Five things about brands that this 2022 Soccer World Cup has left us so far. An event where, in addition to soccer, Branding is the second protagonist.
1. Brands are the undisputed stars of the World Cup: Messi, Cristiano, Mbappé, Hakimi, Modrić, Nike, Adidas, Puma, Argentina, Brazil, Morocco, France, Coca Cola, Visa, Amazon, Twitter, YouTube, FIFA… They all know that it is the ideal showcase to reach the audience and beyond. It’s time for the semifinals. Two European teams dressed by Nike, a South American team by Adidas, an African by Puma. Big brands like Coca Cola, Adidas, McDonald’s, Kia, Hyundai, Qatar Airways, VISA, etc. They are part of the huge group of companies that support this event with their presence and thus reach millions of people around the world. But they are not the only ones. Each country is a brand, each player and coach is a brand, the fans are brands and even many journalists and communicators are too.
2. We live in an increasingly interconnected village. We are going through a temporary space in the history of humanity that cries out for emotions. Sport sums up that very human need to share and feel. Sport is undoubtedly a catalyst for this ball-shaped planet with the soul of the internet. This 2022 will be remembered as an extraordinary year in terms of the development of sport, brands and social networks as a global phenomenon. Sport moves, surprises, connects and excites, everything that most brands would like to achieve. We no longer follow him only on TV, the radio or the newspaper but also on Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram; the new benchmarks in the social, digital and mobile fields. In the world of sports, few things generate more emotion than being able to share stories and emotions in real time and globally. Social networks have established themselves as the place where conversation happens. The channels change, the way of sharing and consuming too. Everything is new except the passion that a World Cup raises. The past 2018 World Cup was watched by 3.5 billion viewers around the globe. While the audience for this World Cup is projected at 5,000 million.
3. Little by little, brands assume that connecting with people’s right emotions is a winning formula. After all, knowing a brand is not the same as feeling a brand. To a large extent, this is due to the relationship teams have with their fans. The love for our team or our team transcends work, family and even social status. Their achievements become ours and we identify with their values (understanding that we are part of this team because we have made it ours by family heritage or hometown affiliation). The glory, or defeat, that our team achieves we make it ours, we put on the shirt after a victory and when we describe their exploits we count them as our own.
4. Today, every team needs a multifaceted brand strategy to keep a loyal following. The brand has to redefine itself, connect better, honestly and authentically with its followers and maximize its attributes. Traditionally, the teams signed star athletes and this already directly gave them popularity. Now these brands must also expand their range and include: fans, omnichannel, stories and people, such as: your coach.
5. The world has changed. Marketing, the way of communicating, interacting and building a brand are also doing it. Effective twenty-first century communication uses brands to create stories and trigger conversations, that is, it re-engages people as the essence of marketing. The essence, of people, and of marketing, remains the same.
Behind every great sport, every great national team, every great team and every great athlete, there is, in addition to effort, commitment, sacrifice and passion, a great brand. Brands, through their presence in sport, especially those that have been able to correctly interpret their role, benefit from a key advantage: the emotional prevails over the rational. They are brands in which feelings format that personality and give meaning to that relationship.
At TOTEM Branding we have experience in Branding in the field of football in particular and sports in general, and we know that for brands, these events are one of the best opportunities to reach not only the minds of consumers, but above all your heart.
Everything seems very easy from the smartphone, the computer, the TV or the stadium. You have to be there, feel the pressure, face the fear. Soccer, like life, is a state of mind.
We are passionate about soccer, we are fans of the World Cups. May the best selected win. The brands are already taking care of winning the minds and hearts.
