We may still call it soccer, but the United States appears to finally be falling for the world’s most popular sport. A feisty national team doesn’t hurt. Yesterday’s U.S.-Portugal game — OK, match — was a rollercoaster ride for fans, with an early deficit erased and then followed by a thrilling go-ahead goal, only to have a gut punch in the final minute with an equalizer by Portugal. Brands came along for the ride.
Not all brands were bummed by Portugal’s early goal.
@VW not a great way to sell cars in the USA
— Aaron Allbrooks (@AaronAllbrooks) June 22, 2014
Still, many got excited when the U.S. came back.
Have you ever seen anything like that? #Gooolf #USA! #VWGolfGTI https://t.co/7GlOtraUQD
— Volkswagen USA (@VW) June 22, 2014
Count on Charmin to find a new angle, taking advantage of excitement after Clint “Deuce” Dempsey’s goal that put the U.S. up 2-1.
The Deuce is trending.. seriously twitter? It’s like you’re begging us to chime in.. #tweetfromtheseat
— Charmin (@Charmin) June 23, 2014
OK, let’s not get cocky here now, minty mouth rinse.
A win today against a weakened Portugal side could send the USA into the next round. Somebody pinch us. #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/B6IlaAqnyU
— Listerine Global (@ListerineGlobal) June 22, 2014
Oh dear. Hamburger Helper had no assistance on offer after Portugal’s tying goal in the last minute of extra time.
What. Just. Happened?
— Helper (@helper) June 23, 2014
Wait, Listerine, I thought you were on our side — and what’s with the spelling? Traitor.
#USA thought they were advancing, but that last-second equaliser from #POR means they’ll have to wait. #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/5G1fpRXTgy
— Listerine Global (@ListerineGlobal) June 23, 2014
McDonald’s looked on the bright side — and get in a product plug along the way.
FRY SCORE? Well played, #USMNT. Onward to game 3. #USAvPOR #McdOneGoal pic.twitter.com/r1sRTqKImk
— McDonald’s (@McDonalds) June 23, 2014
Chips Ahoy saw an opportunity for an Oreo moment — and promptly flubbed it like U.S. defenseman Geoff Cameron’s clearing kick that gave Portugal its first goal.
There’s only one way to end such a close game: Sharing a cookie across teams.
#sportsmanship #USMNT #soccer #PassTheLove
— Chips Ahoy (@ChipsAhoy) June 22, 2014
Well, at least we might get free pizza for the deciding game versus Germany.
The #USA scored twice. To celebrate, check back tomorrow for another special promo! #BetterFutbol
— Papa John’s Pizza (@PapaJohns) June 22, 2014
More in Marketing
Hyve Group buys the Possible conference, and will add a meeting element to it in the future
Hyve Group, which owns such events as ShopTalk and FinTech Meetup, has agreed to purchase Beyond Ordinary Events, the organizing body behind Possible.
Agencies and marketers point to TikTok in the running to win ‘first real social Olympics’
The video platform is a crucial part of paid social plans this summer, say advertisers and agency execs.
Where Kamala Harris and Donald Trump stand on big tech issues
The next U.S. president is going to have a tough job of reining in social media companies’ dominance and power enough to satisfy lawmakers and users, while still encouraging free speech, privacy and innovation.