One year from now, the world’s biggest football tournament kicks off in Brazil. Okay, so football may not be coming home (and won’t be doing so for the foreseeable future), but in 2014 it’s going to spend the summer at its flamboyant South American penpal’s place.
Ahead of the inevitable slew of campaigns from FIFA sponsors, partners of the competing national teams, World Cup ambushers and those brands simply exploiting the global obsession with all things ball-kicky, we thought it an appropriate time to put the question to the floor: what’s the best football commercial of all time?
There’s almost inevitably a knee-jerk shortlist this question generates, with the words “Nike Airport” passing most people’s lips in our office, but I’m keen that we think deeper to see whether this TVC really does stand head and shoulders above the rest of the field. It might be an official sponsor like Visa (FIFA) or Carlsberg (England), a connected ambush play from Pepsi, or just a brilliant use of football’s innate humour and connection to the national psyche (potentially totally unrelated to a tournament such as the World Cup), like John Smith’s Peter Kay Have It ad.
Of course, defining the best inevitably draws attention to the worst examples: the shoddy nemeses that help highlight everything that’s right about the really good executions. These polar opposites demonstrate that it’s not as easy as putting a ball, a fan or a famous player into a scenario to relevantly connect with an audience – after all, football fans are a cynical lot, aren’t they?
Here’s an initial taster of some of the best and worst ads out there – the would-be champions versus the relegation candidates, if you like.
Three of the Best:
Official Sponsor: Coca-Cola Rivalidades
Tournament Ambush: Nike Take it to the Next Level
Using Football: John Smith’s Have It
Three of the Worst:
Official Sponsor: Mars Work Rest Play Your Part for England
Ambush: Pringles Pringooooals
Using Football: TJ Hughes Wayne Rooney’s Brother
So, what do you think? Send us your Top and Bottom 3 examples of football TVCs, either by dropping their YouTube links in the comments section below, or by tweeting them to @yonnex101, using the hashtags #BestFootyAds or #WorstFootyAds, respectively.
Again, they don’t necessarily need to be World Cup-related: what about the big partnership launches (Vauxhall and England), Champions League executions (like Mastercard or Heineken), or just amazing examples of footballers or the sport itself being used to help turn fans into customers…for better or for worse. And don’t be restricted to UK examples – some of the best examples of creativity have come from emerging markets, for whom the passion for the sport is equally as strong.
We’ll publish the walls of fame and shame here, on July 13 – one year to go before the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final is played.
Who makes your starting XI, and which brand’s behaviour has put them on the transfer list? All will be revealed…
By Jonathan Izzard on June 12th, 2013
Tags: Advertising, Ambush campaign, Ambush Marketing, Brand marketing, Brazil 2014, Broadcast sponsorship, Default, Football, Football Sponsorship, Sponsorship, World Cup, World Cup Sponsorship, YouTube

































