I think brands should weigh these sponsorships and see what are the returns they are getting and not only look at it from the point of view of visibility. At the end of the day, any kind of marketing or branding should be able to equate to sales (along with building a brand).

The excessive premium that has to be paid to be called 'exclusive or selected supplier' causes many other sport types and events to suffer from lack of any support, let alone less support. This is the case for the mentioned three sport types at a 'lower level' as well.

Indirectly this means that the development (if you will forgive the South African cliché) level of the sport is severely neglected, which in turn makes enemies rather than friends in the long run. Young Mr. or Ms. So and So, who is currently battling to buy boots, pay for travel etc. due to a lack of any assistance will one day probably be running the show and will not have forgotten the big name who shunned him or her indirectly in the early stages.

I don’t like football as my choice of sport, but when it comes to World Cup… it’s a different story. The brands involved in the World Cup are making a good bet for themselves, since it will put their names and logos inside the mind of the consumers (even the one who doesn’t like football).

However, how much is too much depends on each company’s expectations and the success of their marketing efforts around the event.

I think that in comparison to some other marketing activities (or projects), being a World Cup sponsor can be worthwhile.

What is important is not only what sponsors’ do at such an event, rather also what they do around the event. Take Adidas for example - they are a perfect example of how to squeeze the most out of a sponsoring arrangement. Not only do they have their logo present everywhere at the games, they have set up huge outdoor campaigns, have coupled it with a great TV campaign and have designed products and stores to support the World Cup campaign. So here it is all about how you can develop a completely integrated marketing campaign which supports the sponsoring of such an event.

Then there is the question of how you package the sponsoring arrangement. Look at Mastercard – to go to the World Cup you are forced to have a Mastercard. Not the standard sponsoring acitivity, but something that is surely financially rewarding.

Some of the brands are going to go into the subconscious and be subliminally associated with the event. But not all of them.

That is where some of these sponsors are really going to miss the mark.

Any organisation wanting to expand into a global marketplace or reiterate its global presence would be crazy not to jump at the opportunity to have their name and brand associated with the hype of this FIFA cup.

What would be particularly tragic if you decided to sponsor an event like this with a brand that failed to leave an impression with this eager audience.

Just notice that Emirates, Mastercard and Adidas brands have their name and symbol together as part of their brand on the soccer ball shown.

I have no idea who the other symbols belong to, nor what they do.

Therein is the real tragedy.

Don't the others know that words and not symbols are more impactful and longer lasting.

Last time I looked there were some 3000 triangle brands trademarked in Oz.

What makes them different is more than colour and shape, its the name associated with the brand that holds the key to differentiation.

Brands that appear without their name is just like producing a business card without a positioning line...a missed opportunity to expose yourself to people who dont know who you are and what you do.

1. If the product that has to be promoted is sports-related (f.e. 'Adidas').

2. The second group of sponsors that make profit out of such deals are partners which services/products are provided in almost every corner all over the world. Then visibility pays off. (f.e. Mastercard, McDo)

If it's purely for branding, association purposes, then the money could be lost especially if there are ample opportunities to hijack the sponsorship.

Case in point: In my country Malaysia, it's incredibly difficult to tell who is the official sponsor of the World Cup among our 3 telcos, as the expenditure on football-related activities rivals each other.

For a brand to be associated with a big event means its a big Brand of international repute.

Biggest disadvantage:
Too Costly.

The game endorses the sprit that of the brand

If the brand can find nexus between the game and the psychographics of it Target Audience

If the brand is global