Nike ad beats official sponsors for online buzz

Nike’s "flashforward" World Cup TV ad campaign had more impact on the public than the marketing effots of the official tournament sponsors such as Adidas and Coke/

Nike’s ad, a three-minute TV ad, features flashes of the future lives of stars such as Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo as they succeed, or fail, during a tournament.

A study by Nielsen found out that Nike has created a significantly bigger "online buzz", based on an analysis of blogs, message boards and social networking websites, and association to the World Cup than any other brand. Nike, which is not an official sponsor of the World Cup, had more than twice as many references in relation to the World Cup than official sponsor Adidas.

Adidas had the second highest level of mentions, while the official sponsors Coca Cola, Sony and Visa fill in the rest of the top five slots.