One of the most decorated sporting events in the world is set to take centre stage this summer when the 2014 World Cup returns to its homeland, Brazil. With the tournament just under two months away, brands are showcasing their advertising campaigns with a plethora of video advertisements. In this blog post we compare the soft drinks derby between Pepsi and Coca-Cola and give our verdict on who’s come out on top.
Coca Cola’s “One World, One Game”
Coca-Cola’s two-minute advertisement, by Wieden + Kennedy São Paulo, conveys the story of soccer teams in Otsuchi, Japan, the Amazon, Eastern Europe, Ramallah and Palestine— places where the sport has helped communities overcome hardship and tension through football. The teams spend the first part of the advert explaining their background and how without football they wouldn’t have overcome such adversity. They are then greeted by a Coca-Cola representative who offers them an invitation to the World Cup in Brazil, joining each other as they unite as one in the Maracana stadium.
The advert may not be full of the world’s most iconic footballers, in fact it’s hasn’t got any, but Coca-Cola celebrates the power of sport and its ability to bring nations together. Sport has an incredible ability to connect people from all corners of the globe and none more so than the FIFA World Cup. This is emphasised when the ad finishes with the quote “This is the World Cup, everyone’s invited”.
This plays on the trend of storytelling and the notion that brands are benefitting from communicating in a friend like manner to their customers; telling them stories, sharing experiences and evoking emotions to form a stronger connection.
Pepsi “Live for Now”
Meanwhile, Coca-Cola’s opposition in the other half, Pepsi, put their stamp on proceedings back in January with their ad campaign “Live for Now”. The ad features a star studded line-up of 19 footballers including Barcelona’s attacking duo Lionel Messi and Neymar and Premier League superstars Vincent Kompany and Robin Van Persie.
“Live for Now”, created by 180LA offers an interactive experience allowing viewers to click on objects to activate new storylines as they continue through the video. This offers a more immersed experience and personalised journey for the viewer that combines music, a stellar pool of footballing talent and the ability to create your own 'now.' It’s a clever piece of video technology using interactive features to create a more engaging video that summarises what the campaign is about – making the most of now and creating your own personal adventure.
Pepsi supported their promotion on social media with a dedicated hashtag, #FutbolNow and series of posts from their endorsed celebrities; which will reach mass audiences and spark engagement and interaction; surprisingly something Coca-Cola failed to capitalise on.
Verdict
We can expect more advertising to be posted from both camps before this summer’s tournament kicks off this June. There is a stark contrast in the approach between the two brands with one being playful and the other being emotional. They are both great adverts as you’d expect from two of the World’s most iconic brands. Coca-Cola has gone down the more traditional, old-school route with their storytelling campaign that expresses true power and emotion; while Pepsi on the other hand deserve credit for their innovative use of technology and interactive features.
This one ends up as a 1-1 draw.