Some brand lessons from the World Cup

Some brand lessons from the World Cup

Aside from witnessing some remarkable soccer we are also seeing a complex portfolio of brands playing out.

These brands include FIFA, the World Cup, Brazil the host country, South America, the stadium cities, the country team brands and the individual super-stars. We then have the different networks of association such as the official sponsors.

It is as a result of this portfolio of emotionally-charged brands within the soccer category, that we have substantial revenue streams flooding into Brazil, FIFA and the national teams and players. This is perhaps the first lesson: brands cause business. If a brand has no magnetic attraction, and no consistent and expected standard of delivery, fans won’t support, corporates won’t sponsor and without revenue, there can be no profit.

Perhaps the second lesson is that brands are made up of many parts and it is debatable whether the more visible and audible components are even the most important. Perhaps they are indeed, just the tip of an iceberg. Making up this tip then are the iconic country flags, jerseys, the national anthems and merchandise worn by the fan tribes.

The third lesson is that the real substance of a brand is in its purpose, its values, its distinctiveness, its history and stories. Ultimately a brand is about its expected behaviour and performance.

As Shakespeare suggested, life is but a stage and we all have our entrances and exits (Spain). On stage we are required to give a compelling performance and every actor must know their part. In a great production there is a brilliant theatre director / conductor and some star actors. If the performance clicks, and goes per the script, there is a standing ovation.

We have witnessed remarkable brand leadership and management in some of the teams like Germany. On the other end of the spectrum, we have seen dysfunctional brand behaviour and an absence of disciplined performance. The best example of this, must be in the 4 - 0 loss by Cameroon when playing Croatia. Aside from the red card for punching an opponent, Cameroon team mates got into a brawl and had to be separated from a punch up and head-butt. Maybe the most important lesson for a great brand is how its team behaves when servicing consumers.

The question is whether the delivered service aligns with the expected traditions and meets the expectation of its consumers or fans. Is the performance even adding something innovative and distinctive which then provides a memorable WOW factor? This is what great brands do.

Finally, all decent brands should have some sense of class and behave within the rules and norms of the game category. We have seen this displayed by some teams who played their heart out but, even in losing, showed respect for the winners at the end of the game. Some teams just sulked and sobbed.

We will pick up more lessons as the tournament unfolds. Perhaps you would like to share some of the brand lessons you have learnt from the World Cup?