Even if you don’t care about soccer, there’s no hiding from the upcoming World Cup in Brazil, because the event is infiltrating every other commercial on TV. Here’s a selection of some of the best World Cup-related ads so far.
Shillin’ for Chile
“We don’t fear the ‘death group’! We don’t care about death because we defeated death before!”
For pure rousing feeling, it’s hard to beat the ad for Banco de Chile in which one the miners trapped underground back in 2010 stirs up the Chilean team (turn on the captions for subtitles). The absence of overpaid jerks with stupid hair is also refreshing.
Nike’s all-star mini-epic
Unsurprisingly, Nike is going all-out. This kinetic extravaganza features bouncy music by Eagles of Death Metal (“Miss Alissa”) and eye-popping footwork by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Wayne Rooney and Gerard Piqué.
Even the Hulk turns up — the green one, not the Brazilian forward Hulk. Still, it’s all rather predictable.
Pixarizing soccer
Another effort from the Swoosh still uses the stars on its roster, except this time time they’re animated, “Incredibles”-style. In short the same, but different.
Boring Beats by Dre
The only brand to rival Nike in the “no expense spared” category is Beats by Dre, which complemented the expected soccer icons with a battalion of guests such as Nicki Minaj, Serena Williams and LeBron James.
And yet the ad, about pre-game rituals, is thundering and flat.
Conceptual high jinks from Adidas
In “The Dream,” official sponsor Adidas went for a high-concept narrative involving Argentine god Lionel Messi, new Kanye West song “God Level,” and wintry images that look like “Game of Thrones” outtakes — which would be awesome if the World Cup were in Norway.
At least you can’t say it’s boring. More conceptual high jinks come at the end when viewers are presented a choice of endings.
Pepsi shows us the bubbles
More interactive shenanigans courtesy of Pepsi’s Rio-set “Now Is What You Make It” campaign — one of the few to actually show the product! Watch for the busker who looks suspiciously like Janelle Monáe singing Bowie’s “Heroes.”
McDonald’s kicks it old-school
There are lots of fantastic trick shots by amateur-looking people in ”Gol!” from McDonald’s, but the “America’s Funniest Videos” vibe undermines the effort.
Don’t cry for me, Powerade
Powerade went for the heartstrings with its ad featuring a real-life kid born with just one leg. Make sure you have a box of tissues handy when watching this one.