If the measure of great sponsorship is not simply how often a brand appeared but how successfully it became part of the experience itself, AB InBev has the strongest claim to being the defining marketer of the 2026 World Cup.
Tag: Adidas
The World Cup’s biggest sponsors owned the official rights, but they didn’t own the tournament’s attention. The smartest brands proved that understanding how culture moves can be more valuable than simply buying the biggest media package.
Adidas’ “Backyard Legends” campaign during the World Cup left me wondering whether modern marketing has become so obsessed with celebrating culture that it sometimes forgets to communicate with everyone outside it.