THE PITCH BATTLE

The world cup of football has many facets to it. One of them is football! Another latent but major battle is between the where multinational companies trying to gain the most out of this sporting extravaganza. Consider the ADIDAS and NIKE fight. Nike, who until a decade back was an unknown quantity in the European stage, is now claiming to be a world leader. On the other hand you have the German giant, Adidas which after its acquisition of Reebok has become the largest sports apparel company in the world.

The world cup is a stage where the world will be watching, and neither of the two major players wants to miss out on the action of the pitch.

As per FIFA regulations, Adidas is one of the official sponsors of the tournament. This in theory, should give Adidas a tactical edge over Nike. But does it actually?? The answer lies in the extent of ambush marketing that takes place during the period of the world cup.

Ambush marketing – a term often hissed in industry circles – occurs when one brand(Adidas) pays to become an official sponsor of an event and another competing brand attempts(Nike in this case) to cleverly connect itself with the event, without paying the sponsorship fee and, more frustratingly, without breaking any laws. Ambush, or guerilla, marketing is as undeniably effective as it is damaging, attracting consumers at the expense of competitors, all the while undermining an event’s integrity and, most importantly, its ability to attract future sponsors.

We saw ambush marketing at its most effective during the 1996 WILLS cricket world cup , when Pepsi, which had lost out to Coca Cola for the official sponsorship, came with a “there is nothing official about it “ Ad line starring Sachin Tendulkar which literally left Coke lost for words.

Even this year, the message from the American brand is front and center, and the sunshine bright: "Joga Bonito." The phrase is Portuguese for "play beautiful," and it's a double-edged dig at Adidas. It reminds us 1) that the world champion Brazilians are a Nike squad, and 2) that Brazil plays a creative, dazzling style of soccer that makes the more conservative, bruising teams (ahem, Germany) seem passionless by comparison.

But Adidas, has been equally aggressive in its “impossible is nothing “campaign, showcasing stars as ordinary mortals who have achieved “the impossible”.

The official ball of the tournament, made by Adidas, is where it hopes to make most of its gains from. The predicted sales figures of the ball are estimated to be around 15 million, for which Nike has no answer.

Another major setback for Nike has been the bad publicity it has received ever since the metatarsal injury to Wayne Rooney, causing him to be doubtful for the world cup. Stories having been doing the rounds, claiming that the Nike boots which Rooney was wearing at the time of the injury were partly responsible.

If you thought the pitch was the only battlefield this summer in Germany, then think again, because the showdown between these two brands is guaranteed to generate a lot of heat, and as a consumer, we have the best seats in town to witness this battle!