Businesses Catching Football Fever are Enjoying More Than Just a Bit of Fun

The World Cup Final alone is watched by over one billion people, meaning that, on average, one in every eight customers of any given business will be watching the quadrennial event. This is, of course, overlooking all of those millions of people who watch games en route to the final, and people who just enjoy football in general.

Such is the pulling power of the FIFA World Cup and the atmosphere around the biggest single-sports event on the planet that businesses of all walks seek to get involved. It’s a time-honoured approach, tapping into the benefits of hitting a trend; with this, businesses know exactly when it’s coming around.

Engagement Crossovers in the Attention Economy

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With unprecedented access to potential customers far and wide, the digital landscape for business is one of battling within the attention economy. People only have so many hours to spend each day, and if something isn’t interesting enough, they quickly switch off. As it goes, attention time is said to be around eight seconds long now.

So, when something comes along with the power to grab attention and captivate audiences, businesses should try to get on board as soon as possible. The World Cup presents exactly this kind of opportunity, as do other major sporting events. Mastercard found an IPL boost in restaurant spending, and the British Open added £30 million to total retail sales.

The FIFA World Cup is far bigger than those two sporting events combined, and then some. So, finding a natural and engaging way to grab onto the coattails of this massive attraction can deliver an even greater boost. Advertising campaigns, tie-in products, interactive social media events, and competitions can all be utilised here.

Direct and Indirect Collaborations

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Brands pay an awful lot of money to become official partners of the FIFA World Cup. The likes of Qatar Airways, Coca-Cola, and Visa remain among the primary partners and get their branding splashed across the tournament. Others like Duracell, Powerade, and Walkers will even collaborate with the stars of the show in new ads.

However, businesses don’t have to be official partners and presently advertising in the host nations. Simply making use of the spike in interest in football can do the trick. That’s why the UK casino has a bunch of football games among its newest arrivals. 9 Balls, Goal Bonanza, Sports Arena, and Big Bass Football Bonanza are all aimed at this spike.  

This is a way for a business to essentially create a new offering that’s fresh and taps into the trend as it arrives. Other businesses can use some clever marketing and set up online or in-store to make certain offerings more relevant to those who’re watching the 2026 World Cup.

As relayed by the CS piece on their new commercial campaign, supermarket Sainsbury’s has homed in on three foods to promote it as the go-to shop for World Cup feasts. Using sausage rolls, guacamole, and rosé, the minimalist boards sing the foods into the famed chant, such as with “Guacamolé, olé, olé, olé.”

Catching football fever around the World Cup can prove to be a boon to any business that gets its tie-ins just right. They can see a boost in engagement, interest, and sales while everyone’s drawn to the almighty tournament.