In the soccer world, Erling Haaland has been a household name for some years. It seemed like his profile couldn’t get much bigger.
And yet it has, and in an exponential manner. Haaland’s venture to the FIFA World Cup quarter finals with Norway saw him earn plenty of fans along the way.
While he may not have come home with the trophy, he won the love of millions of new admirers across the world, particularly here in the States.
New York-based Andrea Nirsimloo, managing partner at MSQ Sport & Entertainment, told The Athletic that Haaland “has been the breakout individual story of this tournament for the U.S. audience.”
For context, on Instagram, before the tournament he had 40.7m followers. Now he has more than 70 million.
His popularity has bloomed in the U.S. But how did he do it? And what can brands learn:
- Performance is key.
- Distinctive character and story.
- Insightful content.
- Embracing local culture.
- Timing.
In this blog, Omni writer Jack Heale takes a deep dive into Brand Haaland’s world to see how he’s done it.
Performance
The striking Viking scored seven World Cup goals, which is an incredible feat. While all the big hitters have turned up during the World Cup, in previous World Cups seven goals have secured people a golden boot.
His goal tally included two crucial goals to help Norway beat Brazil in the last 16.
The point of the matter is, if Haaland hadn’t turned up and performed so well, it would be unlikely that he would be as popular to the extent that he has been.
Yes, branding is a big part of it. But without doing the business, I doubt it would be on this scale.
The same applies to brands. If you do a good job and keep up a high-level of performance, people take note. Even if you market and apply a localization strategy, without performing the job well, you won’t get repeat spend and benefit from word of mouth.
Distinctive Character and Story
Haaland is unmistakable. 6’5” tall. Slicked-back long blonde hair. Quick beyond belief and scores goals like a machine. So much so, he’s even been dubbed a robot.
Us American audiences love larger-than-life characters (especially athletes), and Haaland certainly is that.
Soccer icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who played for some of Europe’s elite teams and LA Galaxy, met with Haaland after the England defeat.
“Now they [the audience] get to see the character also, which everybody is excited [by]”, Ibrahimovic said on Haaland’s YouTube channel.
“Especially here in America, they like when you’re a character. That’s it.”
His character, combined with the underdog narrative surrounding his team, Norway, meant that many fans were rooting for him online and in the stadiums.
The lesson for brands here is to create a distinctive character or story. If people can’t describe your brand in one sentence, they won’t remember it.
Note that when taking your brand across different markets and languages, glossaries, approved terms, and translation memory should be leveraged to maintain brand consistency and voice.
Insightful Content
In October 2025, Haaland released his first YouTube video—a day in the life.
And during the World Cup, he posted five vlogs following him and the team around, giving an insight into his life as a player for Norway and his life. Content you can’t find anywhere else.
While he has more than three million subscribers, these five videos have a combined 29+ million views.
Not only that, Haaland has a further 8m+ subscribers on Snapchat, where he posts quick pictures and insights into his life which show his fun, light-hearted personality. These are often shared as memes or on other social media platforms.
It goes to show the value of providing audiences with an insight into your personality, especially when it’s as big as Haaland’s.
The same goes for brands. Potential global customers want an insight into your workflows, your case studies, your testimonials. That way, they can get a feel for what you’re like before committing time, energy and money to you.
Embracing Local Culture
Haaland and Norway players and staff headed to a local shop in Texas, around four hours away from our Houston office. In fact, it was Wild Bill’s Western Store in downtown Dallas.
Here, Haaland bagged some cowboy hats, boots, a T-shirt with the wording ‘Y’all can kiss my Dallas’.
He also came back with a taxidermy raccoon with the price tag of $750. Since the video, it’s been “one of the tournament’s most sought-after pieces of memorabilia”, according to The Athletic.
Swathes of fans from Dallas, Texas and across the Southern States. will have loved this. Haaland is involving himself in local culture and norms, and that’s only going to strengthen his appeal to these audiences.
Team Haaland also has furthered catered to abroad audiences with active accounts on Chinese social media sites Douyin and Weibo, the Chinese equivalents of TikTok and X. He’s also done a commercial for a Chinese herbal tea brand.
Brands can lean on these examples when entering new markets. Effective localization goes beyond translating content or adapting products. It means demonstrating a genuine understanding of local norms, customs, and cultural touchpoints.
By embracing the culture of the audience you’re trying to reach, your brand can build affinity and trust, helping consumers feel seen, heard, understood, and valued.
Research shows 73% of customers expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations. Consumers are more likely to engage with and purchase from brands that make them feel understood.
Timing
Haaland has perhaps entered the U.S. at the perfect time. From a U.S. perspective, so many eyes haven’t been on soccer before. Normally, sports like the NBA or NFL have the spotlight.
Last time the World Cup was in the States, it was 1994. That attracted a then-record 3.59 million fans across 52 matches. This was quite remarkable given the U.S. didn’t even have a top-flight professional league at the time.
While, of course, with an expanded 48-team World Cup and 104 matches, there are naturally going to be more eyes. The previous record was broken during match 56 before the group stage ended, so you can imagine that it was smashed by the end of the tournament.
And then you have the eyes of the TV world and social media helping to amplify that as well.
As for U.S. audiences, the arrival of arguably the greatest soccer player of all time, Lionel Messi to Inter Miami, has brought more eyes to U.S. soccer.
All of these factors intertwined meant that Haaland has benefited from a hugely engaged audience.
While an element of timing is out of your control, brands can control that they have everything in place to be in the best position possible to capitalize on a moment.
Conclusion
Haaland has proved that it is possible for his profile to rise even more, but it’s been done wisely and using proven methods.
It’ll be interesting to see how his stardom continues to rise in the U.S. following the World Cup.
Key Takeaways for Brands
- If you do a good job, people tend to take note.
- Have a distinctive character or story.
- Give audiences an insight into your work.
- Embrace local culture and norms.
- Be ready for when the time comes to shine.
If you’d like to explore how we take help your brand adapt to a new market, contact the Omni team today.