There are only a few days left until the 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup, which is to be held in Qatar for the first time. With the first whistle blowing on November 20, the tournament will start with the match between the host Qatar and Ecuador. The whole world will watch the struggle of 32 countries to be the best in the world. While the audience can’t wait to watch the matches from different screens, brands are making plans on how to capture their target audiences through certain channels.
Digital Turbine conducted World Cup Research to understand and analyse the behavior and preferences of viewers in KSA during the World Cup, as well as how brands can interact with consumers, and the results once again demonstrate the power of mobile.
While 58 per cent of the respondents stated that they will watch the World Cup on TV, the rate of those who say that they will follow the KSA’s journey in the tournament on their smartphones is 55 per cent. While 47 per cent of the respondents said that they will follow the tournament from their homes, 26 per cent report that they will follow the tournament live from stadiums in Qatar. In addition, 60 per cent of the respondents stated that they watch soccer broadcasts at least every week, proving once again that football is one of the most popular sports in KSA.
We can say that the applications that we frequently use on our mobile devices are taking a different form in this period compared to the process we are in. While 57 per cent of the respondents stated that they spend more time in sports applications during the World Cup and similar tournaments.
In terms of apps, 24 per cent of the participants state that they will spend most of their time on sports news apps while watching the World Cup, 23 per cent on social media apps, 16 per cent on sports mobile game apps, and 16 per cent on messaging apps. In addition, it is one of the most important pieces of research that 86 per cent of users state that it is important to follow the World Cup from more than one device.
During such a large and global tournament, it is more important than ever for brands to capture their target audience. While 66 per cent of the respondents stated that they are likely to look up an ad that aired during the World Cup and even watch it again. 80 per cent stated that they would consider purchasing the product they saw in the advertisement. 36 per cent of them state that they can buy the product within 2-3 days after seeing the advertisement.
One of the most important issues that brands should pay attention to here is to meet the expectations of users from advertisements. 59 per cent of respondents think it’s important for ads they see during the World Cup to be funny, while 40 per cent think it is important to be emotional/heartwarming.
As a result, the research seems to be creating huge targeting options for advertisers and brands of the World Cup era on mobile channels, which could also increase their product sales or brand awareness. If the ad is funny and creative, it raises viewers’ interest in a product they’ve seen advertised and brings them closer to purchasing.
