Nike Comes Out On Top Among Ads That Make News

Recent research may suggest that official sponsors won out over “ambush” marketers in terms of public association during the World Cup (see Ambush Marketers Did Not Steal World Cup), but in terms of newspaper coverage it was an “unofficial” ad campaign for Nike that won after all.

Propeller Communications’ Ads That Make News Survey for the second quarter of the year showed that football-themed ads dominated the public conciousness at least as it was reflected in the press.

Martin Loat, managing director at Propeller said: “Sex, celebrities and controversy are the usual staples of Ads That Make News, but not surprisingly they were supplanted by the World Cup during the April-June period. Advertisers who hung their hats on the World Cup ran the risk that the players they backed might not perform or even appear. But we saw how the tournament caught the imagination, and as a result many of those with football-themed ads rode the wave of media insterest to increase their exposure. Arguably, the media was too ‘cluttered’ with football-themed promotions, but those who did it well took their campaigns into extra time, with golden goals to boot.”

If a Walkers ad starring footballers wife Victoria Beckham and ex-England striker Gary Lineker are counted, a total of 6 of the 10 most featured ads in the national press were football themed (see below), with the investments of Nike and Pepsi paying off the most. The most “ad friendly” newspapers, according to the survey, were the Daily Star, the Daily Express and the Daily Mirror.

Propeller Marketing Communications: 0207 636 6300 www.propellergroup.com

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