Sponsors are betting that Norway F Erling Haaland “has what it takes to win over consumers,” according to Greg Ryan of BLOOMBERG NEWS. After playing a bit-part in Nike’s ad, Haaland “delivered the final punch line.” He is helping lead Budweiser’s campaign, and stars in Visa’s ad alongside actor Jason Sudeikis. Other sponsors have included Beats by Dre and appliance maker Midea. Haaland is “already winning Americans over” (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 6/17). THE ATHLETIC’s Steve Buckley wrote there is an “urge to proclaim Haaland the biggest megastar” to perform at Boston Stadium since the days of former NFLer Tom Brady. That would not be “quite accurate,” but Haaland breathes that “sort of rarefied air” (THE ATHLETIC, 6/17). Haaland is appearing in a new campaign in N.Y. from Seafood from Norway, which is launching a series of consumer experiences around the World Cup. Haaland will be part of several digital placements in Times Square (Seafood from Norway).
GLOBAL STARS: USA TODAY’s Jon Arnold wrote England’s two biggest names “hopped on a World Cup trend” Wednesday. England F Harry Kane and MF Jude Bellingham both found the back of the net in England’s 4-2 win over Croatia, becoming the “latest big stars to immediately find success” at the Cup. Arnold: “This is shaping up to be a World Cup of the stars. After concerns about fitness, fatigue and longevity for many familiar and beloved names, some of the global game’s top figures have started off the World Cup in stunning style.” He wrote perhaps the tournament will “shift from a World Cup of stars to a World Cup of load management in the next week or two” (USA TODAY, 6/17).
ROSTER SNUBS: BLOOMBERG NEWS’ Kaitlyn Pohly writes that brands “spend millions” building campaigns for major sporting events around athletes, yet because production “happens far in advance, marketers have to make educated guesses about who will reach the sport’s biggest stage” during the World Cup. During Nike’s six-minute "Rip the Script" ad, Chelsea MF Cole Palmer was on screen “despite not being selected for the country’s squad.” Marketers targeted MF Diego Luna for a “prominent role” with the USMNT playing on home soil for the first time in three decades, but Luna did not make the roster. The stakes for brands are “especially high” at this World Cup because it is being co-hosted by the U.S., the world’s “largest consumer economy.” Big brands “try to mitigate the risk” of athletes not making a roster, getting injured or being disappointing on the field by “investing in several players.” Many athletes also ink “long-term endorsement contracts” that extend beyond a single tournament cycle, “helping mute any fallout from on-field disappointment” (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 6/18).
