Sponsor Spotlight -- Coca-Cola Brings World Cup to Fans

(ATR) Can’t make it to South Africa for the World Cup? FIFA sponsor Coca-Cola has brought the World Cup to its fans around the globe through its trophy tour and World of Coca-Cola exhibit.

Of FIFA’s six partners, Coca-Cola has arguably brought most fans globally into direct contact with the tournament, according to James Corbett of World Football Insider.

That direct contact stems from Coca-Cola’s FIFA World Cup sponsorship being the largest marketing campaign ever done for any major event by the sponsor, Petro Kacur, Coca-Cola spokesman said.

"We wanted to be able to leverage that in as many different ways as possible," Kacur tells Around the Rings.

Coca-Cola’s World Cup Trophy Tour put fans up close and personal with the golden trophy. It went on a nearly 94,000 mile odyssey, lasting 225 days, on which it was greeted by 44 heads of state, in countries from Brazil to Kazakhstan.

Coke says that more than 500,000 fans saw the trophy before it touched down in South Africa in May.

"There’s so few people who get to go to South Africa and be in that stadium to watch the games," Lorna Somerville, Coke’s director of global football marketing tells ATR.

"But the magic of the trophy, we can take it around the world – that’s really the objective of the tour."

"So more than talking about it, reading about it, making ads about it - we physically take that experience [so that fans] come up close and see it, lean into the glass and see the inscription at the bottom, see this is the real World Cup trophy."

"We think that’s just so much more memorable than a 30-second TV ad."

With the World Cup being hosted in a country where the vast gaps between rich and poor are abundantly obvious, Somerville recognizes "the huge responsibility" her company has to operate in what she terms an "appropriate" way and the need to sprinkle some of the tournament’s stardust to the less fortunate.

She points to the 40-stop tour the World Cup trophy made of South Africa inMay as evidence of that, as well as the 20,000 tickets FIFA gave the company to distribute to those who might not otherwise have the chance to experience the finals.

"That’s one of the key things that we’re driving, to make sure we get those tickets to the people who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to go to the games," she adds.

And for those who didn’t receive tickets, Coke is bringing the World Cup to fans through its 2010 FIFA World Cup exhibit at the World of Coca-Cola (WOCC) in Atlanta.

Fans will gain a World Cup experience when they take a tour of the WOCC.

"It’s natural that we would use the World of Coca-Cola to share that with visitors and our guestsat the World of Coke," Kacur said.

"It’s a one-of-a-kind experience. It adds another element to the attraction that brings the excitement of that sporting event to life," Kacur continued.

The WOCC World Cup exhibit puts visitors face-to-face with the World Cup through its 3D film, A Magical Signal, that shows highlights from past World Cups.

The 3D effect makes visitors feel as if they are at the World Cup matches, both in the stands with other fans and on the field as part of the action.

"I almost touched the ball," a young child yelled as a football seemed to fly towards the audience during the film.

The exhibit also gives fans the opportunity to meet Zakumi, the mascot of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, up close and personal.

"With the 3D film and getting a chance to see Zakumi, it puts a smile on people’s faces," Kacur said.

In addition to the 3D film and meeting Zakumi, there is also an area for people to view the current match on a television.

After interacting with Zakumi, visitors are able to learn the basic skills of football outside in an area designated for football play.

The exhibit at WOCC will be open until Monday, July 5.

With reporting from Isia Reaves and James Corbett.

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