The 2010 Brand Spanking New York World Cup of Brands

Once again we've called on branding expert Steve Susi, founder of the brand consultancy Brand Spanking New York, to share an early preview on the World Cup Of Brands.

By STEVE SUSI
One Great Season

I read somewhere that a flatulent howler monkey exiled from his troup deep in the jungles of Bolivia has no idea that the World Cup is nearly upon us; his web access must be down, or provided by Time Warner Cable. However, he's the only lifeform on the planet who remains unaware.

Of course, in this country, the World Cup is widely known but, until recently, almost as widely shrugged off. Thankfully this is changing, due largely in part to ESPN's unprecedented marketing push and production undertaking, the tour-de-force sports network's largest investment ever in an event in its 30-year history. For the second straight Cup, ESPN has shelled out major cash for U2's participation in the campaign, and has been unabashed about its massive multimedia efforts to drive hard-core football fans and an audience network heavies term "big event sports fans" to the TV and web.

And from a branding perspective, the activity surrounding the World Cup is almost as frenetic and loud as the action will be within South Africa's nine host stadiums (and the entire world's pubs). Logos abound in ways that could only happen every four years (or in "Blade Runner"), lest the clutter blind us all to marketing messages from every business vertical imaginable.

Of course, football equipment manufacturers (see World Cup of Branding Bracket above) take center stage, which is obvious and makes perfect sense. From there, we’re hammered by sports drinks, beers, liquors, car companies, airlines, personal care products, banks, computers, mobile providers, electronics, cigarettes, and of course, TV networks like ESPN.

To read more of this story, click here. (And don't forget to give Susi a follow on Twitter @brandspankingny.)

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