Branding Case Study: FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014
Branding for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil can’t have been that difficult. The fact that the country has so many different aspects which are unique to them, coupled with Brazil being one of the greatest footballing nations means that teaming the two together must have been a delight in terms of branding.
When trying to make a visual impact whilst putting across the essential message of a brand, colours are perhaps the most important method of portraying a message. They’re the first thing we see, before shapes, writing or design, and anyone who sees green, yellow and blue together automatically thinks of Brazil. This is, to an extent, due to the flag colours and the football strip, but also to the existing high-impact branding and marketing around this global sporting event.
The image of the World Cup made in yellow and green hands says everything. It speaks of Brazil, football and the sense of community prevalent there. It also promotes a multi-cultural message with the hands depicting caring and hospitality – two traits that Brazilians are well known for. The colours themselves speak loudly too: the green represents nature and health, and the yellow connotes sun, light, warmth and energy.
All of these elements mixed together mean that the FIFA World Cup Brazil branding perfectly depicts what Brazil is about. This branding will be the basis of all of the FIFA World Cup official merchandise, so it has to be simple yet have a strong message.
Those who visit Brazil for the World Cup will almost definitely want souvenirs from the tournament. There will be all sorts of merchandise available, such as t-shirts, footballs, woven bags, earrings, and even bikinis. Anything that is branded with a FIFA World Cup Brazil logo will be desired as it not only shows that people were there to experience the event, but also adds a touch of prestige and value to an item, as well as profits for the organisation.
Clothing is a very effective way of advertising. People will wear a FIFA World Cup t-shirt as a memento over and over again if they like the style, with the only downside being that they can be relatively expensive to make and need to be sold in the first place.
By using visual merchandising through bags, these problems can be avoided. They are inexpensive to make and by giving people their merchandise in a FIFA World Cup Brazil bag, they will not only be carrying them around at the match, and potentially gaining TV exposure, but are also likely to re-use the bags once they get home. Fabric bags can also be used as a long term reminder of the tournament and long term advertising for the FIFA World Cup, and Brazil!
When thinking about branding and merchandising for any event, another potential advertising opportunity could be in providing a bag for all of the available giveaways. Whether it’s stickers, leaflets, sweets or other freebies, a branded plastic bag would be the perfect place to put them all.
It is absolutely essential to promote a brand though visual means as this is often the first contact that businesses have with their customer base, with the two most important factors being a clear message and maximum exposure. By positioning your branding onto clothing or bags, the merchandise itself is doing the advertising.
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