The 2010 World Cup officially begins this morning, with Mexico’s match against South Africa kicking off at 10:00am EDT. But the road to the tournament has been long: Not only have the players been going through rigorous training and conditioning for months, but teams, countries, and companies have held some pretty out-there promotions, encompassing tech, design, and adorable soccer-playing animals.
Below, 18 of the 2010 World Cup’s coolest promotions:
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1. 3D Advertising
Sony, Gillette, and Pixar are embracing the 3-D broadcast of the World Cup with some 3-D advertising of their own. Gillette is the only surprise here, as their product isn't inherently about 3-D screen experiences. (Gizmodo )
2. Soccer Ball TV
It's a soccer ball television. What more can you say? (Dvice )
3. Crate Creation
This epic soccer player statue is made entirely out of crates. Now that's some good recycling. (Telegraph )
4. Crayon Carvings
Someone put a lot of time into making these long crayons look like long crayons that vaguely resemble soccer superstars. These crayons might be too good for your kids. (Yes, I know, nothing's too good for your kids.) ()
5. Goooooooooooogle Easter Egg
Google did a little World Cup campaign wherein it would have the logo reappear as an extended interation of the word goal when certain things were searched. Coooooooooooool. (Geekosystem )
6. Google Earth 3-D Tours
The people at Google Earth are preparing you for the big festivities with 3-D tours of all the World Cup stadiums. Fly through and swivel around from the center of the stadium. It doesn't feel that exciting, really, but it's informative. (Gizmodo )
7. Hyundai's Turf Cars
Hyundai, the official auto sponsor of the World Cup, has gone a little overboard this year, making these vehicles outfitted in turf with soccer-ball wheels and fully decked-out interiors. (Geekosystem )
8. World Cup Gets Muddy
It's not clear how this really celebrates the spirit of the World Cup, but it should attract some fans who might not otherwise join the frenzy. (Telegraph )
9. Write the Future
Nike always does some epic commercial whenever there's a big sporting event, and the World Cup is no exception. There's some great humor in this one, so it's worth a quick watch. (YouTube )
10. South Korea's Penguin Players
What better way to pump up your national pride than with a little pack of penguins playing soccer in a pen? They're adorable, but don't really seem to understand the game. (Geekosystem )
11. Reversible Shouting Shirts
Maintain your excitement even when you're shirt-over-head in love with your favorite team. These are kind of brilliant. (SportsGrid )
12. Shouting Contest
In preparation for all the screaming they'll do at the stadiums, these Japanese fans have put together a little competition to see who's most read to shout. The ball is round, and anything can happen. (Telegraph )
13. Single Ladies Dance ... Sorta
A trio of Brazilian soccer players do an awkward rendition of the "Single Ladies" dance, complete with poor ball placement (above). It's funnyish, and they clearly had some fun making it. (BuzzFeed )
14. Team Names Shirts
If you want to show your team pride in a way that only people with a lot of team pride for the same team will undestand, get one of these shirts with the last names of team members on it. And after the teams go their separate ways, it just becomes hipster-garb. (didi )
15. Team Socks
World Cup socks, seductively modeled. Oh yeah. (BuzzFeed )
16. Works of Art
ESPN brought us some works of art. Specifically, nationally representative images featuring each of the countries represented in the World Cup. While Australia's (above) may involve the most disturbing hybrids, they're all quite cool. (A World Cup Report )
17. The Video Game
Every sporting event in the world seems to have a video game made just for it. So if your team loses, just buy this game and, provided you have the skills, set things right. (Amazon )
18. Star Wars Adidas Ad
Adidas comes to answer all our questions regarding what would happen if Snoop Dogg entered the Star Wars universe. This is the ad that's looking to make "World Cup ad" become a phrase that rivals "Super Bowl ad." (Geekosystem )
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