The World Cup and Social Media

Top 12 Social Campaigns

of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

June 2010
Top 12 Social World Cup Campaigns  Activ8Social  Like a8s on Facebook  Follow a8s on Twitter

Ranking and Criteria
• Only official social media presences were considered for this assessment,
meaning the brand has direct affiliation with the social platform

• All marketing affiliates including FIFA Partners and FIFA World Cup Sponsors were
eligible and considered in the evaluation of World Cup social media campaigns

• Each brand’s Social Media presence was rated on the following criteria on a scale
of 1-10, with a higher score giving the team a higher rank:
Size: Extent and reach of the campaign plus resources used
Engagement: Authenticity, quality, and quantity of user interaction
Content: Variety and value of media and updates
Creativity: Originality, use of platforms, and innovation in the Social Media medium

• Tiebreakers are given to the brand with the most user interaction or the unofficial
sponsor in the case of a matchup of competing brands

*World Cup campaign websites and social platforms assessed on 6/11/10


#1 Budweiser
Facebook  Twitter  YouTube

Affiliation: Official World Cup Sponsor

Campaign: Bud United- Show Your True Colors

Breakdown: This is a massive campaign. The brand
has placed 32 fans from all 32 World Cup countries
under one roof in South Africa. Users vote for the fan
from their country to show their support and also
influence the actions of the house members.

Notable: Bud’s YouTube channel is the 4th most
watched since the beginning of the World Cup. The
reality show style campaign on YouTube is a first. Bud
United also includes a popular iPhone app and a profile
pic designer on Facebook.

Size Engagement Content Creativity TOTAL
8 7 9 8 32


#2 Nike

Affiliation: None

Campaign: Write The Future

Breakdown: Nike’s first World Cup ad launched on
Facebook and has dominated Social Media as neither an
official sponsor nor partner of the games. The video,
launched on May 20, has over 14 million views on
YouTube and is getting picked up on blogs as the best
use of media during the games by any brand.

Notable: Social media monitoring firm Meltwater Buzz
assessed sponsors, partners, and key marketers
beginning May 24 and found outsider Nike had 26%
positive buzz compared to 20% for FIFA Partner Adidas.

9 7 8 7 31


#3 Pepsi
Facebook  YouTube
Affiliation: None

Campaign: Oh Africa

Breakdown: Pepsi didn’t make a Super Bowl spot for
the first time ever but instead turned its focus toward
Social Media in 2010, evidenced by this campaign. “Oh
Africa” features athlete super stars Messi, Kaka, Drogba,
Lampard, Henry, and singer/songwriter Akon.

Notable: Coke’s official partnership hasn’t stopped
Pepsi from an aggressive ambush. The Facebook Page is
nicely integrated, while the YouTube channel is thriving
with millions of views from fans in love with Pepsi
athletes. Pepsi Max Football Hero is impressive.

8 9 7 6 30


#4 Coca-Cola
Facebook  YouTube  Website

Affiliation: Official FIFA Partner

Campaign: The Longest Celebration

Breakdown: Coke is showcasing viral futbol videos on
YouTube and their official partnership allows fans to
listen to music, submit celebrations, and win video
awards. The clips are put on a continuous loop to provide
the effect of one long non-stop celebration.

Notable: Coke created multiple widgets and a new
microsite in addition to a custom YouTube channel for
Powerade. These user-generated videos have garnered
millions of views. Despite this wild success, we question
the minimal integration with Facebook and Twitter.

7 7 9 7 30


#5 VISA
Facebook  YouTube  Website


Campaign: VISA Go Fans!

Breakdown: Visa has built a YouTube-based
campaign encouraging fans to submit a video shouting
“Goal!”. This popular cheer has inspired fans of all
nations to create a variety of impressive imitations.
Notable: VISA has placed “golden cards” among
submissions, when clicked on, that give fans a chance to
win a trip to South Africa or $100 VISA cards. The more
the user watches the videos, the more likely they are to
see the cards. VISA also called in NBA superstar Steve
Nash to promote the effort on YouTube.

9 7 6 8 30


#6 Adidas
Facebook  YouTube


Campaign: Adidas Matchups

Breakdown: Adidas is putting all their focus on
soccer’s grandest stage. Fans can win Adidas prizes by
recruiting other fans, voting on which players will
perform the best, and simply visiting the custom
Facebook tab which houses a slick Flash app.

Notable: Adidas dished out the cash to be an official
sponsor and try to beat out Nike in revenue for the first
time. The campaign utilizes its nearly 1 million fans to
support its commercials launched on YouTube. The
marquee soccer players in this campaign are plentiful.

9 7 7 6 29


#7 Sony Ericsson
Facebook  Twitter  YouTube  Website

Campaign: South African Wave: Join the Wave

Breakdown: Similar at its core to Coca-Cola’s
“Longest Celebration”, Sony mounted a creative
campaign where users can film themselves doing
the wave. Each submission is then added to Sony’s
website which features an endless World Cup wave.

Notable: The Sony Ericsson world cup website
features Facebook’s new “Like” button and the Facebook
app boasts over 23k monthly users. Campaign
integration with Twitter and Facebook Page leaves room
for improvement.

7 8 5 9 29


#8 EA Sports
Affiliation: None

Campaign: FIFA World Cup 2010

Breakdown: The video game giant is utilizing social
media to pump up sales during the World Cup. The
brand encourages fan interaction on Twitter and has
amassed a strong following on Facebook. EA Sports has
also partnered with Coca-Cola on select ads.

Notable: EA is focusing its efforts across the pond,
building quite a following. Its YouTube videos rank 3rd
most viewed in the UK and its channel is the 32nd most
subscribed to of all-time. EA also partnered with Playfish
to roll out its first Facebook game - FIFA Superstars.

8 7 8 6 29


#9 Castrol
Facebook  Twitter  Website


Campaign: Castrolfootball.com Promotion

Breakdown: The British oil company is not wasting
this rare chance to connect with futbol fans. Castrol
activated Facebook and Twitter accounts to interact
with fans by providing an in-depth means to monitor
player performance. Fans are able to choose their
favorite teams and players to follow.

Notable: Castrol has also created an iPhone app
that supports its campaign with player, team, and
opponent predictors. A dedicated microsite was
also created for this campaign and the World Cup.

5 8 8 7 28


#10 Carlsberg

Affiliation: None

Campaign: England Team Talk

Breakdown: An official sponsor of the England
National team, the British brewery has created this
campaign to give fans a chance to talk their beloved
side while winning free Carlsberg to drink during the
World Cup. The official website links directly to the
campaign’s YouTube channel.

Notable: This campaign features all three major
platforms, but Carlsberg could have benefited from
more frequent fan interaction on Twitter by identifying
and reaching out to English futbol influencers.

6 8 6 7 27


#11 Continental


Campaign: ContiSoccerWorld

Breakdown: UK based brand (also spelled
Continental Tyres) held a YouTube contest for fans to
tell them what lengths they would go to be at the
World Cup. Fan interaction continues on Facebook
with a game called ContiTireKick where users shoot
on goal for entry into a sweepstakes for Cup tickets.

Notable: Continental adds value to its campaign by
drawing fans to its new website where users can follow
their favorite team and track stats throughout the
World Cup.

8 7 6 5 26


#12 McDonald’s
YouTube  Website


Campaign: McDonald’s Ultimate FIFA World Cup Fan

Breakdown: McDonald’s, an official sponsor, has a
great campaign to send fans to the World Cup with
VIP tickets on a dedicated website. However, the only
social media that coincides with the website is an
unbranded, dedicated YouTube channel.

Notable: McDonald’s has hidden itself behind FIFA’s
official website, posting only one YouTube video.
McDonald’s is a giant on Facebook and Twitter with over
2.4MM and 32k respectively, yet chose to only integrate a
share feature to various social media platforms.

4 7 3 6 20


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