Franz Beckenbauer is dead: The football icon died last Sunday at the age of 78. On the Internet, there is also a large portion of nostalgia mixed in with the mourning for the “Emperor”. Because Beckenbauer stood for more than just football; he had long since found his way into pop culture. Also thanks to numerous advertising partnerships, which repeatedly brought him lucrative contracts throughout his career. At times he is said to have had seven advertising contracts at the same time. Many of the old clips are still online. A look at his most famous engagements.
In 1966, Franz Beckenbauer had just been named Footballer of the Year and the following year he was allowed to smile into the camera as an advertising face for Knorr. The saying back then: “Power in the plate, Knorr on the table” – of course with strongly rolled “R’s”
Four years before the World Cup victory, Beckenbauer campaigned for Müllermilch together with the national team, including players like Lothar Matthäus. Small singing performance by the team included.
There are TV commercials that immediately achieve cult status. The E-Plus advertisement from 2000 is one such example. Beckenbauer’s Bavarian exclamation: “Yes, is it Christmas?” Years later, many viewers will still have positive memories – even though the brand associated with it may no longer be known. This could also be because Beckenbauer later switched to competitor O2 – and took the saying with him. E-Plus banned the whole thing with an injunction, so that Beckenbauer only alluded to it in a new version (“Now just say it!” – “I’m not allowed to”). But E-Plus also took legal action against this. This didn’t affect the popularity.
This Postbank advertisement from 2022, on the other hand, has aged poorly: First, Beckenbauer brags that he flies around the world several times a year in a less climate-friendly way, then he jokes about stereotypical peculiarities in other countries, and then creates a team feeling with “We Germans”. to conjure up.
In 2010, Beckenbauer got behind the wheel for a Mercedes commercial and was allowed to overtake the two former Formula 1 drivers Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen as a punch line. The concentrated celebrity power alone caused a stir.
A Bavarian folk festival, green meadows, freshly tapped beer and in between: Franz Beckenbauer, who welcomes the world as a guest of friends. You can’t get much more to the core of the brand than this Erdinger advertisement from 2011.
Cheers, Franz, to you!
