The World Cup is sadly over, with England placing fourth after creating a frenzy on Social Media following their exhilarating performance – but which company took the opportunity of the World Cup to promote their products the best?

Aldi

In 3rd place we have Aldi’s clever marketing scheme where they announced that they would give their colleagues an early finish in celebration for the England match if they reached the finals. This is cleverly put together by using a simple England flag, catching the eyes of many dedicated England fans, with a catchy rhyme and the Aldi logo in the corner. Although Aldi didn’t take full advantage of the trending topic by not linking it to any of their products, their brand name has certainly been put out into the public eye especially with the use of the #BringItHome hashtag.

Aldi also made an on-topic reference to the ‘it’s coming home’ song, one which has been sung throughout the duration of the World Cup by football fans. They also refer to the ‘12th man’, suggesting that their employees have a potentially helpful role just like the 12th player has in the football game – we think this is an excellent way of showing their contribution to the celebration of England in the World Cup.

IKEA

In 2nd place, we have IKEA, whose marketing strategy was to make their traditionally English staple food, fish and chips, £1. This drives profit to their store as they’re not only promoting their food options, but their furniture too. One of their products, a coat stand, is featured and personified as praising England’s efforts in the World Cup following the Swedish defeat. We think this demonstrates their sportsmanship and sense of humour. Ultimately, the advert has a welcoming and friendly tone to it which is why they deserve 2nd place.

Marks & Spencers

At the top in 1st place, we have the winner of the marketing World Cup 2018: Marks and Spencer! Not only did they link their product to the World Cup, but they also created their own successful hashtag #luckywaistcoat, with loads of fans using it and even tagging M&S themselves. The fact that they are an ‘official tailor to the England team’ also makes the link more relevant and has encouraged England fans to go out and buy their own lucky waistcoat. The simple, bold red colour they used is eye-catching for England fans and symbolises the colours for England’s team. The reference to Southgate’s waistcoat is genius and targets a specialised audience only football fans would understand.

Like IKEA, M&S have also linked other products to their marketing scheme such as Percy Pig, a famous mascot of theirs, which helps promote and reference their products to the World Cup which gains further interest from potential customers and encourages them to spend there.

Just like what these brilliant and growing companies have done, clever marketing is essential for businesses to create a digital presence. Contact us to see how we can help you get your brand name out there.