Tap into Sports Fandoms on YouTube through Zefr’s Contextual Targeting Opportunity for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
The countdown for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is underway as 32 teams prepare to represent their countries on a global stage. Who could forget top moments from the 2018 World Cup such as Croatia’s fairytale run to the finals, England ending their penalty curse, and of course, France lifting the World Cup trophy for the second time in 20 years. This year’s tournament is one of the most anticipated events on the sports calendar in years, with rumored final appearances of stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
To help advertisers capitalize on this massive tentpole moment that only occurs every 4 years, Zefr analyzed all Word Cup related content on the YouTube platform to help brands reach audiences during brand suitable, high impact moments.
Key FIFA World Cup 2022 Stats for Marketers:
- 95% of sports fans are aware of the World Cup — the highest awareness of any sporting event
- 67% of football fans think brands are more appealing when they participate in sports sponsorships
- 37% of global football fans are women. Women are more interested in the World Cup than any other major football competition
Analyzing the Contextual Trends Before the World Cup — The Sounds of the Tournament:
There is no greater celebration in football than the World Cup. Music has played a role in bringing this celebration to life, with classics like Shakira’s “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” which had an explosive impact on the international charts.
This year FIFA will release a soundtrack featuring a multi-song collection with musical stars like BTS and Lil Baby, who are confirmed to perform during the opening ceremony of the World Cup on November 20th.
Early excitement leads fans to turn to YouTube to listen to the official soundtrack of the tournament before the action begins. The 2018 World Cup saw a spike in viewership 3 months before the first game.
Brands can capture fans leaning into the tournament mindset by surrounding the official FIFA anthem music videos on YouTube through Zefr’s content targeting packages.
Contextual Trends During the World Cup — Real Time Action:
When it comes to watching the World Cup, fans want to know everything as soon as possible — the best goals, the worst blunders and the Cinderella teams experiencing unexpected moments of greatness on the field.
Since a team’s position in the tournament often depends on the outcome of other games being played on the same day, this creates a sense of urgency to experience the action in real time.
Brands can reach fans as they watch top plays and highlights on YouTube seconds after they take place on field.
Contextual Trends After the World Cup — Relive Top Moments:
Once the games come to a close and the winning country takes the trophy home, fans turn to YouTube to relive all the best moments through themed compilation videos.
Fans are known to share clips of their favorite players, games and analyses with other soccer enthusiasts. Historically, World Cup content receives substantial viewership after the tournament ends, with the 2018 FIFA World Cup reaching over 80 million views a month after the World Cup final. Top viewed video formats during this window include highlight compilations, recaps and discussions from sports analysts, and fan vlogs that captured the game in person.
Brands can tap into the ongoing World Cup fandom long after the tournament ends by activating against recaps, vlogs and compilations that capture the essence of this major sports tentpole moment.
How Brands Can Capture the Surge of World Cup Viewership on YouTube:
YouTube is the unofficial home for World Cup content, with over 713M+ views generated during the 2018 World Cup.
Zefr provides brands with brand suitable targeting opportunities throughout the entire World Cup life cycle including the viewership leading-up to, during, and after the tournament.
If you’d like to find out more about how Zefr can help your brand leverage these insights, contact sales@zefr.com or download our World Cup 2022 one-sheeter.
