Page 6 - Internationalist Magazine 2014 69

Marketing 2014 at Half Time

As we approach the year’s midpoint, particularly amid the

advertising frenzy of FIFA World Cup Brazil and in the wake of

a celebrity-studded Cannes Ad Festival, it makes sense to assess
where the business of marketing is headed, to consider the

future of advertising, and to acknowledge undeniable shifts in
an interconnected world where every message can have instant

global impact.
These considerations also come at a time of positive

industry news as ZenithOptimedia announced in its mid-year
Advertising Expenditure Forecasts that the World Cup would

boost an already healthy global advertising market by US $1.5

billion, representing a 5.4% increase in 2014, up from 3.9%
in 2013.

Given the pace and complexity of these times, the
World Cup and Cannes were not the only recent events to

inluence thoughts about advertising’s evolving role in business: Amazon launched its smart
phone with ecommerce potential to further disrupt brick and mortar retailers, YouTube conirmed its new

premium music-subscription service which will be uninterrupted by advertising, DreamWorks Animation
talked of extraordinary high-end merchandising deals and new high-tech projections to help kids meet Santa

via DreamHouse—without waiting in line and scheduled by an app, while a niche company, Mike’s Hard
Lemonade, changed its name for a day to Paul’s Hard Lemonade in celebration of its 1 millionth Facebook

fan-- a small event that just might speak volumes about what is or isn’t sacred to brands. (“Rebranding as

‘Paul’s Hard Lemonade’ this week is our unique way of creating a personal connection with our fans and
rewarding one passionate consumer with the lavors he loves,” said Sanjiv Gajiwala, the company’s marketing

director in a press release.)
Remarkably, World Cup ads are four-times more popular than Super Bowl ads, when calculated by

the time spent actually viewing the ads. The statistics are from YouTube. Already, people worldwide have
watched more than 1.2 billion minutes of World Cup ads, or currently 4x as many minutes as people have

spent watching Super Bowl ads. No doubt the numbers will continue to soar, and they may be a testament
to a game loved by devotees worldwide instead of just fans of a US sport— no matter how compelling or

inluential the ads. Note, too, that in Brazil, commercial breaks do not interrupt the game, and only occur at

half time. Ads are also longer— on average 3 minutes, not 60 seconds, and are created to be elaborate online
ilms with huge viral appeal.

Some of the best ads are truly heroic and of an Olympic spirit like Banco Itaú’s “The Great
Transformation” by Agency Africa which stirs the pride of a nation. The most-viewed ad, “La La La,” features

Shakira and Activia partnering to support the World Food Program’s School Meals initiative. Eight out of
the ten top-watched World Cup ads feature football stars-- Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney,

Neymar, Tim Howard, Gerard Pique, Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Suarez, and
Dani Alves.

We’re proud to name THE BRAZIL 50 in this issue and celebrate 100 INSPIRATIONAL MARKETING
LEADERS from around the globe. Sir Martin Sorrell recently commented in the UK trade press that
Mad
Men’s Don Draper wouldn’t recognize the industry today given the number of disciplines that now comprise

the marketing mix. Unilever’s CMO Keith Weed acknowledged at Cannes that the industry has changed more
in the last ive years than in the past twenty-ive.

It’s clear that the increased responsibilities of 21st century marketing leaders are now exceedingly complex.
Their footprints are instantly global and carry far greater levels of accountability than ever before—especially

when played on a very public stage fraught with immediate customer reaction that directly affects a brand’s
potential for success.

However, as the year reaches its midpoint and we celebrate all the virtues of the World Cup, it’s easy to be
reminded of the power of global marketing and the people who move it forward.

Deb Malone
Founder

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