Tag Archives: 2014 Fifa World Cup

Castrol, the world’s leading premium lubricant specialists and official sponsor of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™, embarked on an interactive journey to bring to life the biggest international sporting event in Malaysia. Known to football fans as ‘Riuh 2 Rio’, Castrol’s campaign activities around FIFA World Cup™ saw more than RM1 million worth of prizes given out to reward football fanatics!

Castrol also hosted a Brazilian-themed event called ‘Rio in Asia’ in Thailand. Castrol hosted over 600 customers from 19 countries in Phuket, Thailand, to give Castrol fans from across Asia an experience of the Castrol technology in experience through the Brand Experience centre which showcased the company’s power brands – Castrol EDGE, Castrol MAGNATEC, Castrol Power1 and Castrol VECTON. The football experience centre enabled customers to get a taste of Brazil and see a live match viewing besides participating in football games and activities.

Castrol offered this exciting ‘Rio in Asia’ experience to 65 lucky Malaysians, who had the opportunity to watch the live screening of the opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ – Brazil vs. Croatia. The guests went through a series of presentations on evolving automotive engine technology and exciting demonstrations of Castrol’s pioneering lubricant technology. This was followed by an interactive session with special guest Pierluigi Collina, where he shared his insights and knowledge of football, based on his experiences as one of the world’s top referees.

Commenting on the Castrol Riuh 2 Rio campaign, Mark Ng, Marketing Director of Malaysia, Singapore & Philippines at BP Castrol Lubricants (M) Sdn Bhd, said, “We were delighted to be able to add to the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ excitement by engaging and rewarding Castrol fans, trade partners and  employees as well as football enthusiasts nationwide. We have always believed in connecting with people through  what they are passionate about and football is one passion that unites the masses regardless of borders or cultures.”

Castrol also collaborated with Astro Gempak for the hugely popular  ‘Astro Planet Gempak Olabola’ to give Malaysian bikers a taste of the beautiful game. Presented by Castrol Activ’s Actibonds, this event was attended by over 100,000 visitors and engaged more than 3,000 bikers. During the event, Castrol rewarded bikers with their favorite motoring gadgets such as full-faced motorcycle helmets and leather jackets. Castrol also provided bikers with an instant oil change service at the event.

Towards the much-awaited final match of FIFA World Cup™, Castrol offered six trade partners a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch the final match of 2014 World Cup FIFA™ in Rio,  Brazil! All partners enjoyed an exclusive ‘money can’t buy   experience with Castrol guests who had gathered from across the globe.

Brazilian superstar, Neymar Jr, was appointed as Castrol’s ambassador for the FIFA World Cup™ season. This partnership brought the Brazilian football star and global rally icon, Ken Block, to showcase their individual brilliance in a perfect blend of football and rally-driving – going head-to-head in a game of Footkhana. Footkhana, a ground-breaking showdown of football vs rally-driving skills, pushes the boundaries of both sports, as shown in five minutes action-packed video.  The video featured Neymar Jr and his team of world-class freestyle footballers battling Ken Block in his rally car – powered by Castrol EDGE boosted with TITANIUM FST™– to score goals. The video, which received over 15 million views globally, the highest in Castrol’s history.

Last but not least, Castrol’s Riuh 2 Rio FIFA World Cup™ engagement also featured a locally-made video titled ‘Meet The Footballnatics’ to excite and engage local football fans. This video depicts six types of Malaysian football fans, or ‘footballnatics’, inspired by the names of famous football personalities and real-life representations of football fans in Malaysia. In conjunction with the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ season, consumers also stand a chance to win an exclusive jersey signed by Castrol’s football Brand Ambassador Neymar Jr. To participate, log on to Castrol Facebook ‘Meet The Footballnatics’ and share the video on your social networks from now until 31^st August 2014! Terms and conditions apply.

For more information on Castrol’s Riuh 2 Rio FIFA World Cup™ activities, please visit www.facebook.com/castrolmalaysia.

Double World Cup winner and Castrol ambassador since 2009, Cafu, believes that this year’s tournament in his home nation will be the most exciting, and highest-goal scoring ever.

Speaking on the eve of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™, Cafu the Castrol ambassador and record-breaking right-back said, “A lot of people were disappointed with the football on display in 2010. What should have been a real celebration of the game with all of the world’s best players together in Africa for the first time was typified by defensive play and lacklustre performances, resulting in the lowest goals per game ratio since 1990.”

But Cafu believes that fans should not worry about a repeat performance as he is certain that the host’s flair will rub off on the visitors. “Everyone loves watching attacking play, and there is no shortage of stars in the quality forward units that Argentina, Holland, Uruguay and Belgium have. As the world comes to Brazil, I believe that our beautiful, fast-paced, Samba style will inspire others to showcase their own attacking skills, giving us some thrilling and adventurous action to enjoy.”

Cafu was speaking at his Sao Paulo home, where he hosted an exclusive screening of Castrol’s Footkhana. The film stars the two-time FIFA World Cup™ winner alongside fellow Castrol ambassador and international star Neymar Jr, who joins up with a team of world champion freestyle footballers to take on global rally icon Ken Block.  Released earlier this year, the film has become an online sensation with over 15 million views across the world to date, and is the most shared World Cup ad of all the tournament’s sponsors. In the hit film, which can be seen at Castrol.com/footkhana, Castrol continues its proud history of fuelling pioneers as Block and Neymar Jr push the boundaries of performance and attempt ground-breaking new skills that have never been seen before.

As an official sponsor of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™, the widely respected Castrol Index also makes a return, utilising Castrol’s expertise in using pioneering technology and data analysis with the creation of a system to evaluate and rate player performance.

Previously used at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 and 2013 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, the Castrol Index uses the latest FIFA tracking technology to capture data on each player, which will then be analysed by a team of Castrol Performance Analysts. Every pass, tackle and move on the field is measured and assessed to see if it has a positive or negative impact on a team’s ability to score or concede a goal. The team of Castrol Performance Analysts crunch all the data to award each player a Castrol Index score out of 10 – the stronger the player’s performance, the higher their score.

Last year, Brazil’s Frederico Chaves Guedes, better known by his nickname, Fred, topped the Castrol Index while back in 2010 it was Spain’s Sergio Ramos who came out on top. The FIFA World Cup™ Castrol Index will be published at FIFA.com/castrolindex after each round of matches with the first publication on 18^th June.

A. S. Ramchander, VP Global Marketing at Castrol, said: “We are really proud to be official sponsors of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and as the spiritual home of football, Brazil is the ultimate backdrop for the festival of football we are about to witness. We can’t wait to see Castrol ambassador Neymar Jr, one of the major stars of the national team, put his extraordinary skills in action as he takes to the global stage. It’s also great to be working with the legendary Cafu – the most capped Brazilian player of all time – and to hear his prediction for an attacking goal-filled tournament.”

Castrol, one of the world’s leading lubricant brands and Official Sponsor of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™, has brought together pioneers from the worlds of football and motorsport to create Castrol Footkhana; an innovative experiment that sees Brazilian star Neymar Jr take on new Castrol Ambassador and global rally icon Ken Block.

In the challenge, an unexpected series of events unfold, as Ken and Neymar Jr team up with freestylers Andrew Henderson, Séan Garnier and Lassi Hurskainen to push the boundaries of performance and attempt ground-breaking new skills.

In Castrol Footkhana, Castrol continues its proud history of fuelling pioneers by bringing together the most innovative performers in their respective fields. You have Castrol Ambassador Neymar Jr leading a team of world champion freestyle footballers against Ken Block and his rally car, powered by Castrol’s strongest oil, Castrol EDGE boosted with TITANIUM FST™.

The film, set on a specially designed Castrol Footkhana course, features the stars outperforming each other in a game of one-upmanship, showing off the skills and tricks that make them the modern pioneers of their sports.

Neymar Jr’s strength under pressure is put to the test as Ken expertly controls his car on the smoke-filled course, racing by in a series of breath-taking manoeuvres.  Neymar Jr showcases his electric pace, skill and renowned finishing ability, which Brazilians hope will play a pivotal part in their country’s quest to lift the World Cup trophy in July.

Neymar Jr’s performance is matched by Ken Block, who demonstrates supreme precision and control to score spectacular goals and make unbelievable saves. Not to be outdone, Neymar Jr’s freestyler teammates respond with a series of creative, highly technical tricks under the guidance of fellow Castrol Ambassador and two-time FIFA World Cup™ winner, Cafu, making this an exhilarating and closely-fought contest.

Fans of Neymar Jr and Ken Block can watch the film now at castrol.com/Footkhana.

Neymar Jr, commenting on the project, said: “It has been amazing to work with Ken Block and the other freestylers, bringing our skills together in this Castrol experiment. I can’t wait for football fans to see our freestyle tricks in action as we go head-to-head against Ken and his car.”

Ken Block, who will also be featuring in a number of upcoming Castrol campaigns over the next 12 months, said: “I’m stoked to partner up with Castrol again this season. I know my fans are going to enjoy this Footkhana film since it’s a spin on my Gymkhana series, integrating some of the best freestyle football players in the world.” 

A. S. Ramchander, VP Global Marketing at Castrol, said: “Both Neymar Jr and Ken Block have demonstrated amazing levels of skill in their respective sports and we see a great synergy between their pioneering spirits and what our brand stands for. Our sponsorship of the 2014 FIFA World Cup has given us the perfect opportunity to pair up Ken with Neymar Jr to bring to life Castrol’s passion for superior performance, innovation and football.”

As the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ countdown begins, the football fever is starting to grow among the ardent fans. To celebrate this occasion, Watsons Malaysia has once again announced an exciting sale campaign for its customers today.

Under the campaign, titled as Football Fever Sale, Watsons Malaysia will initiate multiple engagement programmes to reach out to its football fans including celebrity endorsement, contest for fans to be guest on renowned Astro television shows, online football game and football fever activities at selected stores.

Speaking at the event Mr. Kulvinder Birring, Managing Director of Watsons Malaysia and Indonesia said, “As a leading retail brand, Watsons Malaysia is always in tuned with our customers’ lives. This is not the first time we have celebrated football with sports enthusiast. We had a great programme with last year’s Watsons Malaysia Cup 2013. This year, since 2014 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner, we wanted to connect with football lovers and give them a once in a lifetime experience by working with Johnson & Johnson to give our customers a chance to see 2014 FIFA World Cup™ in Brazil. Apart from that, our customers can also stand a chance to win other money-can’t buy experiences such as appearing on Astro’s popular sports TV shows.”

The first phase of the campaign offers six football fans to stand a chance to appear on prominent Astro television shows Astro Supersports Football Overload with Reem Shahwa and Astro Arena Bola @ Mamak with Dayang Zainatull to talk football with them.

“Individuals who spend RM150 at Watsons stores can submit their entry at Watsons Malaysia Facebook and tell us why they should share the limelight with celebrity host Reem Shahwa, host from Football Overload and Dayang, host from Bola@Mamak which saw famous appearance by many celebrities and footballers,” he added.

Watsons Malaysia has collaborated with Johnson & Johnson to kick off the second phase of the campaign which is an online Football Game exclusive for Watsons Facebook fans. Customers who spend RM25 on Johnson & Johnson products can log on to Watsons Malaysia Facebook page (apps.facebook.com/jnjwatsonskickoff) to play the online game and be top 100 scorers to go to semi finals for a Live Kick Off. The contest will be open from 6 March – 23 April 2014. Top 100 winners will also receive exclusive jerseys while top 10 players will be invited to compete against each other at the Final LIVE tournament at 1 Utama Shopping Centre. Event will be held from 30^th April to 4^th May 2014. One lucky grand prize winner will walk away with two all paid trip to 2014 FIFA World Cup™ Grand Opening Ceremony and Opening Match at San Paulo, Brazil.

“We are not ending at the contest. During the month of Watsons Football Sale, from 1 to 24 April, Watsons will have discounts and promotions up to 50% and will also host several activities at selected mall whereby our football ambassadors will have mystery gift to Watsons’ members who wear jersey. Pre-announcements will be posted on Watsons Facebook Page,” explained Mr. Birring.

For more information about Watsons Football Sale, please visit www.facebook.com/watsonsmalaysia or Watsons official website www.watsons.com.my . Don’t forget to ‘Like’ our facebook page!