If you haven’t seen the stat-line about Neymar’s time spent injured on the ground at the World Cup yet, allow us to fill you in – 14 minutes.
For those keeping up with the Brazilian national team and the Paris Saint-Germain star, it’s no secret that the jokes are aplenty about how “dramatic” his stint at this year’s Cup has been. While most of the jokes have originated from soccer social accounts, what would happen if a major company tried to ride the social wave?
KFC South Africa recently released an ad which draws strong parallels to the scenes of this World Cup. The ad’s scenario is this: after a minor hit, the player falls to ground, histrionically groaning, rolls off the field, down a ramp, across the city, up a bridge, across a major intersection, until he ends at his final destination, pops to his feet, smiles and prepares to place his KFC order.
For soccer fans, an ad that lampoons the antics of soccer players comes as a pleasant surprise, a distraction from the in-game gravitas, and for companies who are investing in advertisements such as this, the dividends of a humorous take on the game are clear:
- The ad on KFC South Africa’s YouTube account received 2 million views.
- Yahoo Sports’ Twitter account, nearly 2 million viewers strong shared the video adding another 1.7 million views
- NowThis’ Twitter account, which typically shares current events/politics, shared it with their 2 million viewers, adding an additional 35K views to the ad
- Oh My Goal, a soccer-themed Facebook account, shared the commercial and it gained a whopping 8 million views and over 130 thousand shares.
What started as a play on soccer antics quickly turned into a worldwide hit, KFC South Africa took what was a touchy subject for soccer supporters and flipped it on its head. The lesson to learn here is that soccer supporters, while passionate in game, are willing to poke fun at themselves and when done properly, is a win for all.
Categories: Broadcast, Commercial, World Cup