Mohammad, a Frankfurt taxi driver, is enjoying the World Cup more than some. Not because of the football, but because the event has enabled him to win a €2,000 rebate off his new Mercedes E-Class saloon.
Mercedes' offer to German taxi drivers, who have long complained about the reliability of the carmaker's models, is just one small sign of the extent to which companies are trying to use the World Cup for commercial gain.
But it is a telling one. Drivers who bought or ordered a Mercedes taxi between March and May received €2,000 off the roughly €30,000 German purchase price if they agree to put Mercedes ads on their car doors for the month-long duration of the competition. After the World Cup they can take them off. "I didn't even have to think about it - €2,000 is a lot of money and it even made me forget all the troubles I had before," says Mohammad. Mercedes' image among German taxi drivers went into free-fall after the latest E-Class, introduced in 2002, suffered from quality problems.
"Twice a week without fail it flashed, 'Go to the garage'," Mohammad says. The rebate offer is part of a scheme to entice taxi drivers back from Opel and Volkswagen and also underline Mercedes' role as official sponsor of the German team.
Bizarrely, Mercedes will also be omnipresent throughout the World Cup despite the fact that Hyundai of South Korea is the official automobile sponsor.
Hyundai's name may be on the side of the buses to be used by players and VIPs. But the coaches are actually made by Mercedes, as the South Korean automaker does not make buses.