Coca-Cola launches 60-second World Cup ad

Coca-Cola has released a 60-second spot to whet football fans' appetite for the World Cup, 12 weeks ahead of the tournament kicking off in Qatar on 20 November.

“Believing is magic” is intended to show how it feels to be a football fan imagining the journey to victory.

It opens with a girl buying a bottle of Coca-Cola and walking out into the street where she takes a swig of the beverage.

As she looks up, a cloud of red smoke appears, a single piece of confetti flutters down into her hand and faint cheering can be heard in the distance.

The street is then filled with people celebrating their team’s victory as she imagines how it would feel for her team to win the tournament.

A dramatic, feel-good montage shows fireworks, music, street parties and parades spreading the magic of the World Cup.

When she takes one final sip of her drink, she snaps back into reality and runs inside her house to watch a match kick off.

“The Coca-Cola Fifa World Cup 2022 campaign, ‘Believing is Magic,’ celebrates and enhances authentic and simple moments of connection for football fans,” Brad Ross, vice-president of global sports and entertainment marketing at The Coca-Cola Company, said.

“A global community of fans will come together to cheer, pass down rituals and join in the belief that this will be the year their team is crowned winners of the Fifa World Cup.”

The film is supported by three digital 30-second spots called “Tattoo”, “Shave” and “Run”, which explore football fans’ devotion and the promises they make to their teams.

They focus on all of the things people pledge to do if their team wins the coveted trophy, like getting a tattoo, shaving their head or running to work every day, even in torrential rain.

As the tournament approaches, Coca-Cola plans to debut more digital films that highlight fan superstitions, alongside new packaging that will focus on team colours and shared promises.

As usual, Coca-Cola is taking the World Cup trophy on tour, but for the first time it will visit all 32 qualifying nations.

Romy Gai, Fifa’s chief business officer, said: “As a valued and long-standing Fifa partner, Coca-Cola plays a vital role in enhancing the Fifa World Cup fan experience worldwide and driving our ultimate vision of making football truly global.”

Coca-Cola has had a relationship with Fifa since 1974 and has sponsored the World Cup since 1978.

Gai added: “Our friends at Coca-Cola have provided extraordinary support for Fifa and the Fifa World Cup over many years, and we applaud their latest creative efforts to inspire and engage fans across the planet in a unique festival of football.”

The campaign builds on the drinks giant’s “Real magic” brand platform, which launched in September last year with a two-minute film by BETC London centred on gaming.

The Fifa World Cup campaign also follows Coca-Cola’s recent launch of its global music platform Coke Studio.

To celebrate the global launch, seven musicians worked with Coca-Cola to reimagine the classic Queen track A Kind of Magic, making its debut in a two-minute film, also by BETC London.