The FIFA World Cup is rapidly approaching. While the action on the field is always unpredictable, one thing is certain: it will be a one-of-a-kind event.
It’s the first tournament held this late in the year, and only the second major global sporting event held since we came out of lockdown. Fans are ecstatic. Brands are on fire. So we’ve identified five Twitter trends that every marketer should be aware of.
Trend 1: More fans, Tweets, and globalization
Football’s time has come without a doubt. Following the success of the previous Women’s World Cup, we’re seeing an influx of new fans. The game is gaining traction in places like the United States, where other sports have traditionally held sway. And we’re seeing more Tweets, more conversation, more everything here at home, because football lives on Twitter.
Fans will gather on Twitter to share, commiserate, and comment on every single match, play, and call. Brands that break through will be those that speak to fans rather than at them, inviting them to participate in the conversation and rewarding their fandom.
Budweiser, for example, was the most talked-about brand on Twitter globally during the previous World Cup by making Twitter the place for fans to participate and vote for their favorite players in their Man of the Match sponsorship.
Marketers will also attempt to connect with Football Twitter by aligning their campaigns and creative messaging with premium content from broadcasters and live conversations among fans by sponsoring real-time highlights in over 23 countries and contextually targeting football-specific creative in the timeline.
Trend 2: The lovely (brand) game
Because brands have long been invested in football, they have become an accepted part of the conversation. People are not only tweeting about the game in greater numbers than ever before, but they are also discussing brands.
This indicates that brands are reading the room correctly across the board. They are using their platforms to reconnect people and find ways to stay true to their brand in any situation. Brands are standing with fans — from rallying other brands to invest in US women’s soccer to pledging the same level of campaign spend for men’s and women’s events — and this tournament will be no exception.
Trend 3: Same game, different formats
Brands understand what works in the run-up to major events such as the World Cup: great content, exclusive access, and real-time engagement.
We anticipate that brands will build on what they’ve learned in previous years while incorporating a whole new suite of tools for creative expression and connection on Twitter, such as:
Audio: Twitter Spaces has enabled brands to engage with fans around major cultural events and happenings via live audio experiences. Throughout the event, we anticipate that brands will facilitate audio discussions with athletes and celebrities, bringing fans closer to the action.
Commerce: The introduction of Twitter Live Shopping allows marketers to create programming around high-profile moments and occasions, combining entertainment and shopping into a single experience. For example, in the run-up to the NFL’s big game in the United States, Walmart used Twitter’s Live Shopping platform to bring an NFL legend to fans, showcasing Procter & Gamble’s Gillette Labs line.
Similarly, we anticipate brands will leverage their football talent relationships to deliver real-time product announcements to engaged, football-obsessed audiences, while also highlighting their wares with new Product Explorer and Collection Ads.
We launched a series of new creative ad formats earlier this year, including Interactive Text and Branded Likes (which allow advertisers to transform Twitter’s Like button into custom animations). These new multidimensional, flexible ad formats will be on full display on Twitter as advertisers seek to pique the interest of fans in their timelines with attention-grabbing and engaging experiences.
Fourth, new players are looking for real-time conversion.
It goes without saying that the global business landscape has shifted dramatically since the 2018 tournament. Twitter advertising has expanded to include a plethora of new industries, including sports betting, cryptocurrency, and food delivery, among many others, all looking to tap into the real-time conversation to drive conversion.
Sports Betting: As sports betting becomes more legal around the world, the largest sports betting brands are using Twitter to interact with fans before, during, and after the most important matches and moments. And the data demonstrates why: Seven out of every ten sports bettors use Twitter for betting information, and 33% of those who use Twitter for betting information say they wouldn’t place as many bets if it weren’t for Twitter. Sports bettors who use Twitter place 15% more bets per year than those who use other platforms. Furthermore, 62% of Twitter bettors place weekly wagers, which is more frequent than sports bettors on other platforms.
Cryptocurrency: #Crypto: Twitter has emerged as a popular forum for discussing cryptocurrency and NFTs. And, because crypto and sports fandoms are so similar, a slew of crypto trading apps and brands are now touting sports sponsorships, particularly football sponsorships.
You can’t miss it during big sporting events all year, and with the global crypto conversation growing 5x on Twitter over the last year, we can expect to see the industry’s most prominent crypto marketers extend those sponsorships to Twitter to reach all of the avid and engaged fans and viewers in the heat of the moment.
Food Delivery: Major televised sporting events and food takeout are a perfect match. In fact, Twitter’s tournament audience is 2.3x more likely than the average Twitter user to Tweet about Food. Food delivery companies will flock to the platform to take advantage of this new conversation and addressable audience, offering their services and promotions “in the moment” leading up to and during World Cup matches.
Trend 5: Cost-effective content
With consumer confidence in the news, brands are scrutinizing their marketing budgets and looking for media efficiencies wherever possible. We expect to see more global campaigns, rather than local campaigns, designed with adaptability in mind. We anticipate a lot of brand content based on simple universal truths, with no need for translation.
We are here to assist those who require assistance in adapting their content to fly on Twitter. Our Content Creation services have been shown to increase view rates by up to 20% when compared to industry benchmarks. We can quickly and efficiently support your campaign needs for the World Cup and beyond, from adapting traditional assets to creating new short-form video content to partnering with creators to produce cost-conscious, fast-hitting content.
Put your brand on the map.
The 2022 World Cup will be an exciting time for fans and brands, as evidenced by these five trends. Your Twitter team is here to help you connect with the moment and tap into the conversations that will help your business grow.
And we’ll have real-time guidance throughout the tournament to keep your brand safe and messages on point. So, it’s time to get off the bench and into the game.
DISCLAIMER: Readers’ and Contributors’ views, comments, opinions, contributions, and statements on this platform do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FIFA World Cup Betting.
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