World Cup Content Marketing Tactics from Adidas that your Brand can Follow

Football aside, the 2014 FIFA World Cup was a lesson in marketing and advertising that all brands can learn from, no matter what their area of business or how small they are. Of course, only the really big players can be official sponsors of such a global event, but there are always options for others to benefit from the massive interest in a single sport for a concentrated period of time.

Adidas certainly made the most of the tournament, and their “All in or nothing” strapline is more than just a clever phrase – it emulates a state of mind for clever marketing.

Tom Ramsden, global brand marketing director of Football at Adidas, explains: “When we look back in four years’ time the pay-off will be that we didn’t rely on the boom and bust of an ad campaign.”

“From our results a content-first approach is the strongest way to win, and our legacy [from this World Cup] is the followers we can continue the conversation with.”

Germany may have won the tournament, but Adidas won the marketing battle by capturing the imagination and creating something that will last and work across other opportunities. So how did they do it?

Investing in anticipated content

Adidas had a library of potential pieces of content that could be used depending on how the competition unfolded. This meant they were ready for all eventualities and could react incredibly quickly. But they also ensured this was creative and usable content by having people in all the key places to inform the marketing campaigns.

Focusing on people

Adidas do not just look at the product and sponsorship property, but also the people and how they can shape and enhance the relationship. Looking beyond traditional real-estate gives extra opportunities for real connections with consumers.

Creating stories

In a real creative twist Adidas brought the World Cup football itself to life through Twitter. Brazuca was a real coup that generated masses of interest and added personality and quirkiness to the brand’s sponsorship.

Having a clear goal

The aim for Adidas was to make “All in or nothing” lead conversations throughout the tournament and so this tagline was utilised across all efforts.

Looking beyond the immediate

Having started conversations through the World Cup Adidas now aims to build on those relationships and take them to the next level – turn them into customers. Continuing conversations that were started through a content-first approach is an ideal way to get things off on the right foot.

Utilising emotions

There is no doubting that the World Cup is a highly emotional sports tournament, so Adidas played on that. Corporate agendas did not override pure passion and investment in the matches, and this was shown on a global scale. The brand was not afraid to show that football mattered to the company and its people.