Usually, summer is reserved for baseball. However, the FIFA World Cup captures the hearts and minds of sports fans around the globe every four years, and 2014 is the latest installment in that love story. Never before have fans had more content to consume, more access to coaches to players, and more of a chance to connect with the countries and teams they love than now. Social and digital media have provided a wave of new touch points and opportunities for brands, teams, players, and coaches alike. For that reason, today’s content in the daily roundup will focus on FIFA World Cup stories.  

Facebook launches Trending World Cup hub for soccer fans to keep in touch with the action in Brazil

Facebook is always trying to find new ways to integrate itself into the daily lives and habits of people, and the latest attempt is launching a Trending World cup hub where fans can look at things that are trending surrounding the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

World Cup ads aim to build brands, entertain

We all know that the World Cup is about more than just soccer, and brands seem to have universally embraced that this year. Yet, the World Cup is also big business. Sponsors of the world’s biggest event will pay FIFA upwards of $1.5 billion to get in on the action (about $76 million per sponsor). The World Cup seems to have embraced the idea of building brands alongside its event, a great strategy to help its partners achieve maximum exposure and ROI on their large investments

Nike Ambush Marketing

https://youtu.be/3XviR7esUvo

If you’re not a loyalist and faifthful soccer fan and already know that adidas is the official sponsor of the World Cup, you might get confused based on Nike’s impressive World Cup ambush marketing campaign. Leveraging its impressive stable of soccer athletes (Ronaldo, Neymar Jr., Rooney, and more), Nike has created a “Winner Stays” campaign that gives off the vibe that Nike—not adidas—is the official sponsor of the World Cup.