UK consumers can't recognise 2010 sponsors

Echo Group polled 1005 consumers and found that many were unable to separate FIFA World Cup sponsors from their competitors. Coca-Cola was the most successfully recognised official sponsor after it was correctly identified by more than half of those questioned, compared with Hyundai's 10%, the lowest of the official sponsor.

US sportswear manufacturer Nike's Write the Future global campaign helped it perform the best of the non-official sponsor with 30% recognition to just edge out competitors adidas' 29%. Danish beer brand Carlsberg also fared well among non-official sponsors scoring 23%, just 6% lower than official affiliate Budweiser.

Sponsors have a lot of work to do

Consumers also expressed suspicions over advertiser's motives with 81% believing the main motivation was to get the company on TV while 50% felt sponsors' aim was to sell more products. Despite a growing emphasis on corporate responsibility across many industries, only 13% felt advertisers cared about football and its supporters, 9% believed they care about health, fitness and wellbeing, and 7% felt they care about South Africa and its people.

Echo Group chief executive Sandra Macleod said: "Sponsors have much work to do to raise awareness of their role in the World Cup, and to convince the British public that they are motivated by a genuine concern for the host nation and for football and its supporters, as much as by commercial gains."

Over 1000 UK adults aged between 16 and 64 were polled on 9 and 10 June 2010 with another survey scheduled after the tournament on 13 July.