Dive Brief:

• Coca-Cola launched a campaign around the FIFA World Cup 2022, per details shared with Marketing Dive. The "Believing is Magic" campaign builds on the brand's "Real Magic" platform and features a 60-second hero film.
• As part of the campaign, Coca-Cola has partnered with Panini, the official licensed sticker album of the World Cup, to create exclusive stickers that can be collected digitally and physically. The brand is also working with retail partners to create in-person opportunities around the stickers, per a company blog post.
• Continuing the brand's focus on digitally driven campaigns, "Believing is Magic" also includes an online hub that seeks to connect fans across the world and three digital films that revolve around the promises fans make if their team wins, which will also be featured on packaging.

Dive Insight:

Coca-Cola is getting an early jump on its campaign around the World Cup, which takes place Nov. 20 to Dec. 18 this year instead of during the summer to avoid the intense heat in Qatar, its host country. Coca-Cola has partnered with FIFA since 1974 and been an official sponsor of the World Cup since 1978, and this is both the first World Cup since the pandemic hit and the first to take place in the Middle East.

"We’re excited about the opportunity to democratize the sport and take it to all corners of the globe. We also see it as the world’s coming out party after years of lockdown," said Brad Ross, vice president of global sports and entertainment marketing for The Coca-Cola Company, in a company blog post. "The world is clearly excited to celebrate a sense of normalcy again, and this is a big milestone."

The "Believing is Magic" campaign is the latest iteration of the brand's "Real Magic" platform, which launched in September 2021 with a focus on shared moments. In kind, the campaign focuses on authentic moments of connection between fans and the beliefs, rituals and promises that World Cup fandom entails. A hero film shows a football fan imagining their team winning the World Cup and the ensuing celebration.

In line with Coca-Cola's focus on digitally driven campaigns, "Believing in Magic" features three digital films — "Tattoo," "Shave" and "Run" — that revolve around the promises fans make if their teams win. Taglines like "If we win I'll get a tattoo" will also feature on special "promise" packaging. Press materials also tease future opportunities for consumers to share their own promises for possible inclusion in packaging, digital content and outdoor creative. 

A partnership with Panini on exclusive player stickers that are available both digitally and physically under Coca-Cola labels allows the brand to integrate itself with another element of fandom. World Cup sticker albums are a long-standing hobby for football fans but inflation has raised the price of a complete set to more than $1,000, making the special World Cup packaging more attractive for fans.

For the fifth consecutive time, Coca-Cola is presenting the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour and will bring the trophy to all 32 qualifying nations in the lead-up to the tournament, giving the brand a touchpoint in global markets months before the tournament begins. In addition, Coca-Cola will run a digital hub for fans around the world to compete and predict winners of World Cup matches, connect to social platforms and share other moments. 

The Coca-Cola Company saw net revenues grow 12% to $11.3 billion in Q2 2022 and has embraced a marketing model that is focused on adding and retaining consumers through experiences that link consumption with consumer passions.