According to a study by NM Incite, a Nielsen McKinsey Company, Adidas buzz accounted for 25.1% share of World Cup buzz online since the start of the games. That beat out Nike, which generated a 19.4% buzz since its start.
Last month, Nielsen reported that Nike “ambushed” its way into the World Cup conversation as its soccer-themed ad that spread virally across the online community. Nike was mentioned in 30.2% of the messages from May 7 to June 6, making it the most talked about brand tracked across industries. Adidas, the official sporting goods sponsor, was a far second at 14.4%. Much of Nike's buzz activity was said to be driven by its global “Write the Future” campaign, which featured soccer stars Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo as well as other famous athletes such as Kobe Bryant and Roger Federer.
Adidas' own Star Wars-themed World Cup video featuring soccer legend David Beckham, was released at the start of the World Cup. But Nielsen also noted that part of Adidas' increased buzz levels were due to discussions around the controversial official ball of the World Cup- the Jabulani. For the week ending June 13, which included the first three days of the tournament, the ball accounted for 8% of all English-language messages related to the World Cup.
“Half the game in buzz is 'fanning the flames,'” said Pete Blackshaw, executive vice president of digital strategy at Nielsen. “The Adidas football Facebook page, for instance, is now up to over a million fans and they are dropping new content several times a day, all while the average post is generating upwards of 100 comments. At the end of the day, brands need to keep the buzz ball in the air as long as possible – sponsored or otherwise.”
