LONDON, June 7 - Before a ball has been kicked in Germany, the World Cup
is gripped by a fierce contest between teams of global heavyweights and their
smaller rivals.
But this has nothing to do with the favourites Brazil, the hosts Germany or
the 30 other countries dreaming of winning the biggest prize in world soccer.
A "battle of the brands" is being waged between some of the world's biggest
companies and an army of competitors bent on ambushing their expensive marketing
campaigns.
"Everybody wants to be involved," said Nigel Currie, chairman of the European
Sponsorship Association, a trade body. "Wherever there is media interest or
hype, sponsors want to associate themselves with it."
Advertisers and sponsors will spend at least $1 billion during the four-week
celebration of the so-called beautiful game, according to The Chartered
Institute of Marketing, a London-based industry body.
The fight pitches official sponsors -- who each paid tens of millions of
dollars to the organisers -- against firms who hope to "piggyback" the event
without spending anything.
Ambush marketing, as the practice is known, is nothing new.
Logos beamed on to buildings, teams of fans wearing branded T-shirts and
companies setting up temporary branded villages near stadiums -- new ideas are
tried at each event.
Nike scored a famous victory over its "official" rival Adidas at the 1996
Atlanta Olympics when it plastered the city with advertisements and handed out
free banners.
This year, Nike has launched a soccer Web site (www.joga.com) linked to its
sponsorship of the Brazil team, while Adidas is the official FIFA sponsor.
In London last year, one company tried to promote a new deodorant by giving
branded water bottles to fans at the Wimbledon tennis tournament. Officials
confiscated them.
"The emotion and the passion of football compared to a lot of other sports is
so huge that these brands can ride on the back of it," said Philip Ley, managing
director of London marketing firm Branded.
