Over the past few months, sponsorship and merchandise deals for the recent World Cup have been common features in marketing news. With the competition finished though only one thing remains – to identify which brands came off best after ploughing their budgets into the high-profile, high-cost international sporting event.

A study conducted by Engage Research claims to have identified the winners and losers of World Cup marketing. The Drum reports that that for many companies who rushed to associate themselves with the World Cup for the first time may have wasted their money, as consumer polls reveal that many perceive a difference between those investing in the game and brands who are just “latching on” to the event.

The poll revealed that official suppliers and long-standing partners with FIFA achieved a much better association between their brands and the tournament than newcomers. For example, Kit Kat-s “Cross Your Fingers” campaign was far less effective in building a positive association than the John Barnes fronted campaign from Mars, who has an existing five year partnership with the Football Association.

MacDonalds and Coca-Cola, who have been heavily involved with the sport for some time, were seen as the brand most associated with the sporting tournament. However the most impressive performance was from Sky. Their marketing campaigns led to 39.2% of respondents associating the brand directly with the latest World Cup, although none of their channels showed any of the live matches.

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