Duracell may have come up with an advertising concept that can last as long as its popular batteries.
As the World Cup tournament draws near, the Berkshire Hathaway-owned copper-top staple is launching a new campaign featuring soccer champion Lionel Messi, who runs out of power and is brought back to life after his generic batteries run low. A Duracell “power boost” installed by the company’s Duracell Scientist saves the day. The new spot starts airing on Wednesday.
“The plan is to run it through the balance of the World Cup while all attention is on soccer,” says Todd Madura, vice president of marketing for Duracell, during a recent interview. The Messi spot will appear during World Cup games on Fox and Telemundo, the executive says, and in programmatic spots delivered in YouTube and Amazon, as well as in audio and social media.
If the concept seems familiar, Duracell tried something similar during Super Bowl LIX on Fox in 2025. A Big Game ad made viewers think they returned to play after an ad break, with Fox Sports’ Tom Brady and his on-air partner, Kevin Burkhardt, talking to viewers about the action. “All right, Tom, your thoughts?” Burkhardt asked. Before Brady could get out a single word, he appeared to shut down during what was his first Super Bowl as a commentator. Duracell saved the day.
And the spot generated enough support that executives feel they have something they can repeat – under the proper circumstances.
“When we first did Brady, we didn’t have visions necessarily of making this kind of a long-standing campaign or something we would do more than once. But it got a great reception,” says Madura. “People got the message of the ad, and we thought about what could we do to kind of, do the next step? We looked at what was going to be big in culture next.”
The answer was the World Cup. And when Messi’s team agreed to take part, executives felt they had all the elements in place for a proper sequel.
Duracell’s play shows the new attention major advertisers are paying to sports. With more consumers users streaming video to watch dramas, comedies, reality shows and movies at times of their own choosing, live games are among the few genres that still command large crowds that watch simultaneously. Crafting a campaign to fit alongside the sport being watched makes more sense in some cases than a single commercial that may air repeatedly among different types of matches.
“You can’t ignore the attention that is moving to sports, especially if you look at the broadcast networks,” says Madura. “Sports is still the one thing you can really rely on to deliver live eyeballs.”
Executives believe the concept can continue, so long as they can pair a “GOAT” (greatest of all time) athlete or personality with a cultural event that lends the effort a higher degree of relevance.
“Yes, we’ve certainly started to talk about who the next one could be. We haven’t committed yet to doing it,” says Madura. “I would just be on the lookout for where there’s a cultural moment and potentially a GOAT.”
Meanwhile, Duracell is trying to find additional ways to link itself to Messi. Limited-edition battery packs hitting retail in May will feature the athlete’s leg tattoo on the battery – the first time the company has incorporated outside marks from a promotional partner into the design of its product.
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