World Cup 2014: Players can’t wear Beats By Dre headphones inside stadiums
By Dan Zinski
Beats By Dre headphones are pretty much ubiquitous at sporting events these days, with players of all sports adopting the brand as their music delivery system of choice. But one place you won’t see athletes wearing the headphones? Inside World Cup soccer stadiums, where they are banned according to FIFA rules.
More from World Cup
- USMNT news: Berhalter announced, Adams to Villa, Pepi to PSV
- USMNT news: 3 managers Americans should have hired instead of Gregg Berhalter
- USMNT news: Berhalter returns, Balogun to Inter, Altidore to Greece
- USMNT news: Vieira next head coach, Adams to Liverpool, Cowell to Europe
- USMNT news: Pepi to PSV, Richardson to the US, Brooks safe
Two guesses why FIFA has elected to bar players from wearing their Beats By Dre phones inside World Cup venues. You got it. Because Beats By Dre is owned by Apple, but FIFA has a deal with Sony.
Amusingly enough, experts say this rule may actually help Beats By Dre in the long-run, because it contributes to the perceived “realness” of the product and those who use it. One former Apple marketing strategist said (via Reuters):
"When fans see World Cup athletes wearing Beats in their downtime, by choice, it has as much impact as seeing them lace their Adidas (boots) or sip a sponsored beverage. Maybe more, actually – Beats isn’t a sponsor, so the message is more authentic and credible."
So according to the marketing wizards, Beats By Dre may stand to gain more by not paying to sponsor the World Cup than Sony did by shelling out the cheddar. That sounds about right.
Just goes to show, when it comes to branding, nothing beats having the name of an old school rapper attached to your product. That’s why today I am announcing the creation of Tastes By Slick Rick, my new line of yogurts.
All the big-time athletes will soon be eating my yogurt that isn’t any better than any other yogurt but has a rapper’s name on it which makes them feel cool when they eat it. And I won’t even have to spend a dime on marketing. That’s the beauty of it.
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