Nike's Advertising Strategy for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa

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It’s was no surprise that the momentum took place and heated up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. This particular tournament is the world’s largest and most-watched sporting event with 30 billion viewers over the course of the event. From a business standpoint, it’s the most important platform for sporting goods companies to market their brands. Brands are appealing to boost their profile and sales by tapping into the passion surrounding the World Cup, but while some are official sponsors, others are just benefiting from any desirable side effect. Football was a game played between two teams of 11 players each, 10 field players and a goalkeeper per team. The game lasted 90 minutes, consisting of two 45-minute halves of running time. It was played with a round ball, on a rectangular grass field with a goal on either end. Excluding the goalkeeper, the ball was controlled only with the feet, legs, torso and head (the use of hands or arms was prohibited) and the team scoring the most goals by the end of the game was the winner. Football was the most popular sport in the world, by both viewership and participation, and was continuing to grow. In 2006, Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the international governing body for football, estimated that 265 million people worldwide played football, up from 242 million in 2000. Professional leagues existed throughout the world though the top talent and most popular clubs were in Western Europe, concentrated in England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France. Since the early 1990’s professional team rosters in Western Europe had become increasingly globalized, with stars from South America, Africa and Asia playing in the top leagues. The World Cup, FIFA’s flagship ... ... middle of paper ... ...nd connected to the brand. They also gave the fans a reason to use word of mouth. When fans made their Nike videos, they passed them along to everyone they could to promote themselves simultaneously promoting Nike. Nike Football revenue had grown from $40 million in 1994 to more than $1 billion in 2008. In just under 15 years, it had reached a sales level that took some of its competitors over 50 years to achieve. Although not the end goal, the 2010 World Cup was another unique moment in time for Nike to create separation between the company and its competitors. They knew it had to seize this opportunity and pull the team together to deliver a campaign focused on delivering innovative products and compelling consumer experiences. Creating deep consumer connections during the World Cup would be vital for fueling continued growth for Nike football in the years ahead.

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