2018 FIFA WORLD CUP: FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE?

2018 FIFA WORLD CUP:

FROM RUSSIA

WITH LOVE?

FIFA WORLD CUP 2018: FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE? 3

/ INTRODUCTION It’s now less than six months until the start of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and the competition looks set to continue the upward trend of its predecessors in generating more excitement, more anticipation and more attention from both audiences and brands (whether good or bad!).

With such transcendent appeal and a growing global fan base, it’s no surprise brands view this iconic event as an unmissable opportunity to grow their customer base, change brand perceptions, increase consideration and uplift communications. However, what’s clear is that the landscape has shifted considerably since Brazil 2014.

As this paper will explore, Russia presents a unique challenge when compared to previous tournaments. If brands fail to respond to these changes, they run the risk of getting lost in the noise or worse still, alienating fans.

Over the next few pages, Ear to the Ground’s Fan IntelligenceTM department outline their take on the key changes in fan behaviour and the wider trends brands need to be aware of to capitalise on what is sure to be an eventful tournament both on and off the pitch!

/ THE LANDSCAPE HAS CHANGED Over the past 18 months, our Fan IntelligenceTM department have been tapping into our global network of over 3,000 influential fans and listening to what they have to say about the competition, tracking changes in fan behaviour and sentiment in the lead up to the tournament…

300% INCREASE IN 'TWITTER STREAMING' PROFESSIONAL SPORTS

67% INCREASE IN CHINESE PAY-PER-VIEW TV SUBSCRIPTIONS TO WATCH THE PREMIER LEAGUE

19% DECREASE IN UK FOOTBALL BROADCAST VIEWING FIGURES

45% OF TEENAGE SPORTS FANS ILLEGALLY STREAM

*Data from: Fanatic, Forbes, Deloitte, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube

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79% OF FANS SAY TICKETS TO LIVE SPORTS ARE OVERPRICED

25% OF SPORTS WEB TRAFFIC IS DRIVEN BY FACEBOOK

64% SAY WATCHING THE WORLD CUP FROM HOME WILL BE BETTER THAN BEING THERE

TRAVELLING TO THE WORLD CUP DOES NOT APPEAL TO 76% OF FANS

85% HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT A WORLD CUP HOSTED IN RUSSIA

Ultimately, we have seen two big changes in the landscape for Russia 2018…

A. NEGATIVE SENTIMENT B. THE INFLUENTIAL AUDIENCE

A. NEGATIVE SENTIMENT TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE? By far the most significant change we have seen is that right across the fan scale, from passives through to obsessives, there is a greater level of apathy towards attending the tournament than ever before… even in those segments where we usually see fans putting everything aside to attend!

Ultimately, whilst excitement is slowly building towards a month of national pride, passion and awe-inspiring football, the idea of Russia as a footballing destination is not resonating with fans. In particular, ‘Carnival’ or ‘Big Eventer’ fans, whose fandom is motivated by the social aspect, spectacle and atmosphere of big events rather than the sport itself. Whilst 80% of these fans said they were already looking forward to the tournament, 76% said that the idea of attending a World Cup in Russia did not appeal to them and 64% said that watching the World Cup from home would be a better experience.

Indeed, when speaking to fans individually, a regular sentiment was: “Brazil 2014 and France 2016 were the last big tournaments worth attending for a decade”. This, coupled with negative headlines across global mainstream media makes for a challenging job for the tournament. Whilst we’re used to hearing media hysteria that a tournament won’t live up to expectation, it’s unusual to be coping with worries over of homophobia, racism, sexism and violence towards fans.

With this in mind, it’s clear that the opportunity for brands is not in Russia but in local markets where excitement and passion will be as high as ever; with ‘Big Eventer’ and ‘Social’ fans looking to recreate the World Cup atmosphere and experience in their homes and hometowns.

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B. MEET THE INFLUENTIAL AUDIENCE At Ear to the Ground, we segment football fans based on their levels of engagement - from passives through to obsessives and everything in between.

In understanding the opportunities for 2018, we have been speaking to fans from across the scale. However, it is in one particular segment where we have seen the biggest shift in fan behaviours – a highly influential group who are impacting the way in which other fans will choose to engage next year‌

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/ NEW AGE FOOTBALL FANS CROSS-CULTURAL INFLUENCERS… influential across sport, music, fashion and wider culture

EXPECT EXTRA TIME… want to go beyond the game and access behind the scenes content 24/7

COMPETITIVE PLAYERS… want to be the first to know and gain status from knowledge

GAME CHANGERS… constantly chop and change between multiple content platforms

IDOL WORSHIPPERS... idolise individual stars rather than being tribal team supporters

/ 2018 TRENDS With these two big landscape changes – the increasing influence of the New Age Football Fans and the lack of desire to travel to Russia next year – we have picked out five key trends that brands need to be aware of to capitalise on the billions of opportunities on offer at the 2018 FIFA World Cup:

1. CULTURAL CROSSOVER

2. SOCIAL SCREENING

3. A VIEW WITH A DIFFERENCE

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4. VIRTUAL REALITY GETS REAL

5. THE NEW IDOLS

1. CULTURAL CROSSOVER Grime MC, Meridian Dan told our Fan IntelligenceTM team: “today all footballers want to be rappers, and all rappers want to be footballers” – perfectly encapsulating the new cultural crossover we are seeing as the lines between sport, music, fashion and entertainment continue to merge.

Over the past 12 months, the shift of football into wider culture has gone into hyper speed, driven by the New Age Football Fan audience and evident by an explosion in the number of sport and music collaborations. From Pogba and Stormzy’s adidas music video to UEFA’s music-led campaign with David Guetta; through to Manchester United and Arsenal entering into partnerships with Film Studios, and individual players such as Neymar and Ronaldo continuing to cultivate brand images through fashion and entertainment partnerships.

This shift is also reflected in the way younger fans are now discovering and engaging with football and speaking to each other. It is clear that the game is no longer consumed in silos from other passions. The cultural canons of sport, music, fashion and entertainment are not viewed as separate entities but as intermixable elements of a homogenous ever-growing sphere of consumable content.

This new cultural melting pot sets the scene for the new football landscape and creates a host of opportunities for brands. However, brands need to gain a comprehensive understanding of their audiences’ football fandom, as well as the wider cultural context in which it exists to fully take advantage.

This new cultural melting pot sets the scene for the new football landscape and creates a host of opportunities for brands

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/ CASE STUDY

/ Nike: AJ Tracey & Gorillaz Nike is no stranger to cultural crossovers and over the past five years, we have been working with the brand to bring sport, music and urban culture together. In 2017, Nike launched two new kits with partners Spurs and Chelsea, with two music artists in one week. That, however, was where the similarities ended.

The brand took two very different routes with each club: partnering with upcoming grime artist AJ Tracey for Spurs, whilst creating a polished Gorillaz content piece for Chelsea FC. It is this attention to detail that is essential if brands are to make cultural crossovers work for them. It isn’t enough to simply partner with a high profile music, film, fashion or entertainment property. It has to be the right property for the fan base with content delivered via the correct channels at the right time and in the right tone of voice.

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2. SOCIAL SCREENING Nearly 10 years on from the World Cup in South Africa; the landscape has changed somewhat with social platforms no longer a secondary content source or a ‘distraction’ from the viewing experience. For the modern football fan, ‘Social Screening’ is the viewing experience.

Facebook is now the source for 25% of all sports content for fans, whilst streaming sports events on Twitter has grown 300% in the past 12 months. Fans have completely adapted their behaviours in adopting these new formats as a means of consuming the game they love, with supplementary content now a routine part of the game.

Research from the 2016 Euros showed that ‘Social Screening’ is even more prevalent at big international tournaments such as World Cups. Our football fan focus groups indicated that despite all the hype and attention, international football tends not to be as break-neck exciting as club football. During World Cup months, with no other competitions to distract attention, fans watched a lot of football, but it was often not that arresting or exciting.

With more fans watching from home and looking to elevate their World Cup experience in local markets; brands have a huge opportunity. ‘Social Screening’ offers brands the chance to engage with fans at next year’s tournaments if they can supplement live games with targeted, relevant, reactionary content.

Facebook is now the source for 25% of all sports content for fans

3. A VIEW WITH A DIFFERENCE Despite the rise of ‘Social Screening’, watching the game is still at the heart of the World Cup experience. With intention to travel to the host nation at an all-time low, the vast majority of European fans will be watching next year’s tournament from one of three places: a large scale fan zone, a local pub or at home. However, whilst these traditional group viewing experiences have long been the norm for many fans – with the growing influence of the New Age Football Fans – brands and broadcasters need to consider ways in which they can offer a more unique point of view.

This new audience is used to completely intimate experiences, even when delivered en masse. They want to be the first to know what’s going on behind the scenes, especially if that means being able to gain ‘social currency’ amongst other fans for their insider knowledge. They demand personalisation to be central and expect to be able to dictate how their viewing experience plays out.

The challenge for brands in 2018 is how to deliver or facilitate the World Cup atmosphere in local markets, which caters for this demand for intimacy and personalisation from an audience that has the influence to turn your viewing experience into a go-to or a no-go.

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/ CASE STUDY

/ Heineken: Champion the Match Night Working on the insight that match times were a barrier for fans in Malaysia during the 2017 UEFA Champions League, Heineken encouraged fans to go to bed early and wake at 2am to ‘champion’ match nights, creating unique viewing experiences for fans.

The digital-led campaign allowed fans to plan their schedules around matches with personalised branded wake-up calls and a late night delivery service where the brand partnered with Uber to deliver personalised match kits, including beer, snacks and merchandise to fans just before kick off! For the final, the brand then invited 100 specially selected fans to an exclusive match viewing party, transforming Kuala Lumpur’s Container Hotel into the ultimate fan experience, complete with a huge screen, ice-cold beers, DJ’s, exclusive games and official UEFA merchandise.

62%

of New Age Football Fans seek out ‘inside information’ on their teams/idols.

/ CASE STUDY

/ NBA: NextVR With Samsung as a leading global partner and a recent track record for innovating with tech, it’s not surprising that the NBA was the first major sports property to fully embrace VR. From a Michael B Jordan narrated VR documentary in 2015 to live action screening platforms in 2016/17, the NBA has repeatedly utilised VR to bring audiences closer to the action.

Most recently, the NBA has been using NextVR to livestream games, allowing fans to add another layer to their viewing experience including accessibility to the scoreboard, commentary, real-time stats, shot clock, game clock and surround sound audio. If brands looking to the World Cup in 2018 need an example of how to get non-attending fans to feel closer to the action, then this is it!

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4. VIRTUAL REALITY GETS REAL If ‘Second Screening’ was the trend du jour of previous World Cups, then the new kid on the block for 2018 is Virtual Reality and the prospects of using this new technology to allow fans to get closer to the action.

Despite all the buzz, brands, rights holders and audiences are already sceptical as to whether VR really is the gateway to a new frontier of football or just another fad.

If done properly, VR presents a huge opportunity for brands.

With fans not wanting to travel to Russia but still demanding that live experience, there is an open goal for brands to connect with a disparate and geographically spread mass audience through clever tactical executions; bringing fans closer to the tournament, teams and players they love. For VR to be successful it has to be used creatively in a way which is relevant to the brand and engaging for fans. If not, brands run the risk of alienating fans and fuelling further scepticism.

There is an open goal for brands to connect with a disparate and geographically spread audience...

Whilst VR is dominating conversation, many are ignoring the potential of its sister technology, Augmented Reality… whose application in a sporting context was demonstrated by the hugely successful Pokémon Go. We expect to see a number of opportunities to learn how this technology can be used to connect with a global fan base in the lead up to the 2018 World Cup.

5. THE NEW IDOLS Fan influencers will be particularly powerful in 2018. From football freestylers such as the F2 to TV personalities like James Corden and YouTubers such as Chris MD, these influencers are comfortable in front of the camera whilst being able to contribute to or even lead the creative process. And, most importantly, they are recognised as credible football fans.

We have frequently written about the power of idols and the strength of the ‘Parasocial’ relationships between them and the fans who adore them. We also understand the difficulties in creating content when working with players due to time constraints, rights limitations, and the fact that the only stage they are most at home on is the pitch.

In a World Cup year, readily accessible, available influencers can become the lynchpin of campaigns, allowing you to create content throughout the tournament without pinning your hopes on the performance of one player.

With fans wanting to feel closer to a World Cup that may feel further away than many before, these influencers have the potential to become the ‘fan on the ground’, giving audiences a gateway to the unseen side of the tournament.

The key is understanding who from this talent pool best fits with both your brand and your audience and then building your creative around them, rather than simply pumping creative out through them.

Influencers have the potential to become the ‘fan on the ground’

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/ CASE STUDY

/ Nike: Epic day In the lead up to each World Cup, we tend to see Nike hi-jacking the conversation with high-profile, player-focussed campaigns. In 2014 however, we worked with Nike to deliver the ‘Epic Day’ content series which followed three specially selected social influencers from key European Markets as they travelled to Rio in the run-up to the tournament, trying to score as many FuelBand points as possible in 48 hours.

Watch the full case study on our website: www.eartotheground. org/casestudy/nikeepic-day/

/ GET YOUR TACTICS SORTED With the World Cup fast approaching, and brands across the world looking to engage the billions of fans who will be tuning in from every continent, now is the time to decide which fans are most important to your business and how you will connect with them.

To help you make the most of this exciting opportunity, our Fan IntelligenceTM department are offering free FIFA World Cup 2018 Workshops in the run-up to the tournament:

GET IN THE FAN ZONE Speak to our panel of football fans to discover what they think about your brand.

COMPETITOR SCOREBOARD Review your competitor’s best and worst practice and find out how you benchmark against your World Cup rivals.

TACTICS REVIEW Analyse what you have planned currently, what you should focus on and how you can uplift your strategy.

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To learn more about how we can help you leverage the commercial power of fan bases, please contact Kat Renshaw: katrenshaw@eartotheground.org 07795 954 793