FIFA World Cup 2022- A case of spectacular branding!
The FIFA World Cup 2022 came to a close a few hours in a cliffhanger finish between two Football giants- Argentina and France. FIFA 2022 holds special significance for the world at large as it is the first major football event in the post Covid pandemic era!
Football is estimated to have 3.5 billion fans across the world (with cricket having 2.5 billion fans). It is supposed to have found its origins 3000 years ago with Aztecs and later followed by other parts of the world. Due to it’s fast paced action and thrilling gameplay, thus, it has acquired the status of cult and that of a religion in some parts of the world!
Pic source: India Today
While all the matches had something special to cheer for, the cherry on the cake of FIFA 2022 World Cup was the Final which was keenly contested and resulted in a victory for Argentina in the penalties! In India, almost 32 million people streamed the Finals via the JIO Cinema app. For a moment, it seemed as if the whole world came to a standstill!
A tournament of such magnitude has a different meaning at various levels:
- It needs to glorify the sport making people forget their sorrows and bask them in an event to rejoice for.
- Such a tournament ends up giving opportunities for many businesses to come to the fore
- An event of this magnitude gives the world, a glimpse of the host country’s culture and traditions.
- Such a tournament is also important from Tourism point of view and previously, such events have led cities to transform themselves forever!
Brand Elements of FIFA World Cup 2022
In order to craft a beautiful fusion of the culture of the sport, local host country and what the tournament means for the world at large, UNLOCK Brands was appointed by the FIFA Federation to create Branding elements as follows:
FIFA World Cup 2022™ Official Emblem
Source: Wikipedia
Set out as an icon for the tournament, the emblem incorporates the burgundy and white colours that are synonymous with Qatar’s national flag.
The emblem’s design embodies the vision of an event that connects and engages the entire world, while also featuring striking elements of local and regional Arab culture, as well as references to the beautiful game.
The carefully crafted curves of the emblem represent desert dunes, with the unbroken loop representing the number 8 – the tournament’s host stadiums.
The infinity symbol reflects the event’s interconnected nature, fusing tradition with modernity.
Source: https://www.qatar2022.qa/
FIFA World Cup 2022 Official Poster
During the event, the Official Poster was on display at Hamad International Airport, so that, everyone will have the chance to see the poster as they travel from and transit through Qatar.
A prominent Qatari artist Bouthayna Al Muftah created the artwork that convey the values and messages of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ in a subtle, unique and relevant way. The artwork remained closely connected with local culture and heritage. The artist took creative inspiration from the concept of collective memory, born through thousands of years of Qatari heritage. The resulting artwork borrow elements from folklore and the oral history of Qatar and readapting them to reflect her relationship with her land’s past.
The above poster is the main poster. It focuses on the football itself, featuring the agal – a traditional head piece worn in Qatar. The Typography expressing the voices of a cheering crowd.
FIFA World Cup 2022 Official Mascot
Courtesy: The Jakarta Post
La’eeb™ is an Arabic word that means super-skilled player.
Here is the journey of La’eeb:
FIFA World Cup 2022 Soundtrack
In a departure from the tradition, instead of one official song, a full FIFA World Cup™ Official Soundtrack has been released.
A multi-song collection, featuring international artists. There is something to cheer for Indians too! An Indian artist- Nora Fatehi set the tone for a truly global celebration at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™:
- Hayya Hayya (Better Together) – Trinidad Cardona, Davido, and Aisha
- Arhbo – Ozuna featuring GIMS
- Light the Sky – Rahma, Balqees, Nora and Manal
- Dreamers – Fahad Al Kubaisi and Jung Kook (BTS)
Viewership of FIFA World Cup 2022
According to stats mentioned on Newsonair, on the back of the above Branding and sporting event madness, 58 per cent watch it on TV, 27 per cent on mobile and 12 per cent on OTT platforms.
JioCinema was the official streaming partner in India. The Reliance group backed app has garnered one-third of total app downloads in the entertainment category in November 2022.
The group game played on 27th Nov 2022 between Japan and Costa Rica drew an average audience of 36.37 million viewers.
On Thursday (24 November) in the Republic of Korea, 11.14 million people watched their tournament opener against Uruguay. The broadcast saw a 97% increase in TV audience compared to the average for group stage matches at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014; 18% higher than at Russia 2018.
Portugal’s match with Uruguay on Monday (28 November) was the highest TV audience in Portugal for a FIFA World Cup match ever. In total, 5.35 million viewers in Portugal watched at least one minute of coverage. The coverage held an audience share of 69.5%. Over 80% of the Portuguese TV landscape has now watched at least one minute of the tournament’s coverage.
The tournament-opening match between Ecuador and Qatar drew 832,000 viewers which was the most-streamed Spanish-language match. However, the United States-Wales game saw a record of 1 million streaming.
Source:
Qatar World cup 2022: https://www.qatar2022.qa/
FIFA World Cup 2022 Dynamic viewership https://newsonair.com/2022/12/02/fifa-world-cup-2022-dynamic-viewership-continues/
Quite a read! Sums up and captures the fervour, essence and very spirit of the game! 👏👏
Thank you Nidhi, I am glad you enjoyed reading the post!
Great piece. Introduce every event and turn them into meaningful and interesting content. 👏
Thank you Harshita. In fact, events are nothing but a culmination of good content communicated via storytelling! FIFA World Cup 2022 was one such event whose story was communicated via it’s branding.
Awesome read. The facts and writing copy had me amazed
Ambuj it is really a good research work. Delightful to read the references and comparisons with equally branded other tournaments and products. Keep doing innovative writing
Someone once said there is copy everywhere and it’s true! On a personal note, as a school teacher, it was very hard to keep the attention of my students as they kept wanting to view the World Cup on their phones. 🙂
Haha.. such events are kids favorite events and in a way they change their mindset towards sportsmanship. However, getting distracted from their studies due to the mega event is not a good thought!
I love how you dissected and explained the branding that was done, this is very very helpful. Thank you so much.
Enjoyed reading all the details with the minute dissection! Great read, I enjoyed each of the games too. Extra special being post- COVID
I’m not really into football and don’t fully get the fever but it’s definitely fun to watch and gather to celebrate sport. I most lost the interest when my country didn’t pass through the first part but my Argentinian neighbors didn’t let me forget about the whole story. Definitely wonderful moments.
I heard a lot about FIFA this year. It was fun to follow along. Makes sense that there was some publicity behind it.
This is one of the most memorable World Cup series. Thank you for sharing these facts and trivia. I had no idea of the meaning of the official emblem and it’s just beautiful.
Many things in the blog post are inspired by the Branding lessons I learnt during my MBA days. I am glad you find it useful.