Ancelotti’s cache for World Cup commercials reaches millions and establishes coach as marketing star
In a brief but impactful scene, coach Carlo Ancelotti appears on the beach, with his impeccable black shoes, as he intercepts a ball of crumpled newspaper. He then reads the news: “Brazil believes in hexa”, in a twelve-second excerpt that went viral, accumulating more than 12 million hits on the YouTube platform alone.
Even with the brevity, the presence of the Italian coach, with his characteristic style and iconic arched eyebrow, positions him as a central figure for few companies during this World Cup. Historically reserved for great players like Romário and Ronaldo, this role of advertising star now belongs to Ancelotti, who, despite being widely sought after by several companies since his arrival in Brazil, chose to sign contracts only with Brahma, Volkswagen and Amazon, all official partners of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).
Bernardo Pontes, CEO of Alob Sports and former marketing director of renowned clubs such as Flamengo, Vasco and Fluminense, highlights that “the amounts involved in collaborating with a personality of Ancelotti’s caliber are far above the standard. Only companies at the top of the financial pyramid have the investment power necessary to associate their image with a name of such magnitude”.
The expert also revealed that his agency received several proposals for campaigns with Ancelotti, but many did not come to fruition due to budgetary limits, and others came from sponsors who are direct competitors of the CBF itself.
The advertising productions with the coach’s participation, when combined, have accumulated more than 80 million views, a notable feat even for the professional career of Ancelotti himself, renowned as the greatest champion of the Champions League and former commander of Real Madrid, the most successful team on the global football scene.
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Coach Ancelotti’s fees are, as expected, quite high. While the former coach of the Brazilian national team, Tite, negotiated advertising contracts worth around R$2 million, Ancelotti, on the other hand, signed much more significant agreements, with values reaching around R$10 million, paid in euros, highlighting his extremely high power of commercial attraction in the global market.
After debuting as the star of a Volkswagen campaign, which included his presence at a ceremony at the CBF, the technician has frequently been seen using a vehicle from the German automaker. As for Brahma, he was present at Carnival events in São Paulo, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro.
Guilherme Almeida, marketing director at Brahma, explains that the purpose of choosing Ancelotti was “to bring him as a new icon that rekindled hope, that feeling of ‘hmm… maybe it will work for Brazil'”.
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The brewery director’s statements reflect the essence of the film, conceived by directors Gustavo Moraes and Marco Lafer. The visual production seeks to capture the distrust that permeated Brazilian fans, especially given the frequent changes of presidents and coaches in the National Team, until the arrival of the renowned Italian professional.
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Marco Lafer highlights that the moment in which Ancelotti holds the newspaper, displaying the headline “Brazil believes in hexa”, “strongly symbolizes his coming to Brazil”.
In previous editions of the World Cup, other coaches also starred in advertising campaigns. Dunga, for example, appealed to his image of bravery in a Brahma commercial, stating that “on the field you have to be a warrior”. Tite participated in advertisements for a television company, a bank and the McDonald’s chain.
In the Volkswagen commercial, Ancelotti is portrayed daydreaming about the world title – with his characteristic accent, he says “every single day” – and visualizes a little yellow canary as he gets out of the car. The scene also includes a game in which he receives an “ice bath” from the “players”.
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One of the commercial’s directors comments, in a good-humoured way, that Ancelotti “doesn’t seek to be a great actor”. According to him, “his sincerity is fundamental, the way he delivers his lines, even with the movement of his eyebrows. It’s him.”
Expert Bernardo Pontes observes that “companies were very adept at taking advantage of Ancelotti’s image, and he, in turn, demonstrated great adaptability to Brazilian culture.” He adds that “Rodrigo Caetano (Director of Selections), even though he is not a native of Rio, played a crucial role in connecting with the city, allowing brands to strategically integrate him, infusing a ‘Brazilian DNA’ into advertising campaigns. Ancelotti, in fact, had the initiative to request, from his first press conferences, that questions be asked in Portuguese.”
Ronaldo Fenômeno works alongside Ancelotti in filming
The Brahma commercial, filmed between March 15th and 18th, used different settings in Rio de Janeiro, from Morro da Conceição to Arpoador beach. The production featured 12 main actors and 250 extras, in a setting that recalled historical moments of the Brazilian National Team in World Cups.
In addition to Ancelotti’s special appearance, the cast included, of course, Ronaldo Fenômeno, the 2002 world champion. As a former player of the current Seleção coach, since his time at Milan, Ronaldo was essential in making Ancelotti more comfortable throughout the entire recording day.
Marcos Lafer recalls that “it was great to have Ronaldo around, as he helped to relax Ancelotti”. The coach “became more comfortable in that unusual environment, laughing, chatting in Italian and even teasing me and Ronaldo when I requested a few more takes.” According to Lafer, “he heard: ‘Hey, Ancelotti, how many chances do you have in the World Cup? Just one, right?’ The jokes were constant.”
