Celebrity soccer ads - money down the drain?

Not even 10 percent of those surveyed could say that Ballack is a spokesman for sporting goods maker Adidas.

So why do companies spend so much on ineffective advertising?

BBDO executive Zilligen knows exactly how this works. If some ad agency exec has, with great difficulty, actually convinced the marketing director of some company to steer clear of the World Cup, his efforts can quickly be dashed by the wife of the company's CEO, who happens to see a commercial on TV featuring Ballack and his ilk. All she has to do is ask her husband: "Aren't you guys doing anything?" He responds: "I have no idea." And the next day the marketing director will have to explain why they aren't hoping on the bandwagon.

This is just plain bad marketing.