It’s nearly here.  The Fifa World Cup of 2014 in Brazil has been long anticipated. The competition finally kicks off on Thursday 12th June when Brazil face Croatia.  For many, the World Cup is simply a good watch, but for advertisers there can be a lot of pressure to get involved.

No matter whether you advertise on Facebook, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn, Bing, TV, Radio, or any other channels, the World Cup is going to be a time of increased competition. The extra competition means higher prices for ad slots, less audience attention, and extra difficulties in converting impressions to conversions.

That being said, the World Cup does give a lot of opportunities. Many brands will be creating ‘war rooms’, waiting for that all-important Oreo-type moment where real-time marketing can jump on the opportunity presented by topical events. 

With the attention of the world on one event, there is a common topic to discuss and to use in your advertising. Audiences are engaged with their TV’s and with going out to watch the games - making advertising more powerful than ever. With Twitter and other social media channels giving more of a second screen experience than ever before, 2014 really is the year of social advertising during the World Cup.

Paddy Power are a great example of this kind of marketing.  A quick look at their Facebook page shows their strategy - they create humorous content around live time sporting events and then promote this content in the News Feed of relevant users on Facebook to maximise their engagement.

This type of tongue-in-cheek content may not be relevant for every brand, but the basic strategy can be applied anywhere. The issue with the World Cup is knowing when to try to make your mark as countless other brands will be adopting the same plan.

Consider getting involved with moments from smaller games, rather than just focussing on when the main nations clash. Try to focus on exclusives where possible, and of course gossip is always highly engaging in a social context.

The key is to use audience data to understand what users are going to react best to. Facebook, Google & Twitter all have reasonably robust insight and analytics systems to help you understand your audience quickly in order to take decisions about the kind of strategy to put in place.

Take into account your goals. Don’t simply advertise during the World Cup or with World Cup messaging because everyone else is. If your brand doesn’t fit, then we’d recommend potentially being slightly quieter during this time to avoid the high costs associated with advertising at this time.

The World Cup is a great opportunity to increase your brand awareness, but be warned advertising during the World Cup can be expensive and unrewarding if done incorrectly. Think carefully about your goals, your audience, and your promotion strategy to make the most of the World Cup this year.