By Christina Botte, EGC’s Director of Social Media and Jonathan Baker As the FIFA World Cup continues to draw crowds to stadiums and screens, an unusual and unplanned marketing trend has taken hold that is drawing equally unexpected attention. You’ve heard the expression ‘to hide in plain sight’? This means that something that is easily visible but goes unnoticed. The meaning of this expression has been reversed during ‘FIFA fever,’ all thanks to rules of sponsorship. Official FIFA Sponsors Many top-tier brands have been granted sponsorship rights to appear alongside all FIFA-associated competitions and programs. Well-known brands that are officially partnered with FIFA include Adidas, Coca-Cola, Visa, and Qatar Airlines, among others. These sponsorships tie into FIFA’s very strict ‘clean stadium’ advertising policy. ‘Clean Stadium’ Advertising The term ‘clean stadium’ advertising demands that sports venues be stripped of all non-sponsored corporate branding. The purpose is to protect the exclusive visibility and investment of official sponsors (e.g., Adidas and Coca-Cola in FIFA’s case). The mandates of ‘clean stadium’ advertising extend to having venues that are not sponsors to either remove or hide their branding for the duration of the event. (This is where things get interesting.) Levi’s Stadium Led the Unofficial Rebellion Levi’s Stadium, based in Santa Clara, CA, hosted several FIFA matches. Since the Levi’s brand, however, is not an official sponsor, the logo at the top of the stadium had to be covered. The powers that be at Levi’s Stadium complied. The payoff? The letters spelling out ‘Levi’s’ may have been hidden but the unique ‘batwing’-shaped logo was still easily recognizable to soccer fans. In short, whether hidden or not, the Levi’s brand still stood out. Realizing (correctly) that there was something to build on, the brand went a few steps further. Image Credit: Ads Selective (Instagram) Taking the Hidden Logo to Social Media Levi’s updated its Instagram profile picture to feature the covered logo and posted videos from the stadium showing the shrouded emblem at the entrance and above the scoreboard. They also posted a stadium clip set to the viral ‘Nobody’s Gonna Know’ audio, with a caption welcoming the world to the ‘beautiful [covered] stadium,’ a move that won over internet users and reinforced Levi’s rebellious brand DNA. Then, they sealed this deal by placing the now famous image of the covered logo on their delivery trucks, turning this forced coverup into a full marketing opportunity. Christina Botte, Director of Social Media at EGC, has firsthand insights into this opportunity, having attended one of the FIFA matches at Levi’s Stadium: “I was there in person, and honestly, the covered logo caught my eye more than it probably would have uncovered. That’s the power of a strong brand. Watching Levi’s turn that moment into a whole social campaign in real time? That’s the kind of thing we talk about in strategy meetings.” As might be expected, a ripple effect took place and other brands that were ‘on the outside looking in’ responded in their own creative ways. Gillette Stadium While Levi’s Stadium followed the rules set forth by ‘clean stadium’ advertising (but its logo was still easy to spot), Gillette Stadium (a.k.a. Boston Stadium) took a more creative (and deliberate) approach. Instead of tarps, posterboard, or other material for a blockade, Gillette created a covering to make its logo appear as if it was smothered in shaving cream! Once again, the strict efforts to focus attention on FIFA (and only FIFA) backfired, drawing greater visibility to Gillette. Image Credit: Finding Good Ads (Instagram) Heinz Soccer fans attending the FIFA matches naturally get hungry and order items like hamburgers and hot dogs. And ketchup, mustard, and relish are in full supply from the well-known condiment brand Heinz. But Heinz is not an official FIFA sponsor. This meant that its logo on every bottle and container was taped over in any stadium where a match was played. How did Heinz respond? By creating a campaign that played up (and off) the unintended benefits of being hidden! Image Credit: Finding Good Ads (Instagram) Takeaway The more something is concealed, the more attention it attracts. FIFA’s attempt to hide Levi’s logo ended up making the brand the center of the conversation. Levi’s didn’t just survive the restriction; it built a real-time campaign that spread across every channel simultaneously. Gillette and Heinz were inspired to create their own take and run with it. This is what separated these responses from brands that would have simply complied and moved on. The most unexpected opportunities can be turned into memorable marketing moments. All it takes is the talent and ability to spot them. And Levi’s, Gillette, and Heinz were ‘spot on’ at using their ‘unsponsored’ status to their advantage. Looking for more opportunities to boost your brand’s visibility that you may not have considered? Contact EGC.
