Budweiser's presence in Russia included a boat on the Moscow River.GETTY IMAGES
Budweiser has a boat on the Moscow River and a disco, according to the AP. Coca-Cola set up an "interactive sculpture-video installation in Gorky Park" and entertained 5,000 guests during the month-long tournament. Visa built a campaign around former Sweden int'l Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Business "went on at the World Cup" without the presence of the U.S., although the tournament’s "visibility decreased across America." Coca-Cola Head of Global Sponsorships Ricardo Fort said, "The absence of the U.S. team here doesn't change what we're doing. The real value is based on how broad our programs are implemented. We have over 180 countries doing work." Plans for U.S. marketing "changed last October" when the U.S. lost at Trinidad and Tobago, ending a string of seven straight World Cup appearances dating to '90. Nike spokesperson Ilana Finley said, "Since Team USA will not be competing, we don't have much going on." Fox Sports SVP/Ad Sales Mike Petruzzi said, "We had to pivot quickly." While viewers declined from the '14 tournament in Brazil, the "level is up from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when the U.S. games are factored out." Visa is using the World Cup to "expand the use of near field communication contactless payment technology." It brought Ibrahimovic to Russia for the tournament's first week for promotion. Visa Chief Brand & Innovation Marketing Officer Chris Curtin said, "Some of the biggest amount of spending that we're seeing in Russia is coming from American fans who travel to Russia to see the World Cup in person." Four years from now, the World Cup will be in Qatar, which, like Moscow, will also be seven hours ahead of Eastern time in the U.S. The change will be the timing, Nov. 21-Dec. 18, a tournament shortened from 32 days to 28. Petruzzi said, "Fourth quarter has got a lot of rating points already with college football, NFL, so it's going to be very interesting how we approach it" (AP, 7/14).
