• by Wayne Friedman , July 7, 2010

Big marketers targeting U.S. and U.K viewers during the World Cup are being rewarded for their sponsorship of the soccer event. These include Adidas, AT&T, Budweiser, Hyundai and Sony, which have generated the best "likability" scores -- 55% higher on average compared to commercials from other, non-sponsor World Cup advertisers, according to the Nielsen Company.

These sponsors also generated 16% higher "brand recall" on average for their World Cup in-game/in-studio marketing efforts.

Nielsen says this includes Hyundai's "Halftime Report" and the Adidas "First Half Highlights." These results are better than other in-game sponsorship performance in other notable sporting events.

"Nielsen data clearly shows an advantage for U.S. sponsors that have had an expanded presence in the matches with in-game or in-studio elements," stated Alan Gould, CEO of Nielsen IAG. Nielsen IAG measures TV advertising effectiveness and program engagement.

Gould added: "The presence of these elements, which are integrated seamlessly into programming, is likely bolstering the effectiveness of these brands' traditional TV commercials that air around the matches."

In looking at specific gender trends, Nielsen says ads for Nike and Hyundai generated a high likability for female viewers, while commercials from Adidas and Cisco scored with male audiences.