“5862709402” and other World Cup advertising stunts

The FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany is no doubt big business and we can’t wait to see Sweden kick some serious bu.., I mean footballs. Until then, here are a few interesting stories and marketing stunts from around the globe.

– From Adidas: German keeper Oliver Kahn as a 65 meter long poster over a motorway bridge near Munich. Incredibly cool, if you disregard the fact that Kahn is only second goalie to Jens Lehmann.

– Below: ESPN commercial for its World Cup coverage. Bono says Ivory Coast qualification ends civil war.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qadP1rqLS3g

– What does “5862709402” mean? It’s a number made up of the last two digits the years that Brazil has won the World Cup. Nike sells t-shirts with that number. Read more about the Nike vs Adidas battle here. For the first time Nike sponsors more teams in the World Cup than its rival. See also Joga Bonito.

Nike Joga3 football vending machine.

“A voodoo doll with five pins and the national emblems of all your enemy teams. Toilet paper with World Cup trivia. Pork slices emblazoned with a soccer player dribbling down the field.” Germany has gone football mad.

Business Week: “Officials expect 32 billion cumulative viewers to tune in”. Advertisers are drooling.

Hat tip: Adrants, Agenda Inc. Tags: , , , .