Brazilian wave

Will marketers make the most of the soccer World Cup?

Traditionally, soccer (okay, football) has never been a popular game in India, barring Kolkata and Goa. But with league matches from Europe now broadcast live to audiences in the subcontinent, the game that everyone left behind in school has headed its way back into the consciousness of fans across the country.

So even as everybody tracks the cricket score like it's the national pulse, there's a discernible Mexican wave "" or rather, the Brazilian equivalent "" making its way to the surface in anticipation of the football World Cup in June this year.

Football, of course, is about hyperactivity, and marketers hope to prove no less hyperactive than the footballers.

For its part, ESPN has put all manner of contests and promotions on air in association with Cup sponsor Adidas.

"While cricket still tops the charts when it comes to sports in India," says R C Venkateish, managing director, ESPN India, "World Cup football is sure to attract more than the usual number of viewers."

That's the difference four years can make, years in which interest in truly global (cricket is played by far too few countries) rivalries has risen sharply.

Fair play is ESPN's theme for the games, and, among other initiatives, it is to undertake a nationwide search for eight school children to be chosen as the FIFA fair play flagbearers at the Cup.

Other than that, up for grabs are free tickets to the games in Germany. An Adidas purchase, for example, entitles you to a lucky draw ticket to the grand show.

"The World Cup is the biggest event as far as soccer is concerned," says Andreas Gellner, managing director, Adidas India, "and we want as many people to get involved in it."

Emirates, meanwhile, is offering packages that bundle match tickets with air travel. ABN Amro plans a limited edition credit card for the World Cup. Yahoo, which is hosting the official site of the World Cup, is looking for advertising aimed at soccer buffs.

Coca-Cola India is keeping its Cup plans close to its chest (the cola market is especially vulnerable to "ambush" marketing "pre-emptive strikes" and the like, after all, as seen a decade ago in the cricket World Cup).

Says an official spokesperson, "We cannot comment on the activities right now." Speculation is rife that the company will do something beyond the all-too-obvious special PET bottle football wrappers.

As for official licensed merchandise, Adidas is the big player, selling football star jerseys of such footballers as David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane, apart from those of its brand-sponsored teams (such as France).

The fun, though, will be in the surprises that marketers spring, and the legions of tongues they set wagging.