MARKETING
The battle of the "sportswear behemoths has already begun" and it is Nike that has earned a small victory over adidas ahead of the World Cup. Tech firm Realeyes' research showed that consumers find Nike's Russia 2018 ad "Vai na Brasileiragem" more "emotionally engaging" than adidas' "Create the Answer." Nike’s ad, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of its "Airport" campaign, scored an overall ranking of five out of 10, meaning that it performed 42% "better than the thousands of ads the company has already tested." Adidas’ campaign, which features Lionel Messi, David Beckham and José Mourinho, ranked four out of 10 (MARKETING WEEK, 6/11).
Umbro "placed the weight of the nation" on YouTube musician Brett Domino -- tasking him with writing an anthem for England at the World Cup. In a five-minute video, shot with help from design agency Love, Domino deconstructed "How to Make a Hit Football Anthem" in a deadpan manner. There are "inherent difficulties in this task." Umbro is not a World Cup sponsor, meaning it is "forbidden from mentioning the tournament explicitly in lyrics due to ambush marketing rules" (THE DRUM, 6/8).
Egyptian football sponsor Presentation revealed the new jet that will transport the Egyptian national team to the World Cup. After the agreement between the Egyptian FA and EgyptAir, the airline changed the design of the plane to suit the national team (EGYPT TODAY, 6/10).
MEDIA
VTV secured the broadcasting rights to all 64 matches of the World Cup. Before the deal, Vietnam was the only country among 220 members of FIFA "without a contract to broadcast the matches." The value of the deal has not been revealed, but it is said to be the same as for the 2014 World Cup, which was $7M, "or even lower" (VIETNAM EXPRESS, 6/8).
Video news agency Ruptly will offer broadcast services with outdoor multi-camera studios in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sochi. In addition, there will be live stand-up positions in 11 host cities. Ruptly’s coverage "includes all World Cup events, pre-match trainings, exclusive interviews, fan zones, and viral videos from every host city in Russia." Using Rupty Stringer, a user-generated content app, the agency is "able to source and provide user-generated videos in real time." Ruptly expects "a minimum of four World Cup live transmissions a day" (BROADBAND TV NEWS, 6/8).
OTHER
Pop musician Robbie Williams will open the World Cup in Moscow -- two years after Russian newspapers said that "he should be banned from performing there." Williams will headline the tournament's opening ceremony at the Luzhniki Stadium on Thursday. He will "presumably exclude" the song "Party Like A Russian" from his setlist. The track portrays Russia's elite as "unsmiling, super-rich autocrats" who party on superyachts and hire thugs to settle disputes (BBC, 6/11).
Hong Kong prison officers seized about HK$1.3M ($165,670) in betting records during 3,000 searches conducted in the first five months of the year as they "stepped up anti-gambling operations" ahead of the World Cup. The Correctional Services Department said on Monday that 45 inmates were caught "placing bets or possessing gambling tools such as betting slips" (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 6/11).
