Apparently the video for Pepsi’s “Oh Africa” commercial is the first 2010 World Cup commercial to go viral. (I’ve blogged about it here before.) So much for Coke thinking its official World Cup sponsor status and numerous videos it is shooting with its designated star, K’Naan, would guarantee it domination among football fans.
Footnote: I can’t confirm this, but a source tells me that Coke is spending something like $1 billion on their World Cup advertising campaign, that their contract with K’naan allows them unlimited use of the song for a defined period of time (that’s why the remixes), that versions of the song are being recorded with pop stars from every region of the world, and that they are tying the marketing blitz to–irony of irony–clean water campaigns.
Part of the huge fees, is the right to be the sole advertiser, complete control over the message. They keep getting more and more restrictive, down to what fans may or may not drink at the venue. A billion buys you a lot.
Pepsi has got around this before. Buying all the boards around the pitch at a Coke sponsored event (forget which one), a lot of people thought Pepsi sponsored it. I wonder if Pepsi will do it again via web 2.0.
Its a horrible video. Not even some fun fancy football thrown into the mix. Seemed completely pointless.
just quick confirmation, sean, on your footnote: not sure of the exact amount, but it’s definitely a huge sum, and the corporate responsibility pitch is a clean water campaign — actually in partnership with fifa and its member associations on the continent. had a former fifa exec talk to the class last night, and he spoke specifically about coke and their marketing plan.