The culture factor series: II. Sport

In the wake of the recent scandal surrounding the world of competitive football, we’re reminded how sport plays a truly integral part of culture all around the world. As mammoth brands like Visa, Coke and Adidas carefully consider their next steps related to their affiliation with the sport, Creative Culture has pulled together a few key takeaways from sports advertising around the globe.
 

Make it personal

This story begins in Brazil, home of the most recent FIFA World Cup – an event that draws a global, cumulative audience approaching the neighbourhood of 1 billion. Out of the many successful ads during the Cup, GoPro took the gold in terms of authenticity, putting their users in the driver’s seat of their campaign.

 

The ad, filmed entirely with GoPro cameras, gave a literal first person, local perspective on why Brazilians are so talented with their feet. The rich, user-curated content was divided into a mini-series, which altogether made a resounding impact online with Brazilians and international audiences alike.

Play off the local appeal

Football isn’t the only sport that embeds itself into the culture of its supporters. Take India, for example, where advertising investment in sport – on ground, team sponsorship, athlete management and media spend – almost doubled between 2008 and 2013.  The game of cricket currently tops the charts, attracting a fanatic following throughout the country.  During the recent ICC Cricket World Cup in March, marketers from cable network Sky Sports confirmed the importance of localisation in advertising.

 

The advert generated buzz for the event by highlighting two long-time rivals (on and off the wicket), India and Pakistan – the bollywoodesque ad quickly generated close to 4 million YouTube views, proving that a bit of cultural resonance can go a long way.

Trust the vantage of a strong story

The concept of authentic storytelling has built a strong case for its legitimacy within advertising, and sports has shown to be no exception. A great example of this recently surfaced in South Africa, ahead of the Rugby World Cup this year.

 

Utilising the hashtag #HomeGroundAdvantage, the powerful SARU ad pulls at the heartstrings of native South Africans, reminding them of the man (Nelson Mandela) who used this game to unite the nation in a way that had never been done before. The emotional storytelling likely made an unforgettable impact on this market. 

Whether it involves a ball, a bat or a birdie, sports marketing reinforces the importance of having a local level focus, in order to build a powerful story that speaks directly to fans. 

 

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