CorpComms Magazine

The corporate sponsors of the FIFA World Cup 2012 may struggle to regain their investment after a new survey revealed that most British adults are unable to identify them.

More than 1,000 adults who were polled before and after the tournament by Echo Research found it hard to remember the brands, who spend between $10 million and $44 million a year to retain their status as exclusive sponsors.

Coca-Cola, which has paid FIFA between £24 million and $44 million in the four years since 2007 for its position as official partner, achieved greatest recognition within the eight sponsors under analysis.

But it was still a disappointing result. Fewer than half of all those polled - 48 per cent - identified Coca-Cola as a World Cup sponsor, even though the drinks giant initiated a major social media campaign around the games.

The position looks even worse for Coca-Cola when the results of Echo Research's pre-tournament event are considered. Before the World Cup, 57 per cent of British adults thought Coca-Cola was an exclusive sponsor of the event, but its brand awareness fell nine percentage points over the tournament.

McDonald's achieved the next strongest brand recognition as two in five adults recognised the fast food company as a sponsor of the World Cup, while one in five adults identified Nike as an exclusive sponsor even though the sportswear company was not involved.

Adidas also suffered a slump in brand recognition. The German owned sportswear giant saw a four percentage point fall over the course of the tournament; just one in four British adults recognised Adidas as a World Cup sponsor after the final whistle against 29 per cent before kick off.

Just two sponsors experienced an uptick in brand recognition. Emirates and car company Hyundai, who each spent between $24 million to $44 million per year for five years for their sponsorships, saw brand association rise from 12 per cent to 17 per cent and ten per cent to 15 per cent respectively over the course of the tournament.

But even those brands that are associated in the public's minds with the World Cup may not find it to their advantage. Fewer than one in ten adults believe major corporates sponsor the World Cup because they are passionate about football and its supporters, while 85 per cent view it as a means to 'get their company name or logo on television'.

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