It’s coming home. It’s coming home. It’s coming…
We know the words, we’re ready for it, we’ve started looking at the football schedules, following Thomas Tuchel and waiting to see if Myles Lewis-Skelly is going to make the cut this year. We’re like this every time the World Cup or the Euros takes over our summer.
It’s also the time where every business looks around at the football fever and asks the same question: can we use this in our marketing?
If you want the TLDR version, then: yes. But perhaps not in the way you’re imagining.
The World Cup brings with it a huge surge in attention, emotion, and engagement. Millions of people are watching, talking, and reacting in real time. So, quite naturally, brands are rubbing their hands together looking for ways to use that to increase visibility. However, it also creates a major problem: noise.
The Opportunity (and the Trap)
During the World Cup everyone will try to do the same thing. Social feeds will be flooded with football-related posts, email inboxes will fill up with everything from football themed pizzas to discount codes to your local nail salon if you use the code HarryKane. Countless businesses will attempt to “join in the conversation”.
The reality is that referencing the World Cup doesn’t guarantee results. In fact, if you’re not football savvy, your posts and emails could look disingenuous, as though you’re out there in the streets with pompoms shouting, “yay sports”. It will sound forced and irrelevant and you will more likely be ignored.
If you are going to leverage the World Cup and take advantage of the opportunity, at least be able to tell people what the offside rule is.
You Don’t Need to Be a Sponsor
One of the biggest misconceptions is that only official sponsors can benefit from the World Cup or other sporting events. While sponsors have access to logos and branding, most successful marketing around sporting tournaments comes from businesses that can focus on context as opposed to copyright issues.
You don’t need to mention teams. You don’t need to list players. You certainly don’t need to emblazon your marketing with official branding to take advantage of the moment. You are part of the audience, and you have access to that experience. Use the excitement. Share the anticipation. Reference shared conversations.
What Actually Works
The thing is that most effective Word Cup marketing strategies aren’t trying too hard. They already align with what your business does. You’re likely to be watching the games or providing something that can be enjoyed around the games. These elements are what you should be focusing on.
This could include:
• Timely social media content reacting to matches or key moments like that red card that gets everyone talking.
• Email campaigns that tie into fixtures or major games.
• Content that taps into national pride or community spirit, like a free garlic bread with your meal if the customer is wearing the three lions.
The key is relevance. If the connection feels natural, it works. If it feels forced, it doesn’t.
Where Businesses Get It Wrong
Many brands try to be clever. And, in that cleverness they forget about adding value. We can all make football puns. We can dredge up vague references too if we like. And of course, we can suddenly throw out a last minute post because we haven’t created a proper World Cup strategy. All these on their own will be unlikely to perform well.
Worse still, jumping on sensitive moments, such as controversial incidents and losses, might damage your brand if handled poorly. Being blasé about the footy is not something the rampant UK football fanbase appreciates.
A Smarter Approach
Rather than asking “how can we use the World Cup?”, a better question is:
“Does the World Cup genuinely give us a reason to speak to our audience?”
If the answer is yes, then there’s a real opportunity.
If not, it’s often better to stay quiet than to add to the noise.
Is it coming home?
The World Cup doesn’t create good marketing. It amplifies good marketing.
You still need a clear message, strong brand, and an understanding of the audience. Without this foundation, you will be spotted immediately and ignored extensively. Those without that foundation of understanding will get lost in the crowd.
Used properly, it’s an opportunity. Used poorly, it’s just another post that gets ignored.
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