In addition to Black Friday, what other important marketing nodes are there in November? Of course it’s every four years world cup

The 22nd FIFA World Cup will start in Qatar on November 20. The first unrestricted world-class sporting event since the new crown epidemic, 2018 World Cup in Qatar will be a festival for football enthusiasts worldwide.

At the same time, the World Cup also provides a very important marketing opportunity for major brands. What should sports marketing do?

01. Why do overseas brands do sports marketing

With the development of science and technology and economy, the pace of world globalization is gradually accelerating. More and more Chinese enterprises decide to go abroad and go overseas. The brand will confront challenges like varied consumption habits, religious cultures, and cultural traditions abroad. Every international enterprise sheds “blood and tears.”

In this case, in a sense, it is actually a very good choice to use the “sports” boat to go to sea.

First, athletics is the most universal “language” and enjoyed worldwide. In figure skating, Japanese player Yuzuru Hanyu and Chinese player Jin Boyang can become excellent friends despite being from different countries, languages, and cultures.

Second, every sport has the good energy of never giving up, which can inspire and move others.

Finally, even non-sports fans will read sports news on key sports event nodes for conversation. Brand awareness will increase.

Therefore, for overseas brands, it can be said that it is a very cost-effective choice to do a good job in sports marketing and take the “sports” boat to go overseas.

02. How should overseas brands do sports marketing

Compared with other types of marketing, overseas brands need to pay attention to the following points in sports marketing.

Convey the charm of sports and arouse the emotional resonance of the audience

“Breaking the circle” has garnered interest in numerous fields in recent years. Instead of breaking the circle, sports marketing should transmit sports’ appeal and evoke emotion.

Human nature and unique moments make football and other sports appealing. Most individuals or pan-fans care more about winning or losing than which World Cup game is most thrilling. Athletes or human empathy are more astounding.

China hosted Oman in the sixth match in Group B of the top ten Asian qualifiers for the 2001 World Cup. The Chinese squad won the 2002 World Cup with a one-goal lead.

Adidas created customized uniforms for China’s World Cup team after 44 years. The players’ celebratory jerseys said “Chinese football has never felt so good,” reflecting the nation’s emotions.

Start from small things, let the brand really penetrate the hearts of the people

Some brands prefer “top match” in marketing. For example, when it comes to football marketing, we only do “World Cup”, and when it comes to basketball marketing, we only do “NBA” or “CBA”.

Many local tournaments merit foreign brand attention. MLS, NFL, etc. Local event marketing will assist the business blend into local culture and increase brand product awareness.

In addition to tournaments, marketers can start small by sponsoring overseas community sports games for super-cost-effective brand exposure.

In the end, excellent sports marketing is about building brand loyalty, not consumption.

Carry out the love of sports to the end

Sports are different from others, love is the most important factor. Although many brands are also engaged in sports marketing and invite some athletes to endorse their products, it always gives people a sense of disobedience. This is because the love for sports shown by these brands is too “short-lived”.

Regardless of whether to go overseas or not, when deciding to do sports marketing, it is necessary for the brand to carry out its love for sports to the end. If a brand’s love of sports depends only on whether there is a major event in the near future, then this love will soon be revealed. Only by establishing a brand image of “true love of sports” among the crowd can your sports marketing be successful.

For example, since the 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games, Coca-Cola has started its layout in the field of sports sponsorship. In 1976, Coca-Cola officially became the official sponsor of the World Cup, and the two sides have cooperated so far. Of course, in addition to large-scale sports events, Coca-Cola also does not hesitate to sponsor small sports events. It fully reflects the importance that the Coca-Cola brand attaches to sports events.

03. Points for attention in sports marketing

Watch out for ambush marketing

For sports event organizations, sponsorship revenue is a decisive factor in maintaining event operations and sustainable development. Therefore, affiliated marketing around events such as ambush marketing without paying any fees not only damages the rights and interests of official sponsors, but also poses a threat to the sustainable development of sports events themselves. Therefore, in the past ten years, the anti-ambush marketing strategy has become the focus of the preparations for each sports event.

For example, a law passed in Brazil in 2012 requires companies to pay millions of dollars to FIFA for unauthorized use of the official logo of the World Cup, including the image of the mascot Flegu, the words FIFA, World Cup, World Cup 2014, and Brazil 2014. USD fine, or imprisonment for 3 months to one year for intellectual property infringement.

Therefore, when the brand is not an official sponsor recognized by the event organizer, it is necessary to pay attention to whether there is ambush marketing in its own marketing when marketing around large-scale events.

Ignore offline marketing

Due to the very developed domestic online economy, many domestic brands have neglected the role of offline marketing when marketing overseas. Although the development of online channels is impressive, offline activities integrating experience, quality service, and social attributes are still irreplaceable marketing channels for overseas brands.

In fact, offline marketing plays a key role in the brand’s overseas penetration rate. While emphasizing online marketing, some brands are also actively carrying out some offline marketing activities. For example, SHEIN chose to open a 5-day offline pop-up store in the southern district of Sao Paulo, Brazil, during Q4, which is a popular overseas marketing period.

It can be seen that online and offline integrated marketing is the best choice for overseas brands.

For enterprises going overseas, sports marketing overseas is the best path to take and the worst path to take. But I have to admit that with the love of sports in marketing, the carnival of sports fans can also become the carnival of brands.

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