The World Cup isn’t just an international celebration of the beautiful game; it is an international advertising juggernaut as well. While the Super Bowl claims to be king of the advertising world, there is no denying the power of putting yourself in front of the biggest international audience in sports.
So much so that eight conglomerates ponied up a reported $600 million just to advertise on Brazilian TV (let alone rights in America and other countries as well). However, there will be a select group of commercials that will likely be seen world-wide and some of them have already gone viral.
The usual suspects like Nike, adidas and McDonald’s have already unveiled their hits for the World Cup and so has a new entry — beats by Dre. All four have produced some amazing advertising, so why not rank the best of the best, right?
4. adidas: “The Dream”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR1XQsCiAKE
Of course it has the obligatory adidas sponsored player appearances and a great look at the new World Cup ball, as well as the new boot from the German-based equipment manufacturer. It’s a nice ad, but we’ve seen similar things out of other ads in the past leading up to the World Cup. Having Dani Alves, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Luis Suárez, Xavi, Jordi Alba, Mesut Özil, Robin van Persie and David Villa pretty much covers the player circuit for adidas, but what has people talking about this ad is the deal between adidas and Kanye West. The World Cup ad got Kanye’s first new track in over a year, and apparently that’s a big deal. However, it isn’t the most creative ad I’ve seen from this company before.
3. Nike: “Winner Stays”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaVtinE8oO8
You’ll be hard pressed to find a more intriguing ad from a shoe manufacturer than this one. It was inventive, fun and most importantly star-studded. What makes this ad light years ahead of the adidas one is that it has moments of drama, comedy and amazing skill all rolled in to one. Additionally, it goes to show just how good the ads are so far if this doesn’t even crack the top two.
2. beats by Dre
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRSwlFe9E38
Star Power? Check. Amazing music? Check. A clear idea? Check. This ad has it all for me, and it actually gets me pumped to see the World Cup. It also shows the popularity that soccer is gaining here in the states. As a former soccer player in my day (up to college), I can relate to needing music to relax me or get me in the right mood for a game. This one won out over the traditional ads because it featured a wide swath of stars and introduces the general American public to the star that is Neymar.
Oh, and don’t forget that little Apple iPhone drop as well…you know, since Apple and beats are one now.
1. McDonald’s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T7zyezBkuY
Who doesn’t love themselves a little trick shot or two? Additionally it helps when a commercial makes a new star or two, and that’s exactly what this advert does for 10-year-old Ciaran Duffy from Ireland. It’s fun, shows a lot of individual creativity and has moments people won’t forget from the first time they see this ad. This simply may be the single-best World Cup ad I have ever seen.
