FIFA 2010 is also a war between the world’s two largest brands.
The FIFA World Cup is not only about superstars like Messi, Robinho, Michael, Ronaldo or Drogba. It’s also about Adidas versus Nike. The two sports apparel rivals are using the biggest game on earth to outwit each other.
With good reasons. The cumulative global TV audience of the 2006 World Cup was 26 billion viewers (Beijing Olympics was seen by less than 5 billion). While the global numbers for this edition of the World Cup are expected to shoot up, in India alone, Adidas is expecting over 110 million people to tune in.
The company, thus, is leaving nothing unturned in its efforts to knock Nike off the top spot in 2010 by leveraging its $200 million World Cup sponsorship.
“The last four years have been spent in creating some of the most advanced football products the world has seen like the Jabulani and the lightest Adidas football ever — the F50 adiZero. From a sports marketing perspective, the 3-Stripes will be worn by 12 of the 32 teams — a glowing testimony of our status as the global leader in football,” says Andreas Gellner, Managing Director of Adidas India. Gellner is looking at a 400 per cent increase in Adidas’ World Cup merchandise sales compared to the tournament four years back.
Adidas has also launched the second season of the Adidas FIFA Fair Play Flag Bearer contest. After the success of the 2006 initiative in India, it successfully conducted another hunt for footballers of the next generation. The on-ground event was conducted in three cities. Kids were chosen on the basis of a ‘Lightening Speed’ test which tested skill, ball control and shooting accuracy. The six kids who finished the test fastest were chosen. This is an once-in-a-lifetime experience for six kids from India who will carry the FIFA Fair Play flag onto the pitch before the start of the Portugal and North Korea match.
As FIFA partners, Adidas has access to iconic properties like the Adidas Golden shoe awarded to the highest Goal scorer of the World Cup and the Golden Ball that is given to the best player.
Adidas is also partnering with e-Bay to help it complete the loop for the digital consumer.”
The company has already scored a goal with its version of the official ball — the Jabulani, which means ‘to celebrate’ in isiZulu. The ball ushers in some major advances in football technology. Its grip’n’groove texture, for instance, allows for maximum control, stable flight and perfect grip under all conditions.
Nike, meanwhile, is fighting back. Over the past few seasons, Nike has introduced cutting edge football products that include the CTR 360, T 90 Laser III and just a few days ago the Mercurial Vapour SuperFly II and the National Team Kits to be worn by several teams in South Africa. Sanjay Gangopadhyay, Marketing Director, Nike India, says: “For the World Cup in South Africa, Nike teams and athletes will have access to Nike’s most innovative products, from cleats, footballs, Nike Pro Combat base layer products, National Team Kits, Nike Sportswear, and others. “World Cup 2010 is not a destination, but we believe will be a landmark in Nike’s history,” he says.
Adidas’ biggest rival also recently released an advertising video which brings together some of the world’s greatest players to inspire football lovers and sports fans around the world. The three-minute “Write the Future” film takes people on a journey that dramatically captures that one moment where headlines are written from a single pass, or one strike that can bring a nation eternal happiness, while bringing others to their knees. Special guest cameos have been made by tennis legend Roger Federer and basketball superstar Kobe Bryant.
Nike India also recently launched the Nike India Football page on Facebook which has garnered over 105,000 fans since March 2010. Nike India’s out of home campaign that began in early June is focused at today’s youth who are technologically advanced.
On the back of global climate change debates, Nike has also made an environmentally-friendly statement during FIFA 2010 this year. To make the 2010 National Team Kits, Nike’s fabric suppliers sourced discarded plastic bottles from Japanese and Taiwanese landfill sites and then melted them down to produce new yarn that was ultimately converted to fabric for the jerseys. Each jersey is produced from up to eight recycled plastic bottles.
This process saves raw materials and reduces energy consumption by up to 30 percent compared to manufacturing virgin polyester, the company says.
