INSIGHTS

World Cup Ads: The VAR Verdict vs. The Fan Verdict

Two members of our team, two very different lenses on the same tournament. Our resident PR commentator, Max Fairhurst, took the standout World Cup campaigns to VAR — reviewed by the journalists who actually decide what gets covered. Our ECD, Matt Davis, did the opposite: no strategy brain, no pro hat, just pure fan recall of what actually stuck. Here’s what they each saw.

I took these World Cup campaigns to VAR (Max)

I’ve been inundated with messages saying ‘Max, not enough people are talking about brand campaigns at the World Cup on LinkedIn – we want to know what you think!’

So I’ve spent time going over them with VAR – VAR being journalists that I know. Because like football, PR is a game of opinions, and those that matter are, ultimately, the editors.

These are the ones we agreed were absolute BELTERS.

🥪 Greggs benches the chicken oval bite: Genius. Simple and effective. Greggs removed its chicken oval bite from its menu the day before England’s knockout game with Mexico. LOADS of earned coverage.

🇳🇴 Norway’s Viking squad photo: The power of great photography is alive and well. Commissioned by the Norwegian Football Federation, David Yarrow took photos so striking they became the story. Coverage everywhere – raising money for Norwegian children’s charities and securing new fans from countries whose teams didn’t qualify for the World Cup.

🙈 The Streisand Effect: There have been some BIG cover-ups by unofficial sponsors. Levi’s covered its logo on the Levi’s Stadium with white tarpaulin; Gillette had every seat logo taped over; and Heinz taped over its logos on ketchup bottles. By hiding their logos, they made them more visible. Very clever and millions of pounds cheaper!

🍕 Domino’s Terry Butcher: Domino’s dressed Terry Butcher in a shirt made from absorbent napkin material, designed to soak up pizza sauce spillages. So simple: built on a universal truth that pizza is messy, while paying homage to one of football’s most famous photographs. Hit the back of the net with coverage.

📱 NHS Appt Reminder: The one I wish was real. A man by the name of ‘World Cup Willie’ wrote into the Metro saying: “Isn’t our NHS wonderful? I’ve just received this very useful text message from them. ‘Appointment reminder. Dear patient, just a reminder that you have a television appointment with Dr Congo on BBC1 at 5pm on Wednesday, July 1…’”

The consensus from the editorial VAR officials on PR campaigns is that we’re in an echo chamber.

A campaign may do numbers on LinkedIn – but the idea can often ‘tumbleweed in public’ – ‘so many ideas become abstract and don’t mean a lot to people.’

Ideas can be creative – but if they don’t tell a story, they’re not going to land.

VAR COMPLETE. ✅

Professional hat off, football fan hat on (Matt)

Okay, professional hat firmly off, football fan har firmly on. What World Cup ads can I instantly recall as a pure punter?

A memory excavation of clips, shares, WhatsApps… OOH and linear (hooray). Whatever, wherever, however. Simply put – what’s stuck.

At the fore: I do love Maccy Ds. That Ronaldinho and Yamal bit anyway. Car park kickabout and volley into the Golden Arches that’s become like a stanchion. Ball wedged. Lovely, tickles me, not seen before. Retina burned.

Beckham and Henry are there and everywhere too. Editorially and socially and commercially. Fine, makes sense. Ads with footballers are neat for storytelling and awareness. Shift dials. Over to other more strategic bods for the proof.

The ubiquitous blur of Beckham is a bit preposterous though.

That being said, Brooklyn’s appearance is an absolute winner. Owned and earned and oh so smart and sneaky. Culturally hits the the spot. Well played, DoorDash.

The pundit queue for all the World Cup pods, YouTubes, written words, lives is long and winding. Bloody hard for brands to find their space amongst all that. So Micah and Keane meeting across the rival Gary (Lineker and Neville) stables for Sky Bet made me sit up and take notice. Casting that’s clever, even if it is a happy accident.
Memorable. Good line too.

Paddy Power doesn’t drop the ball. Tone is a bullseye. Digging out the Americans but with a touch of nuance. Dyer and Crouchy cementing their relevance and authenticity (damn I’ve said it) as consummate brand ambassadors. Punchy line, visually complemented in OOH.

Nike and adidas get the plaudits of course. Ludicrous head starts though. Breathless films. Fame, fame, fame. Cinematic, superlatives not enough. Easter Eggs laid and laid. Budget, production, heritage, they can play in their own orbit.

Valiant effort all round then. From brands of all shapes and sizes. World Cup advertising on all media shows endeavour and brand ambition. Appointment per view. Talkability. Lots recalled, fair amount liked from me – as a so called pro and definite fan.