Commentary

Online Video Gets Us In (And Around) The World Cup

I will admit it up front that I know zip about soccer. Somehow I managed to have missed that worldwide phenom altogether. Grew up too early for it to be part of my young sports life, and as the father of a daughter who loathed sports I had no opportunity to catch it on the back end either. Although I would have loved to be an obnoxious soccer Dad yelling at officials from the sidelines.

Which makes the new video compilation from Visible Measures all the more interesting. The viral video metrics guys have been tracking which World Cup-related videos have been burning up the Web in advance of the games. They have assembled some of the best and most-watched brand advertising.

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this great compilation is how as a group the ads really do convey a sense of the joys and appeals of the sport even to an ignoramus like me. I actually am a fan of the least-watched in this group, a Puma "Love Equals Football" clip that depicts the street-level joy and involvement in the sport in African nations. The short scenes do a great job of illustrating the simple and very physical fun that soccer provides andyon with legs and a ball. While it is about fan devotion, visually the spot communicates best the joy people get in the sport not from the sport.

Some of the branded clips take a step back from the activity itself and focus instead on the rituals and social meanings around the mania of soccer. I have to say these are less effective to me. The Coke ad recalls the development of the goal celebration ritual, which is good to see once. And the Carlsberg: Team Talk clip depicts the pressures brought to bear on players by coaches, press, and fans. Again, it is a one-note spot that makes its point in a second, But it is tied to a contest in which ordinary fans competed to give their own best Team talk. That interactive element is actually what brings the video alive and gives it a function and richer meaning. Sponsor Carlsberg has an elaborate YouTube channel devoted to the project. h

The now-familiar Pepsi Max "Oh Africa" spot and massively popular Nike "Write the Future" extended video are staggeringly well produced but in some sense predictable video fare. The moving human soccer field in the Pepsi spot is the obligatory visual "wow" moment not required in much viral video. The Nike extravaganza almost dares you to ignore the production values. Famous players are show flashing forward to imagine the glory or infamy that may result from what they do on field in the next millisecond. And the fantasies are elaborate to say the least.

Whatever the individual charms of each video, as a whole they illuminate compelling themes of the game and are a kind of cumulative narrative of why this sport is so appealing to so many. The physicality of it is so basic and removed from modern technology. The contrast between the masses of fans and those handful of men on the field is especially strong in the Nike spot. They succeed in making that field feel lonely while surrounded by thousands.

Bravo to Visible Measures for pulling the clips together and seeing how they stitch together into a rich portrait of the sport even for those of us who know nothing about it.

1 comment about "Online Video Gets Us In (And Around) The World Cup".
Check to receive email when comments are posted.
  1. Weston Smith from Mocha Memoirs Press, June 11, 2010 at 3:49 p.m.

    Soccer's kinda weird like that. It's like Football here in the US: massively popular here, marginal around the world except for the Super Bowl. Soccer: Massively popular everywhere but here, we tune in for the World Cup every 4 years. Despite ESPN and FOX Sports' best efforts, Professional Soccer has just never caught on.

    Hell, I'm a massive sports fan and even I'm not a huge fan of Soccer. I treat it like Baseball, tune into a game every once in awhile for background noise, wait for something interesting to happen, tune out.

    I will agree the ads are very entertaining but that's all the casual observer is likely to see of the World Cup.

Next story loading loading..