Argentina Sponsors Pray for World Cup Miracle

With 7-1 odds of winning it all, Argentina's sponsors are hoping for a miracle in South Africa.

Being an Official Sponsor of the Argentine national team has its highs and lows. Just ask The Coca-Cola Company. The Atlanta-based soft drink maker’s corporate logos were visible everywhere at the Estadio Monumental that October night when Martin Palermo scored the miracle goal against Peru in the rain.

A Shawshank moment and dream publicity to be sure. Thirty minutes later in the post-game press conference, head coach Diego Maradona sat at the dais covered with strategically-placed Coke bottles and cordially invited his media critics to give him oral pleasure.

It’s that combination of on and off-the-field unpredictability that raises the stakes for the corporate sponsors going to battle alongside Argentina and the 31 other teams in South Africa. Wharton gives an excellent overview today titled, Why and How Brands Hope to Score at the FIFA World Cup. The hierarchy of World Cup sponsors is explained in detail as are the number of clothing companies vying for team sponsorships “to raise consumption and sales at an exponential rate.”

As always, Argentina suits up with Adidas, while Nike is betting the farm on Brazil and eight other teams. Meanwhile U.S. advertisers will probably get more coverage than the U.S. team: Continental Airlines, McDonalds and Budweiser will collectively invest over US$60 million between now an 2014. In the end, Wharton says, those brands that are most successful are the ones that generate “an emotional connection between the sponsored team, the public and the brand.” For our money, it’s hard to top Argentina beer sponsor Quilmes. Talk about emotional bang for your peso. (YouTube Video)