The AP noted players "were consulted extensively in the development" of adidas' official ball for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, the Brazuca. The ball was "tested by more than 600 of the world’s top players, and 30 teams in 10 countries over two and a half years." adidas Football Hardware Business Unit Dir Matthias Mecking said, "The feedback has been very positive." adidas also manufactured the '10 World Cup ball, "named Jabulani, but it received heavy criticism from many players before the tournament." They said that it "was too unpredictable" (AP, 6/4).
MULTICULTURAL MOVES: ADWEEK's Michelle Castillo reports Univision "has seen a doubling of digital ad spend on its properties compared to the last World Cup." A Chips Ahoy ad on the U.S. national team's website "is running in Spanish." Sporting News Media CRO Rich Routman said that approximately 40% of brands "interested in advertising on International soccer portal Goal.com want their message to specifically reach Hispanic eyeballs." ESPN also "has seen an increase in interest for its Spanish-targeted properties." AT&T "will sponsor its digital interactive World Cup bracket in both English and Spanish, and ESPN Deportes will boost the main U.S. English broadcast with more than 12 hours of live news and coverage daily" (ADWEEK.com, 6/5).
CRISTIANO'S NEW CAMPAIGN: Herbalife yesterday announced that it has signed Portugal MF Cristiano Ronaldo to a deal in which the company will launch the "C47 Driven to Perfection" social media campaign. The campaign calls on fans from around the world to submit videos describing what drives them to succeed, and a winning video will be highlighted on Ronaldo's Facebook page (Herbalife).
