Social media marketing and the World Cup

No other World Cup has ever been as social as the 2014 championship series, now underway. And that's opening new marketing opportunities for brands large and small.

Official sponsors such as Coca-Cola are spending huge amounts to associate with the World Cup and reach the hundreds of millions of people who follow the matches day by day by day. Coke has said its World Cup marketing will be on a scale with its Olympics marketing budget. The soft drink marketer's photomosaic Happiness Flag, being unveiled today, is one of its big social media events linked to the World Cup, with photos crowdsourced from 200+ nations.

Of course Nike and Adidas are using their marketing muscle to attract attention and boost their brands to football fans everywhere. Adidas's YouTube entry above stars football greats. Nike's YouTube entry below uses appealing animation. All these videos have attracted millions of viewers across the globe.

Brands worldwide are playing off World Cup themes to reach their target audiences. The UK plumbing brand Dyno has its own 'Rush to flush' campaign, offering plumbing services to help consumers keep their toilets operating properly even during crucial matches.