Music publicity campaigns aim to unite World Cup soccer fans

by Los Ramblers kicked off the 1962 World Cup in Chile. But this year, brand song tie-ins are more popular than this year’s official effort.

FIFA’s “We Are One (Ole Ola),” has been criticized by Brazilians and other soccer fans as being tone deaf to Brazil culture. Critics complain that it is sung by CubanAmerican rapper Pitbull and Bronxborn Puerto Rican singer Jennifer Lopez instead of a Brazilian singer (although it does feature Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte); and it is sung mainly in English and Spanish rather than Portuguese.

So marketers have stepped in, and so far, are scoring big. Shakira’s “La La La” video, sponsored by Activia in partnership with the World Food Programme, has garnered 95 million YouTube views since it went up 3 weeks ago. By comparison, the official FIFA song has about 72 million views after five weeks.

“When we heard ‘La La La,’ we immediately knew consumers would be swayed by the rhythm and energy of this song,” said Santiago Mier Albert, general manager of Activia and vice president of marketing of Dannon’s fresh dairy products division worldwide.

Coca Cola’s song has hit the top 10 charts in 40 countries worldwide. That is a big step up from their last effort in 2010, “Wavin’ Flag” which was done in 24 versions and charted in 17 countries.

“The World Cup is universal. Music is universal too,” said Joe Belliotti, director of global entertainment marketing at Coca-Cola. “And if you can find that simple melody and simple lyrical idea that can translate and connect with people around the world, that’s the formula we strive for.”

Beats, which is not an official sponsor of the event and refers to its ad as a global campaign featuring the world-known soccer players, got nearly 8 million views after just four days on YouTube. The five-minute ad cinematically shows rituals athletes use to get ready for “The Game Before The Game.” Brazilian soccer star Neymar Jr. takes a motivational call from his father, Serena Williams gets a patriotic manicure, and they all block out distraction with their Beats headphones to the tune of the footstomping “Jungle.”

It’s a chance for Beats, which was recently bought by Apple for $ 3 billion, to step out onto the global stage for the first time, said Barbara Lippert, longtime ad critic and a columnist for Mediapost.com.

“Beats is a company about music; they really know how to make music videos, it’s a smart strategy and beautifully put together,” she said.