Nike broke the mould in 2007 with its commercial (this one was about Cricket, really) which had the magic of realism and featured Indian cricketers, not the species who get paid to play and have their painted faces on billboards but the kind who play in gullies on Sunday. Needless to say that took the fizz out of Coke’s cup of joy, but how much joy did it give to consumers? In 1996, the last time the Cricket World Cup was held on Indian soil, Coke was the official sponsor of the World Cup but Pepsi ran a cheeky campaign with the tagline “Nothing Official About It”.
No such worries for the ICC Cricket World Cup that’s back in India after 14 years. However, it seems very few manage to capture that particular feeling that comes around every four years (like now with the cricket World Cup days away) and makes it all right for one to stumble into work with bloodshot eyes the next afternoon. Nike’s film Write the Future directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (director of the films Babel and Amores Perros) will go down in the books for many reasons from the money spent on making the glossy film and the millions who watched it on YouTube to, and perhaps top on this list, the ambush tactical play that took the ground out from underneath Adidas’ feet, the official sponsor.ĭitto for Pepsi’s star studded ‘Oh Africa’ campaign that took Coca-Cola by surprise. They rewrote marketing history during the FIFA World Cup last year with their mega-budget television films starring the names seen on football jerseys from Rio to Tokyo. Alas World Cup television ads are rarely ever as big as the game itself.Ĭonsider mega global brands like Coke, Adidas and Nike all three have strong historic associations with the mother of all sport tournaments. A World Cup’s sheer scale and spectator numbers demand a special campaign a special television commercial fit for the revered game, be it cricket or football. It’s also a special time for many marketers. The World Cup occupies a special place in the hearts of the game’s lovers - people who eat, pray, love in their team colours.
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