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The FIFA World Cup - A Great Marketing Opportunity
- umamacommunication
- Nov 30, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 16, 2024
Once every 4 years, 32 international teams from countries all over the world come together to participate in the largest sporting event in the world; The FIFA world cup. Since 1930, the championship trophy has been awarded to winning teams once every 4 years, except in 1942 and 1946 due to the second world war. To play in the tournament, teams compete over the preceding 3 years with other nations in their respective regions to earn themselves a qualifying spot. Currently ongoing, the 2022 FIFA World Cup is being held in Qatar, with the following 2026 tournament being held jointly between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Although paling in comparison to the popularity of other sports within the United States, soccer is the most popular sport in the world, boasting 3.5 billion fans globally. Regarded as “the most widely viewed and followed single sporting event in the world”, the 2006 World Cup Final was estimated to have just over 715 million people watching the final game, about 1/9 of the entire world’s population. In comparison, the most watched Super Bowl which took place in 2015 between the Seattle SeaHawks and New England Patriots, was estimated to have live 114 million viewers. In American society, the Super Bowl is not only famous for it’s football, but also for its commercials. In the United States, the Super Bowl is the “biggest marketing opportunity of the year for advertisers. Getting an advertising spot during the game is a very good opportunity for brands to reach new customers and promote themselves.” With this in mind, the World Cup’s viewership (nearly 6x that of the Super Bowl!) provides brands and companies with marketing opportunities unlike any seen before.
Channels including TELEMUNDO DEPORTES, Peacock, and Fox Sports are top streamers of the World Cup, with Fox raking in around 19 million live viewers for the USA v. England matchup during Friday morning. As reported by Bloomberg, advertisers were required to pay $600,000 for 30 second commercial spots during the airing of the game. If done right, brands airing advertisements during following World Cup matches may be able to take advantage of the increasing rates of viewership as the tournament progresses. Advertisements from huge name-brands such as Nike, Adidas, Pepsi, and Coca Cola can be seen airing before games, during halftime, and after games, and include superstar players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar Jr. Notable ads include one produced by Fox Sports, and one from Nike showcasing their recently revealed ‘Generation Pack’ line of cleats.
Publicity is great for a brand’s marketing, and with averaging tens of millions of viewers each game, there is no shortage of publicity during the airing of the World Cup. Especially in terms of soccer fans, brands have unmatched opportunities when it comes to advertising their new products. Watching the 2014 World Cup as a 10 year old, I remember all the new cleats the players were wearing, the ‘Brazuca’ matchball, and wanting to have all the different jerseys the teams had. As the World Cup kicks off in Qatar, I anticipate that it will be no different when it comes to taking over the mass media and showcasing some great new products from companies ever present in the sports world.
By: Jack Tomlinson
Sources:
https://dotdigital.com/blog/super-bowl-ads-2022-what-they-can-tell-us-about-marketing-in-the-future/
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