With the exception of Team USA’s match against Germany yesterday, our office has been noticeably quieter and even during the US Match, cheers that could once be heard from the break room (in the back of the building) all the way to the receptionist desk (at the front) weren’t nearly as frequent with the minimal scoring chances afforded to the US Men’s National Team. Even though we still expected competitive games later as Algeria battled for 1st place in Group H while fighting to hold off Russia and Korea from taking the #2 seed, the same enthusiasm that was there as the EC Hispanic Media employees arrived to work dropped off at around 11am pst. And conversations about the matches or roars from frustrated/happy fans were replaced more by the quiet clicking of computer keys typing away and more work-related conversations discussing deadlines and campaign launches/improvements to generate greater responses for our current clients.
Not that the business end of conversations is bad, but the change is noticeable enough that one would have to wonder what impact would have been made on the advertising world had Mexico, and other Latino countries, not been able to move past the first round.
1. EXPECTATIONS FOR ADVERTISERS BASED ON CURRENT RATINGS
While World Cup viewership in the US isn’t averaging the same ratings as the Super Bowl and shouldn’t be expected to, the ratings have shown increases of nearly 50% since the 2010 World Cup across both ESPN and Univision which are averaging 4.3 million and 3.4 million viewers compared to 2.9 million and 2.3 million respectively.* To also put this in perspective, the ratings don’t include viewing measurements from streaming services, which have also become more readily available since the last World Cup.
Further examining the current ratings, the United States game against Portugal was watched by nearly 25 million viewers across the two major networks with 6.5 million watching on Univision,** while Mexico’s game against Croatia was seen by an average of 7.1 million total viewers*** which is similar to the 6.8 Million that was drawn by the Mexico v. Brazil game.**** Considering that the aforementioned games are generally showing viewership levels at, or nearly, twice as high as the average rating for games it’s easy to see how Mexico and the United States advances bodes well for advertisers.
2. INCREASED EXPOSURE FOR ADVERTISERS AFTER MEXICO/US ADVANCES
To begin, higher rates for the advertising as the two teams drawing some of the highest ratings (and subsequently viewership for World Cup news on TV, online, and in print) to progress throughout the tournament. Of course, with most pricing expected to be packaged to run until the end of the tournament, this also brings about risks if either team were to be knocked out in the initial round following Group Play, but it’s a risk that advertisers could decide they are willing to take if they expect either Mexico to beat the Netherlands, or the US to beat Belgium. By buying in early, they can still potentially avoid the last minute rate hikes that the networks are counting on with highly projected ratings, as well as online sites that expect to see their World Cup content generate more traffic as the two teams get closer to the Championship match.
However, while the advertising rates may continue to increase, there also will normally be more options available for different campaigns. Considering the difficulties both teams had to face, media companies who may not have been willing to invest time in the content curation for the World Cup, may begin to start providing more information about the tournament. However, this also presents some risks in that consumer attention may be lacking as other brands have already cornered certain portions of the World Cup fanbase.
Additionally, companies that may have also already been covering World Cup news, both in print and online, may increase their exposure of the coverage through various methods such as inserts/landing pages with posters, knockout round brackets, and other additional content that would expect to drive more reader or visitor interaction. These new opportunities, in many cases, like had not been offered previously either for sale or for public consumption, which may also lead to more companies competing to get their brand associated with all things World Cup. Furthermore, new contests may also be generated to try and increase overall brand awareness for the media companies, most likely through social media, but also with additional possibilities in print and online. And, of course, additional opportunities may become available that are in need of sponsors.
So, while you may have missed out on the advertising opportunities right before the opening kick of the World Cup, and gaining unguaranteed remnant options may have been the best option to at least have a bit of a presence, other opportunities should be expected to arise as a result of the Group Play outcomes.
*https://www.cbsnews.com/news/world-cup-2014-record-u-s-tv-ratings-sure-sign-of-soccers-rapid-growth-here/
**https://variety.com/2014/tv/news/usa-portugal-match-nets-espns-highest-ever-world-cup-rating-1201242091/
***https://www.deadline.com/2014/06/world-cup-ratings-mexico-croatia-univision-espn/
****https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/06/19/univision-deportes-reaches-42-0-million-total-viewers-for-2014-world-cup-to-date/275160/
