There are numerous multinational companies that are taking part in the world championships as protagonists and are exploiting the notoriety of the tournament to amplify their image. In most cases, brands have focused on commercials. Let’s see together some strategies that companies have adopted in recent weeks to try to win the World Cup… of creativity!

Adidas: everything is bet on Lionel Messi and… his variants of the past

In the advertising, the Argentine champion goes out of his way (like his participation in the World Cup) and pays homage to Diego Armando Maradona on the notes of “Live is Life”.

In fact, Messi multiplies (from the youngest with the number 19 shirt of the 2006 edition to the current one) and takes the field for training with the Argentina shirts on the notes of ‘Live is Life’, the song made known by the show of dribbles that Maradona made before the second leg of the UEFA Cup Bayern Munich – Naples in 1989.

Created using artificial intelligence, the clip shows the last 16 years of the greatest player in the world, celebrating his achievements in an unexpected way. The result is incredible… and also a little nostalgic at the thought that the career of one of the greatest players in history is coming to an end.

Nike: the new commercial introduces the metaverse

Nike unisce passato, presente e futuro nello spot lanciato per la Coppa del Mondo in Qatar. Nella pubblicità ci sono Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, CR7, Mbappè e molti altri: in un viaggio nel tempo per stabilire il più forte, strizzando l’occhio anche al nuovo mondo digitale. 

«È più forte Ronaldinho o Mpabbè?». Da questa domanda parte lo spot realizzato da Nike per la campagna Footballverse. Un quesito difficile da risolvere, ma la società statunitense vuole provarci lo stesso: «E se li facessimo giocare nel metaverso?», si chiede il team internazionale di scienziati all’inizio dello spot. 

Thus began the challenge between the two great players of world football. But not only. The idea of the US brand is to imagine a parallel universe in which the players of the present and the past challenge each other on a single field. In this way it is possible to see Ronaldo from 2002 challenging himself in the 1998 World Cup version, or his namesake Cristiano Ronaldo. And then again: Edgar Davids and Alex Morgan in the same team, or Phil Foden, De Bruyne and other world football champions catapulted into the metaverse, or rather, into the Footballverse.

Although the commercial did not conclude on who among the players is the strongest, Nike’s message is clear: «Football’s past is great and unforgettable, but the future of sport has infinite potential, and therefore the new generation of footballers should be encouraged to leave their mark», as the brand writes in its official press release after the launch of the spot.

Visit Qatar: Pirlo actor in Qatar commercials

Maestro Andrea Pirlo is testimonial of the «No Football. No Worries» which aims to put Qatar at the center even after the World Cup: Pirlo visits the Museum of Islamic Art, goes sandboarding in the dunes and kitesurfing in a resort.

Qatar Tourism, to convince tourists to choose it, especially after the World Cup, has launched a campaign entitled “No Football. No Worries» (no football, no problem) which aims to put the country at the center not only for the World Cup. The champion of the last winning Italy, that of Lippi in 2006, awarded as best player in the final with France in Berlin, thus puts his face at the service of Qatar Tourism, which uses a football legend to show what will remain to visit here even after the final.

In conclusion: many slogans and just as much desire to win

In this article we have covered the main marketing strategies implemented by sponsors. Some of the largest companies in the world have approached the world through a series of marketing campaigns capable of attracting the attention of the fan.

Adidas, for example, has based its activity on creativity and talent, which go beyond “timelines”; Nike created the commercial with the presence of famous footballers within the Metaverse.

Qatar Airways aimed to create, with the help of Andrea Pirlo, a desire to discover and visit Qatar.

As can be seen, the fever of the World Cup is not only trepidation for the games that are being played, but also the whole atmosphere that revolves around them: companies challenge each other with sensational marketing campaigns.

May the best man win!