For the lucky car manufacturers that managed to squeeze in advertisements during the 2014 World Cup, their money proved well-spent. According to Kelley Blue Book, Kia, Volkswagen, Hyundai and Nissan all saw an increase in searches on the KBB website directly following the airing of their commercials during the games.
"By creating entertaining, soccer-specific commercials, World Cup automotive advertisers Kia, Volkswagen, Hyundai and Nissan successfully generated interest around their brand and models, driving consumer research activity on KBB.com," said Arthur Henry, analyst for Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com. "Each advertiser also highlighted elements of the game that were relatable to the casual American soccer fan."
Influx of site visitors
These select manufacturers had twice as much consumer interest growth than competitors that did not advertise during the global soccer event. Kia and Volkswagen in particular both experienced an 18 percent increase in KBB searches after the game, Hyundai saw a 14 percent increase and Nissan's traffic grew by 12 percent. The brands generated the most interest following the final match of Germany versus Portugal, as many Americans were tuning into see who the cup winner would be.
Kia was the official automotive partner of FIFA, the association that hosts the World Cup, but Volkswagen also saw just as much traffic - and both increases were more than any other auto manufacturer has experienced after advertising during any previous World Cup.
Catchy commercial spots
The Kia commercial that aired during this year's World Cup featured Brazilian Victoria's Secret model Adriana Lima. In one spot, with tires squealing, she drives to a football field and tells the players what "football" is in her country, finishing with the tagline "For one month, let's all be futbol fans." The commercial is catchy and simple, and Kia's partnership with FIFA probably helped boost traffic to KBB. When Lima starred in a 2012 Super Bowl Kia commercial, the brand experienced a similar surge in searches. For Volkswagen, KBB noted that the German brand likely had a loyal following among soccer fans that increased traffic to the site. It's commercial was an upbeat spot with various fans driving to the game in their Volkswagen vehicles, with a catchy cheer in the background.
Similar to the type of commercials aired during the Super Bowl, the World Cup gave car manufacturers an opportunity to have a little fun with their advertising. Clearly, their efforts did not go unnoticed - and maybe even more car companies will jump on the World Cup bandwagon in the 2018 games.