For nearly a half-century, long before football (or soccer, depending on your location) became a global obsession, the Coca-Cola Co. had a formal partnership in place with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's governing body.
In 1974, the soft-drinks manufacturer was willing to spend its money on advertising boards – the panels that edged the soccer pitch – and promotional vehicles such as team buses.
Forty-three years later, though, the promotional scale is global, while jet planes have replaced the team jitneys.
And, for 12 years, Coke has traveled the world with the FIFA World Cup Trophy...