Germany's stunning late-in-the-game win in Sunday's World Cup final elicited cheers from Düsseldorf to Rio. As usual, brands weren't content to sit on the sidelines as such revelry was taking place. Nor were they content to pass up an opportunity to inject themselves into an emotional moment and potentially create a mental link between their brand and that exultant feeling.
German brands, of course, had a natural advantage. None appeared to succumb to the temptation to gloat or be clever at Argentina's expense, a lesson that KLM, for one, learned the hard way.
The best extra weight we've ever carried! pic.twitter.com/qaknvITdGy— Lufthansa (@lufthansa) July 13, 2014
The 4th Star For #GER. pic.twitter.com/CRy4DQ4mcV— Mercedes-Benz (@MercedesBenz) July 13, 2014
There’s only one way to win a #WorldCup: #allin http://t.co/hEVneeDRX9— adidasfootball (@adidasfootball) July 13, 2014
#quattro #GER #weltmeister via @AudiFrance pic.twitter.com/GsFzwuA5le— AUDI AG (@Audi_Online) July 13, 2014
Germany has just become GOALmany. Congrats @redbullGER #GER! #justforkicks #givesyouWINS pic.twitter.com/bwe6qcTnSC— Red Bull (@redbull) July 13, 2014
Groan.
Those unfortunate brands not based in Deutschland did their best. The clear winner here was Budweiser, which appeared to have the rights to use Rihanna's image:
Thanks for keeping it safe! MT @rihanna Man of the match goes to.... pic.twitter.com/BSRTwz8AJ2— Budweiser (@Budweiser) July 14, 2014
Bud inked a deal with the pop star last year. Rihanna's now-famous flash during the celebrations was not included on Budweiser's Twitter feed.
Australia's Sportsbet.com also provided some entertaining commentary. However, a tweet superimposing the cup over Mario Gotze's nether regions appears to have been taken down. Still, there was some fun to be had:
Maradona has a message for Gotze and Germany #WorldCup #GERARG pic.twitter.com/2oQP02hLAE— Sportsbet.com.au (@sportsbetcomau) July 13, 2014
Nike, not a World Cup sponsor, also used the opportunity to crow about Gotze, with whom it has an endorsement deal:
The world is a stage. Make it yours. #riskeverything pic.twitter.com/heaPC5bEDn— Nike Football (@nikefootball) July 13, 2014
Nike has more reason to celebrate. The brand put out the most-viewed videos of the tournament, according to researcher Visible Measures. Nike's eight campaigns during the event netted 240.6 million total views, Visible Measures found. No. 2 was Samsung with 124.4 million views. The rest of the list included Adidas (90.3 million views), Kia (27.8 million) and Beats by Dre (24.5 million.)
BONUS: The Complete Guide to World Cup Nicknames
[nggallery id="16945"]