Adidas gains search boost from World Cup sponsorship

According to research from NM Incite, a Nielsen and McKinsey joint venture showed, in the build-up to the World Cup Nike claimed 30.2% of World Cup-related online buzz, twice as much as its rival and official sponsor, Adidas.

However, an analysis of the share of global search behaviour since 2004 reveals that of Adidas's top 10 most successful weeks, five occured during the 2006 World Cup in Germany and five were during this year's tournament in South Africa.

On average, Adidas saw a 6 percentage point weekly lift during the two World Cups suggesting that the sponsorship deal was paying dividends.