Coke's New World Cup Goal: Mainstream U.S. Consumers (via Brandweek.com)

Soccer may trail basketball and baseball in popularity in the U.S., but Coca-Cola sees that changing fast. Coca-Cola has been a major advertiser in the FIFA World Cup for decades, but this is the first time the company is targeting a more mainstream type of consumer, as opposed to Hispanics in the U.S., said Reinaldo Padua, assistant vice president of Hispanic marketing for North America. The campaign, which includes global TV, documentary and interactive components, comes as young American consumers take a more active interest in the sport—an interest that the company believes will extend to watching the games as well. Padua discussed what Coca-Cola is doing that’s new in the World Cup this year and how the company’s “Open Happiness” theme is a good fit for the sponsorship.

Brandweek: Coca-Cola has been an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup since 1978. What is different about the marketing campaign this year?

Reinaldo Padua: In the U.S., we’ve taken the activation of the World Cup across the entire U.S. market. Our efforts in the past were usually more concentrated in the Hispanic market. They are core fans of soccer. But with the growth in the practice and popularity of this sport, we are at that tipping point where during the weekends and in the summer you see soccer moms taking kids to practices and games. We’re looking for how to fuel that active living among their kids, and the company has decided to leverage that trend and take this to [a more general] market.

BW: But doesn’t soccer trail other sports, like basketball and football, in popularity in the U.S.?

RP: Soccer is one of the top three most practiced sports among youths in the U.S. [Specifically] it’s the most practiced sport among kids ages 8 to12 years old. So, what you see in that trend is that there is a natural passion and connection with this sport across the entire market, not only among Hispanic consumers.

BW: Is Coca-Cola upping its investment in the World Cup this year?

RP: We keep increasing our investment, and this is reflected in the fact that this is [targeting] the entire U.S. market. Our resources around the activation of this program in the U.S. are going to be like never before. In packaging, it’s also going to be across multiple brands, [namely] Powerade, Coke Zero and Fanta, and our presence in media will include these brands too. In addition to that, one of the events that is very important to our sponsorship of the World Cup is our Trophy Tour. That’s similar to the torch relay in the Olympics. We take that solid gold trophy around the world, across most of the countries in Africa, across a total of 86 countries in 225 days, and it builds on that excitement and anticipation for [the tournament in] June and July.

BW: The global TV spot for the World Cup, “History of Celebration,” builds on Coca-Cola’s current “Open Happiness” campaign. Why expand on the existing marketing campaign, and why is that a good fit?

RP: There is a natural connection between our “Open Happiness” campaign and the World Cup. The World Cup theme is about celebrating soccer and the [winning of the trophy]. It’s an incredible experience that brings together all the best soccer teams in the world for one month, and it doesn’t matter about the differences in their culture, language and religion. Everyone gets together for those 30 days, and we share the same rules, the same field and we all cheer for our teams in a very competitive, but at the same time, very happy way…When you think of the globalness of the FIFA World Cup, [consider the fact that] the most important sports event on air—the last World Cup, held in Germany—had a total of 26 billion nonunique visitors. When you compare that in terms of all the [other major sports] events, like the Super Bowl, you are talking about 250 Super Bowls—one right after the other—during one month. So, when you think of the globalness of our brand and the presence of Coca-Cola in all of those countries and its awareness and connection with happiness, it just makes sense for Coca-Cola to be the brand that brings the World Cup and the celebration of that event around the world.

BW: How are you integrating digital and interactive in this campaign?

RP: We have a global celebration campaign. It’s called “The Longest Celebration Contest.” It’s an opportunity for fans around the world to upload their [soccer] goal celebrations to a continuous stream of videos [from consumers in countries] around the world.

BW: Can you give us one example of a really successful Hispanic marketing campaign launched by Coca-Cola?

RP: One that has been very successful is called “The Power Is in Your Hands” for Powerade. [The campaign ran in print, radio and in-store, and can currently be seen in out-of-home ads.] It [stars] Mexican football goalkeeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa, and it’s a campaign that’s been in the market over the last year. It’s [about reminding] consumers that the power is in their hands. It plays a bit on the idea of Ochoa, as a goalkeeper, having the power to decide the future and outcome of the game. It’s telling Hispanics that they have the power to influence their day to day, and it positions Powerade as that leverage that gives you hydration and the energy to keep going. It’s been very successful because it connects with consumers in a more emotional way, to the point where we’ve been able to achieve leadership in the sports drink category during different parts of the year in the U.S. retail channel.

BRANDS THAT RECIEVED THE MOST ATTENTION MARCH MADNESS?

Who were the Dukes and Butlers of March Madness brand consumer perception this year? YouGov's BrandIndex report examined the buzz scores of men 18-34 of all the corporate sponsors of the NCAA Men's Division Basketball Championship, from tip-off on March 18 to the final buzzer on April 5. Here are the brands that took the biggest jump.

The Brandweek Buzz Report by YouGov is a weekly consumer perception report that analyzes the most talked about brands based on buzz: The scores are based on weighing positive and negative perceptions of a brand. A +100 score is positive, a -100 score is negative, and a rating of zero means that the score is neutral.

YouGov interviews 5,000 people each weekday from a representative U.S. population sample. Respondents are drawn from an online panel of 1.5 million individuals.

The report spotlights:

• Toyota

• Lowe's

• State Farm

Toyota Gets a Jump Start

General Motors may have cut its March Madness support by half, but Toyota has not skipped a marketing beat and it’s lifting the company's reputation. Still traveling through the depths of negative perception, Toyota slowly moved upwards over the tournament’s duration from a buzz score of -53 to -37.4. One of the "Sweet 16" games was held at Houston’s Toyota Center, ensuring the brand name resonated with consumers and the media. In fact, Toyota had the most improved buzz score overall for the month of March when it comes to adults over 18.

SUCCESSFUL BRANDS DO A GOOD JOB OF SATISFYING PEOPLE'S 10 BASIC DESIRES

Brands spend more than $450 billion each year to influence us. They wouldn't spend that kind of money unless they knew something we didn't know.

The most-successful brands don't focus on what we need; they focus on what we want. We need a credit card; we want an American Express Black card. We need a cellphone; we want the yet-to-be-released iPhone 4G.

Fortunately for brands, when it comes to identifying what people want, we aren't particularly complex. The human mind seeks to satisfy 10 primary wants. Direct your actions toward meeting as many as possible, and your brand will grow exponentially.

So what do people want, exactly?

1. To feel safe and secure.This is reinforced through both the physical structure of the brain and our physical environment, making it one of the strongest motivating forces in our lives. The amygdale is an area of the brain whose primary purpose is to protect us. Whenever we sense fear or danger, or that things are not safe or secure, it fires. This works in conjunction with our long-term memory, which continuously references and longs for the safety and security we received as children. When Allstate tells us we're in good hands with them, it appeals to this desire for safety and security. Who else? Volvo, OnStar, ADP, Geico, Johnson & Johnson.

2. To feel comfortable.We all want to feel comfortable. We want to feel good, relaxed, we want it to be easy. Our brains are constantly asking, if I do this, how will I feel? We are attracted to what makes us feel good, and this is often what is most comfortable and easy -- brands such as Cracker Barrel, Rockport, Godiva and Dole (what's easier than bagged lettuce?).

3. To be cared for and connected to others.It is human nature to want to feel that someone cares for us, that we have friends and that people enjoy our company. Humans are genetically predisposed to want to be together and to be connected. It is one of our evolutionary traits. And by observing, interacting and engaging with others, our mirror neurons allow us to learn from one another and feel what others are feeling. Think about recent communication campaigns from Olive Garden, Budweiser, Pizza Hut and Mitsubishi's Eclipse. Further, this is one of the key wants social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace meet.

4. To be desired by others.Some believe that all human motivation comes down to wanting to be desired by others. Freud popularized this concept pitting the id against the superego and ego. And even though brands have been targeting this want since the beginning -- and people are aware of brands' efforts in this area -- it has not lost any of its effectiveness. Axe can't make their message to guys any clearer: use our products and you'll be irresistible. And how about Michelob Ultra, Viagra, Cadillac, Old Spice and Victoria's Secret?

5. To be free to do what we want.The desire to be free has been a guiding principal of humankind for the past 200,000 years. Throughout history, societies have banded together to fight for their freedom, from early civilizations in Greece, through the dark ages and Renaissance, the French and American Revolutions, and the abolition of slavery and both world wars. The desire to be free is such a dominant human want that, time after time, we have given our lives to satisfy it. Financial brands such as Fidelity, Citi and Mastercard were built by focusing on this want, as were brands such as Harley-Davidson, Southwest, Nutrisystem and even Norwegian Cruise Lines.

6. To grow and become more.Humans, unlike animals, do not come programmed with the skills we need. We begin as blank slates, yet within the first five years of our lives, we learn to perform many of the skills we will use throughout our lifetime. But then what happens? Is there ever another five-year period where we grow as much? Most would say no, and yet our brains are conditioned from childhood to grow and learn. Because of this, our mind is constantly striving to satisfy the function it has been conditioned to perform: to grow and become more. When you think of Monster, Kindle, Bally and Kaplan, don't they all brilliantly leverage this want to their advantage?

7. To serve others and give back.More than 60 million people performed more than 8 billion hours of service last year. Why? As children we are fully dependent on our parents. Those early memories of our mothers and fathers serving our every need, unselfishly giving to protect, care and nurture, are deeply ingrained in our minds and condition us to want to serve others and give back. Therefore, we tend to feel good when we are making others feel good, unselfishly focusing on others. This want competes against many of our other more self-focused wants, causing an unsettling feeling when we too frequently focus on ourselves. What comes to mind when you think about Prius, Livestrong, Timberland, Newman's Own, Make-a-Wish Foundation and Susan G. Komen for the Cure?

8. To be surprised and excited.The amount of stimuli that our senses can process throughout the course of a day is remarkable. While our perceptual register filters the vast majority of these stimuli, what almost always gets through is what surprises and excites us. Stimuli that could potentially cause ecstasy or anxiety are the first things to grab our attention -- Red Bull, Las Vegas tourism, Disney, De Beers.

9. To believe there is a higher purpose.Most people identify with a particular religion, believe in a god in some form and believe that when we die, there is something more. We deeply want to believe there is a higher purpose. There is not a single more important belief that has such universal acceptance yet completely lacks any form of scientific evidence. But because we so deeply want to believe, anything that can possibly support this belief is powerfully motivating. When the Marines show us a wall of soldiers standing guard over our country and ask us if we have what it takes to be among the few and the proud, they are offering us a higher purpose.

10. To feel that they matter.This is humankind's greatest want -- that they matter. That they are worthy of attention, affection and love. It is an evolutionary trait. Released in large amounts during labor, oxytocin, a neurotransmitter, bonds the mother to a child, making it nearly impossible not to want to care for the newborn. Infants who do not receive this attention can succumb to failure-to-thrive syndrome, causing premature death. So the fact that we matter is essential to our survival. We have been conditioned from birth to believe that we matter. But as we get older, the oxytocin wears off and we feel less and less that we matter. We then spend the rest of our lives trying to get back this feeling that we once felt in such abundance, and brands such as American Express, Lexus, Rolex and Starbucks help us remember that we matter.