola India will send over 300 people to soak in sights, sounds and vodka in Russia.

In a first for India, Kia will use its partner rights to send six young aspiring footballers as Official Match Ball Carriers to the World Cup.

Budweiser Experiences unveiled its global campaign, “Light Up the FIFA World Cup,” in India. This year, Budweiser will bring alive the FIFA experience in over 50 countries; energizing and inspiring the 3.2 billion football fans watching the World Cup.

Louis Vuitton has collaborated with Adidas and FIFA to create an exclusive match ball trunk. Only 21 limited-edition trunks will be available for purchase worldwide. Besides, Vuitton will also be launching 2018 FIFA World Cup official licensed product collection, including exclusive edition of Keepall and Apollo bags.

Vivo has rolled out ‘Pass the swag’ campaign to unite both football and music fans around the world. In addition, Vivo has also unveiled a FIFA World Cup limited-edition smartphone in China.

Vodafone India is running a gaming contest on MyVodafone app to leverage the football fever in the country.

Here’s what Indians want…

According to Ipsos Survey, Coca Cola and Adidas are most recalled sponsors for FIFA World Cup 2018. As per the report, people mentioned Coca Cola (70%), Adidas (67%), Hyundai (57%), McDonald’s (57%), Vivo (46%), and Budweiser (33%).

45% said that they will watch it on internet, 32 % will use their mobile and 15% will follow the FIFA event on their ipads and Tablets.

64% Indians stated they will binge on the FIFA World Cup merchandise and themed products; followed by Chinese (68%) and Malaysians (64%) too going to loosen their purse strings for fan merchandise, according to the Ipsos report.

Almost 19,766 interviews were conducted between April 20 and May 4, 2018. The survey was conducted in 27 countries around the world, via the Ipsos Online Panel system in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Great Britain, and the USA.

As the month-long global football event to kicks off tomorrow, Sony Network will broadcast the tournament in six languages- Hindi, English, Bangla, Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil.

With all these brands riding to win the cup, let the games begin!