Time for another look at the World Cup marketplace, starting with Lego's redo of the America-England match, dribbling goal and all (above).

FIFA was not amused by 36 "fans" in the stands as Bavaria beer ambush marketers. The brand's retort: they were logo-less. The Guardian's take: advertising mules?

Lynx launches risque ambush marketing campaign for the World Cup.

Target's now-removed World Cup t-shirts for tots were more fascism than fashion.

Cisco invites World Cup fans to put themselves in the game.Continue reading...

The 2010 World Cup already has been a huge branding success for FIFA on a number of fronts. But there’s one area – aurally — where the matches on TV and, arguably, in person have marked a huge disappointment so far.

Visually, the contests and the telecasts have been stunning, from the oft-re-aired fumble by English goalie Robert Green versus the United States, to the rainbow-hued clothing of the jubilant Ghanese fans celebrating their team’s 1-0 victory over Serbia. Technologically, here in the U.S. ESPN has been on its game, from the high-definition telecasts to innovations such as the on-screen indicator that shows decisively whether a team has gone offsides.

But when it comes to the audio and how it affects viewers' enjoyment and perception of the World Cup brand overall, the loud and constant drone of the vuvuzelas — the plastic horn favored by South African fans and now sold by the thousands to all attendees at World Cup venues — has gone way past distracting and annoying to maddening.

So it came as no surprise that the BBC is considering muting them, though it was disappointing that an ESPN spokesperson has told USA Today the network won't tamper with the games' natural sound, despite its own commentators complaining about them. But there's hope on the horizon, as the company handling audio for the World Cup broadcasts tells AP it will double its audio filters to reduce the noise.Continue reading...

As the World Cup shines a spotlight on South Africa for the next month, it also highlights Africa, for better or worse. Sunny messaging such as Coca-Cola's FIFA World Cup trophy tour naturally paints a happy picture of Africans. But it's not all sunny, of course.

An article in London's Observer yesterday highlights the plight of child refugees flooding into Johannesburg, where soccer tourism presents an unprecedented opportunity for young beggars, pedlars and others depending on handouts and charity.

With the global spotlight shining on Africa, pressure is also increasing on the world's leading electronics brands including Nokia, Samsung, Motorola and Sony Ericsson to commit to conflict-free products.Continue reading...

Are you ready for Brandchannel's daily (we hope!) rundown of World Cup marketing, branding, and advertising linkage?

First, everyone else go home! The most creative World Cup-related ad has been located: Bet-at-home.com (above).

As FIFA cracks down on ambush marketers, Nike is dubbed ambush marketing God King by Reuters and Ad Age (no surprise here.)Continue reading...

Dodge's new commercial today touts the 2010 Dodge Challenger in a 60-second spot created in honor of the World Cup match between USA and England tomorrow — a fact it played up in its teaser for the ad, after the jump.

The v/o: "Here's a couple of things America got right: Cars ... and freedom." Too patriotic for the brand, but par for the course at the World Cup? Tell us what you think, or flag a World Cup brand campaign that caught your eye with a comment below. Continue reading...

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup kicking off today in South Africa, it seems that the world's largest sporting event is also turning out to be the world's largest brand marketing event.

Now Yahoo! is getting onto the field with a co-branded interactive promotion, "Yahoo! Penalty Shootout for (RED)." This free online game "lets you challenge friends and fans from around the world in a virtual penalty shootout."

While the game itself runs through the end of June, Yahoo! is offering a one-day promotion — today — in which every goal scored results in a $1 contribution (up to $100,000) by Yahoo! to the (RED) campaign.Continue reading...

ESPN launches its 3D channel tomorrow, in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup kick-off game with Mexico vs. South Africa. At launch ESPN 3D will be available to more than 40 million U.S. homes via Comcast, DirecTV and AT&T's U-verse service.

ESPN's Pardon the Interruption debated the merits of ESPN in 3D vs. HD (above) after it was announced at CES in January. 

Launch advertisers, including Disney's Pixar, P&G's Gillette, and Sony's new 3DTV, will promote their brands in commercials that will run during the World Cup coverage. Naturally, ESPN hopes the channel will spur more marketers to think in three dimensions.Continue reading...

Now this is a Google Earth 3D tour worth watching – even if you’re not a soccer, footie or futbol fan. As the world awaits Friday's kick-off of the 2010 FIFA World Cup at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, with baited breath, this video tour showcases technology at its best – and portends the drama about to unfold.

The virtual fly-by is eerily evocative of the Roman Coliseum, a.k.a., the Flavian Amphitheatre, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. The Coliseum seated 50,000 spectators who routinely gathered to watch gladiatorial contest and public spectacles – including executions, re-enactments of famous battles, animal hunts, and mock sea battles. (Some of those themes are echoed in World Cup brand marketers' ads, official and unofficial.)

For a more leisurely, stadium-by-stadium look, click here. At least it won't cause headaches, like Sony's 3D World Cup promotion.