"It is a great opportunity for dull brands to give themselves some glamour."
In Germany, an unofficial marketing frenzy has seen shops packed with
everything from soccer-themed sausages to sex toys and voodoo dolls.
Companies around the world hope to cash in too.
The Ivory Coast, competing in the tournament for the first time, has hired
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba to appear in TV commercials to promote its cocoa
industry.
German airline Deutsche Lufthansa has painted soccer balls on the nose cones
of some of its passenger jets, even though Dubai's Emirates is an official FIFA
sponsor.
In Britain, shoppers can even buy limited edition tins of Spam, the chopped
meat product lampooned by Monty Python, emblazoned with soccer balls and flags,
bearing the slogan "a great taste round the world".
FIFA CLAMPDOWN
But soccer's governing body FIFA is fighting back.
Its lawyers will ensure only its 15 sponsors use the words "FIFA World Cup",
the trophy logo, official mascot and emblem.
FIFA will enforce "controlled areas" around the stadiums where unofficial
marketing operations will be banned to protect its sponsors, including
Coca-Cola, Gillette and McDonald's.
The rules stop firms from giving away samples or leaflets.
In February, FIFA's lawyers in Israel blocked a Burger King promotion which
gave away tickets and used its World Cup logo. FIFA has pursued well over 1,200
cases in scores of countries.
Intellectual property lawyer Nikki Ferguson, an associate at UK law firm
Eversheds, said FIFA was "flexing its muscles" ahead of the start of the
tournament on Friday.
"People aren't going to continue to pay the same amount of money if there's a
load of ambush marketing going on," she said.
Despite the crackdown, companies have found ways of using soccer to market
their goods.
