Advertising and the Euro 2012

What is the power of football combined with the social media?
The 2012 UEFA Champions League final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich at the weekend racked up more than 7.5m social interactions including 2.5 million Facebook likes. For more information and better insight look at this post with an infographic.

And finally yesterday was the first day of Euro 2012!
Nike was the first one to create a commercial, but obviously it does not stop there. Let's have a look at the other examples - Adidas, Orange, McDonalds, Kopparberg and Nike Football!

Adidas

Adidas, is launching a new portal on the photo blogging site Tumblr that lets fans listen to podcasts as well as view pictures and videos that feature Adidas sponsored teams and players such as Leo Messi, Xabi Alonso, Iker Casillas and David Beckham.
The sports brand believes the social network will play a key part in its future social media strategy.

Orange

Meanwhile, Orange is launching two free apps to tap into the expected surge in dual-screen viewing around matches.
The UEFA Euro 2012 app lets users find their friends nearby as well as locate venues where they can watch the games across Europe. The Supporters Cup Shake & Shout app is a competition to see which fans can record the loudest cheer. The telecoms firm is using the tournament to launch its first pan-European sponsorship across markets including Spain, Poland, France, the UK, Slovakia.

McDonald’s

McDonald’s is using the start of the tournament to launch its new football-themed Championship Menu, which includes the Cheese & Bacon Striker and the Chicken Maestro burgers.
The menu launched this month and is being supported by a Leo Burnett created TV campaign.

 Kopparberg

 Kopparberg is launching its first football themed campaign in the UK with a tactical push ahead of the England vs Sweden Euro 2012 match next week (15 June).
The cider brand is offering pubs and clubs across the UK ‘Swengland’ packs containing a ‘brigadeer’ and ‘blonde’ moustaches to be worn by England and Sweden fans respectively as well as the flags of both countries.

Nike Football

Skills and finishing on the pitch need to be razor sharp but for many players including Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli a sense of personal style on and off pitch is just as important – starting with a hair style that makes a statement. “Nike Barbershop” features Mario Balotelli receiving a hair cut in a traditional Barbershop accompanied by French player Mamadou Sakho and Argentine star Javier Pastore.
A Nike Barbershop App enables viewers to emulate their heroes’ hairdo by trying out ten famous footballers iconic styles and sharing them with friends. Choosing from “The Neymar”, “The Sakho” and “The Ramos” among others, the best submissions will also get the chance to visit one of six physical Nike Barbershop locations in Buenos Aires, Madrid, Mexico City, Milan and Paris where the latest styles can be fixed for real. A pop up Nike Barbershop will also be featured in Warsaw during Europe’s major football tournament this summer.

Well...It's only the beginning, so let's hope to see more examples of creative work! And lets see if brands will take advantage over the social media/mobile opportunities during the matches. And while waiting for more news... enjoy watching games!