Game on: Brands look to net a winner with Fifa World Cup

MUMBAI: The Fifa World Cup is here and Indian brands are all set to tap into the global soccer showpiece to gain a share of consumers’ mindspace.

The tournament’s viewership tends to extend beyond hardcore football enthusiasts, and so for companies, the opportunity is not just limited to advertising and sponsorships.

Marketers said there is a lot of scope for them to build engagement with young consumers creating the potential to forge a long-term partnership and reach more people who otherwise may not have explored their brands.

Companies across segments are readying product launches around the event: in QSR space, for instance, brands such as McDonald’s are looking to roll out Fifa meals. Some are looking to have screenings across bars, offer discounts on product purchases while creating experiential retail touchpoints.

‘India ranks 2nd in WC content consumption’

For television makers such as LG, the enthusiasm has already translated into a spurt in sales for large screen TV sets. And, there is indicative data suggesting that Indians may be planning to binge on the matches despite the odd time schedule. Data tracked by performance advertising platform Taboola showed that India ranks as the second-most engaged market globally after the US for World Cup related content consumption, generating 9.7 million page-views over the past 90 days across the open web.

Ad splurge

Big companies are putting in money in sponsorship — on Wednesday, official India broadcaster Z said that it has so far signed more than 12 brands including Mahindra, Diageo, Apple, Pernod Ricard and Mondelez with more companies expected to jump on the football bandwagon in the coming days.

Auto, FMCG, BFSI, beverages, technology and lifestyle segments are the top spenders. Z is offering advertisers a complete package covering linear, digital, CTV, social and on-ground integrations. The matches will be aired on its sports channels Unite8 and OTT platform Zee5. Vinita Pachisia, EVP, investments at Amplifi, a unit of Dentsu said that Z is seeking anywhere between Rs 10-20 crore for the sponsorship package and going ahead is expected to start selling spot inventory.

“The challenge for brands has been the fact that Z acquired the property very late. Deal closures are hence taking time but we are seeing a lot of inquiries. Some brands are likely to come in later during the event,” said Pachisia, adding that the late-night timings could weigh on viewership during the weekdays.

In football, inventory selling is not as simple. Unlike cricket where every over change is an opportunity to put in an ad, football has no interruptions for 45 minutes each half, said Sandeep Goyal, chairman at Rediffusion.

Brand play

AB InBev, which owns beer brand Budweiser, will set up an in-store experience within liquor retail spaces around end-June, while also hosting match screenings across key bars in major metros, largely during semi-finals and finals when viewership spikes.

McDonald’s India-North and East said it will launch Fifa values meals starting Rs 209 which will come with football collectibles.

Hisense, which is the official (global) sponsor, has introduced limited period offers for consumers buying Hisense and Toshiba TV sets.

“Based on the momentum we are witnessing, we anticipate a 15-20% increase in demand for larger-screen premium televisions during this period,” said Pankaj Rana, CEO at Hisense India.

LG India is already recording a two times growth in large screen TVs, led by West Bengal and Kerala, as consumers increasingly seek stadiumlike viewing experience at home, said Abhiral Bhansali, of LG Electronics India.
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