Making the Most of the World Cup's Football Fever Through Marketing
Winter 2022 looks to be both a baffling and very opportunistic time for businesses looking to market their goods and services. Usually, the November and December months are reserved for Christmas-themed advertising and promotions, with companies pulling out well-trodden campaigns for the peak selling time of the year. This year, however, the World Cup in Qatar will also be on show.
If there's one thing that can rival the Christmas season, it's the World Cup. Such a bonanza is the biggest single-sports tournament on the planet that just about all businesses try to align themselves with it. This could be through adverts, partnerships, promotions, or just putting up flag bunting. There's a fair chance that this year, we'll see national flags overlay sparkling tinsel.
Being a quadrennial event with extensive coverage – which is expected to reach 80 per cent of the UK in viewership alone – most will opt to focus on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, capitalising on football fever.
Getting in the theme for football fans
There are loads of ways to promote your business, brand, or product through the use of the football theme. In Europe, this is especially true, with Belgium, Croatia, France, Poland, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, England, and Wales all in attendance, while the other nations will likely tune in by the millions as well.
Creating and promoting football-themed products or services is the go-to way to get in on the craze, particularly because then, you don't have to strictly tie yourself to FIFA or the Qatar World Cup directly. In fact, some brands may find that their existing content already ties them to football and experience new custom as a result. For example, Football Star is already one of the best online slots at The Hippodrome Casino. Sitting among a range of different themes within a large number of slot titles, it already attracts people with an affinity for football to the site - but this year, it's likely to do so even more.
Each year, we also see the main FIFA beverages sponsor, Budweiser, go all-in on the football theme. Along with football-themed adverts, they'll also create 'new' products for the occasion, such as World Cup edition bottles, as well as the limited audio-activated red light cups – which they did in 2018. Hasbro also got in on the action with another Monopoly variant, with its properties changing to football teams on the board.
Gaining interactions through football promotions
A cost-effective way that's bound to catch the attention of many is to offer free official sticker or card packets as a part of your product or service. This year, the Panini sticker packets have shot up in price again, costing 90p for just five stickers in the UK. Knowing this, customers will see the value in such an offer – even if it's just a single packet.
The big mystery giveaway can also work a treat, with football-themed prizes on the line. TVs for the World Cup, stickers, footballs, shirts, limited edition themed products, and even experiences or tickets to Qatar will all garner a great deal of attention on social media. The BudFootball account launched its 'The Drop' campaign on 13 August, alongside Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr, and Raheem Sterling, with it now boasting 18,000 followers.
In the lead-up to the opening game of the tournament on 20 November, businesses across Europe will be able to capitalise on football with some savvy marketing and product campaigns.