If you are a marketer, you probably already know that Copa America Centennial is a virtual Latin American world cup happening in major U.S. cities this summer—better said, some of your biggest markets. Chances are, you are already at the idea-development stage. Whether you have secured an official sponsorship and are in the process of executing or you’re a non-sponsor looking to ride the wave, here are 5 things we learned from Brazil 2014 that can inspire your USA 2016 big idea… and a case study video to be proud of.

Don’t Make an Ad About Your Sponsorship

Back in the day, simply being an official sponsor was enough to create empathy with consumers and secure an uptick in sales and brand engagement. These days, it primarily secures permission to add a logo on your ad, so don’t forget you still have an audience to wow and engage. Great examples of making it about the audience and not the tournament are McDonalds and ESPN. Treating sponsorship as access, they ensured the work focused on the emotional triggers of their target first, landing in winning visual content.

Sponsorship Size Should Not Limit Your Idea

So you are a sponsor, but you are not the official drink, or the official burger or the official whatever… who cares? This is the perfect time to get creative. It might mean that you have to work a little harder than other bigger sponsors, but your ideas might just be bigger as well. Take Listerine, a surprising product and category, putting the time and effort to have a social conversation throughout the tournament.

Passed on Buying Sponsorship? Go Big With Your Execution!

It’s becoming more and more common, that the biggest winners are not always official sponsors. Those that accomplish this, choose to take the big budgets required to secure a sponsorship, and bet it all on big executions that beg for engagement. While Nike was an expected non-sponsor winner in Brazil 2014, a more unexpected winner is Samsung with their Galaxy11 campaign.

Gaps Between Sponsor and Non-Sponsors Aren’t as Wide

Let’s make something clear: being a sponsor almost surely gives you the upper hand against your competitor. However, depending what side of the fence you are on, a well-executed campaign can make a sponsor secure success, and a non-sponsor steal the show. Such is the case of sponsors Adidas and Hyundai, who fared better against non-sponsors Nike and Volkswagen for example, but the gap wasn’t as wide between the sports giants as it was between the vehicle brands.

Ambush Marketing Is the Official Thing to Watch Out For

If you are a sponsor, then you should know that “ambush marketing” is now an established concept that event organizers try to protect you from. If you are a non-sponsor, this is the arena where you play in. What for sponsors means tools and assets to leverage and get the most of their sponsorship money, for non-sponsors becomes things to watch out, avoid and circumvent in the process of riding the wave. In 2014 FIFA secured even simple expressions such as Brazil 2014, Rio 2014 and Copa 2014 as trademarks. Strategizing ahead of time and taking the necessary steps is key to ensure a successful implementation of your initiative.

So with less than 100 days to go, are you ready for USA SUMMER 2016? If not, do not hesitate to get in touch with Dieste Inc., a Hispanic advertising agency located in Dallas and New York, always ready to serve your brand’s needs.

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