Ideas > celebrities; What FMCG brands can learn from this year’s World Cup

The 2026 World Cup is billed as the biggest sporting moment in history. Predicted to engage more than six billion people and attract $10.5 billion in global ad spend, ITV has aptly called it a ‘six-week Super Bowl for advertising brands’.

Advertisers are doing their best to take advantage. From Lays’ World Cup ad featuring Will Ferrell to McDonald’s latest release, brand after brand has bet big on an ensemble of famous faces including (do I even need to say) David Beckham, to reach audiences and try to stand out. But, along the way, they’ve ended up sidelining the real player of the month, their whole reason for existing in the first place: their product.

Advertising moments of this magnitude don’t come around very often.

Advertising moments of this magnitude don’t come around very often. So, when they do, brands need to ensure their ads aren’t just using stardom to grab attention in the moment, but are spotlighting their products and building genuine memorability.

Above: The Walkers/Lays campaign is chock-full of stars, but says Volten, that distracts from the memorability of the brand.

Messaging first, tactics second

To be clear, there’s nothing inherently wrong with using famous faces in advertising. Some of the greatest ads of all time have used star power to their advantage – think Betty White in Snickers’ You’re Not You When You’re Hungry or Micheal Jackson for Pepsi. Celebrities can create a powerful halo effect, lending credibility and cultural relevance. The issue with the vast majority of World Cup ads we're seeing at the moment is that they’re not using celebrities to amplify a brand or product message, they’re using them as the message. 

Rather than developing a narrative, many have simply assembled a roster of stars.

Rather than developing a narrative, many have simply assembled a roster of stars, built productions around them and then called it a day. Almost as if a big name could somehow become a substitute for the creative idea. The result? A sea of sameness. Ads feel interchangeable and generic, leaving you only likely to remember the soundtrack or star, not the product or brand behind it. Lay’s Most Epic Watch Party [above], for example, features a cast of stars including Alex Putellas, Leo Messi, Thierry Henry, Steve Carell and (surprise, surprise) David Beckham, which distract from the memorability and mental availability the brand is trying to create.

Unlike fleeting star cameos, mental availability comes from consistency. It accumulates through the use of distinctive brand cues that are repeated over time, ultimately influencing when and if a consumer thinks of your brand when making a purchase decision.

Above: David Beckham's prevalence across so many campaigns and for so many brands arguably undermines the brand's distinctiveness.

Moments like the World Cup are a rare opportunity to deposit into this so-called memory bank at scale. Brands prioritising celebrities over product and narrative, however, end up spending fortunes without actually making that deposit, highlighting the true cost of this short-term thinking and diluting their brand presence. 

Avoiding this trap is refreshingly simple: Start with the creative idea. Think about what you’re trying to communicate and why. Then, and only then, can you decide what tactics you’re going to employ to bring the ad to life, be it a jingle or a brand ambassador. What should never be relegated to an afterthought, is your product and what makes it distinctive.

Don’t downplay your distinctive brand assets

From the lime wedge that immediately makes you think Corona to the cheese dust fingertips that are unmistakably Cheetos, Distinctive Brand Assets (DBAs) are what make a brand instantly recognisable regardless of the context. They’re at the heart of what we call the Culinary Identity – the strategy that governs how a brand depicts its food or drink, and ensures that the product is always consistent, distinct and meaningful.

The faux pas many brands are guilty of is using a famous face as a one off.

Yes, celebrities do count, but (and it’s a big but) they have to be intrinsically linked to your brand, and that can only happen if they feature consistently over time. George Clooney for example, has had a 20 year long partnership with Nespresso which has seen him evolve from a brand ambassador into a bonafide DBA.

The faux pas many brands are guilty of is using a famous face as a one off, which becomes worse still when said face has availed itself to competitors. Take Stella Artois‘ Celebration, featuring David Beckham [above]. The ad offers a product-centred concept and a strong narrative – that even a drop of Stella is too good to spill – but David Beckham’s presence arguably undermines the brand's distinctiveness.