Kylian Mbappé and France will meet Croatia in Sunday's World Cup final.GETTY IMAGES
France and Croatia's World Cup semifinal victories mean that both of the teams in the final are "backed by Nike," according to Nigel Currie of CAMPAIGN LIVE. As a result, when either Luka Modric or Hugo Lloris lifts the World Cup on Sunday, the "money shot," which will appear in "every form of media all over the globe," will feature the Nike brand on the players' shirts. The only way any unofficial brand "can get any sort of exposure from World Cup matches is by being one of the team kit suppliers." The World Cup and the Olympics "are the world’s two leading sporting events." Branding opportunities at the Olympics "are very limited, so the World Cup provides by some way the very best global branding opportunities." The World Cup gives global brands the opportunity to "reach an estimated audience of 3.6 billion people in over 200 countries," figures that will be boosted even more by streaming and online figures. And, "when the fireworks and the confetti bombs go off on Sunday, it will be the Nike brand taking centre stage" (CAMPAIGN LIVE, 7/11).
