Ad Snapshots from FIFA World Cup Brazil

July 1, 2014

According to statistics from YouTube, World Cup ads are four-times more popular than Super Bowl ads, when calculated by the time spent actually viewing the ads. 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 as the Finals approach in July, and may be a testament to a game loved by devotees worldwide instead of just fans of a US sport— no matter how compelling or influential 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 films 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.

(Please see our "Also See" section to the right for the full PDF of this article.)