World Cup stars boost ads without hurting brands

The study found that Beckham appears in 10 percent of global World Cup ads, while Messi features in 8 percent

David Beckham and Lionel Messi feature in fewer than one in ten World Cup advertisements, despite widespread perceptions that the football stars dominate tournament marketing, according to analysis from creative effectiveness platform System1.

The study found that Beckham appears in 10 percent of global World Cup ads, while Messi features in 8 percent. Although their presence is relatively limited, advertisements featuring either player deliver stronger long-term effectiveness than those without them.

Celebrity boosts long-term effectiveness

System1 analysed World Cup advertising using its Test Your Ad platform, which measures long-term brand-building potential through a Star Rating ranging from 1.0 to 5.9. The platform also assesses brand recognition using its Fluency Rating, which measures how accurately viewers identify the advertised brand after watching a campaign.

According to the findings, ads featuring Beckham or Messi achieved the same average Fluency Rating of 80 percent as advertisements without either footballer. This indicates that celebrity appearances do not reduce brand recognition, despite concerns that audiences may remember the player more than the advertiser.

Football stars strengthen commercial potential

While brand attribution remained unchanged, celebrity appearances were associated with improved long-term effectiveness. Advertisements featuring Beckham or Messi recorded an average 0.6-Star increase compared with campaigns that featured neither player.

System1 notes that the perception of the footballers' ubiquity may stem from their appearance in campaigns backed by brands with larger creative budgets, rather than from the volume of advertisements in which they appear.

Brand assets remain important

Andrew Tindall, Chief Growth Officer – Advertising, System1: "I'll admit, I assumed Beckham and Messi were everywhere this World Cup, and that brands risked advertising the players more than themselves. The data tells a different story.

They're in fewer than one in ten ads, they don't hurt brand recognition, and they lift long-term effectiveness. That's because the best examples use them with purpose. LEGO's GOAT campaign with Messi feels natural. Lay's has built years of consistency with Beckham, so every new campaign compounds what came before.

Would I still like to see more brands leaning on their own distinctive assets during moments like the World Cup? Absolutely. But that's a separate issue. Around one in five World Cup ads still struggle with attribution. That's not Beckham's fault. That's on the brands."

www.system1group.com

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