Official partner MasterCard is forging ahead with its regional activation campaign, despite the recent news that Visa had replaced it as an official Fifa partner from 2007 to 2014 in a deal worth US$150 million.
MasterCard began its regional below-the-line push in March, tying up with local market banks to offer card users the chance of winning two tickets to the World Cup final, and an evening with football legend Pele.
A thematic brand TVC, developed by McCann Erickson, is launching in Singapore, featuring banking partner DBS. The TVC is also expected to run in other Southeast Asian markets during the World Cup, although it is believed that this is still being debated within MasterCard, following its rights loss to Visa.
"Sponsorship programmes related to the 2010 and 2014 Fifa World Cup are a long way away, and we have many options to review prior to then," was the official statement from a spokesman at MasterCard.
"Right now, MasterCard is focused on the many programmes associated with our sponsorship of the 2006 Fifa World Cup in Germany."
The ouster of MasterCard by Visa is being linked to the former's upcoming IPO in late 2006. "MasterCard probably tried to drag the renewal out and Visa swooped in and took it away," said an industry source. MasterCard began its Fifa partnership in 1990. Critically, from 2007, Visa will now hold sponsorship rights to the two largest sporting events in the world: the World Cup and the Olympic Games.
Elsewhere, TNT has reported strong results from its own regional World Cup direct marketing campaign. The company is neither an official sponsor nor supplier of the Fifa event, but has rolled out a 'Kick-off with TNT -- your biggest supporter' programme.
The drive accompanies the company's extension of its public relations agency relationship with Grayling to include Malaysia. Grayling was already retained for TNT's regional media relations business and the local Singapore account.
Initial results for TNT's drive have proved promising. Almost 23,000 mailers were sent out in Indonesia, Malay-sia, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, generating an average response rate of 10 per cent in these markets.
Visa steals thunder in rival's World Cup blitz
With the World Cup just two months away, companies are vying for cut-through as they look to leverage the global event's massive appeal, estimated to attract a global TV audience of 30 billion cumulative viewers.
