I'm wondering if the same thing is happening in the U.S. right now. In the U.S., sports drinks and snack foods use sports teams and stars to market all the time, but more so with basketball and baseball. It's harder to use soccer in marketing because, although the fan pool is growing, it is still not very popular in the U.S. compared to other sports. Even with the world cup coming up, I'm wondering if it would be worth it for U.S. brands to incorporate soccer into their advertisements. I'm not sure it would attract as many consumers as here in South America.
I think that's one important thing about global marketing- you have to know all about your target market. The World Cup may seem like a global event that would apply everywhere. But you have to take into account whether the sport is popular in that country, and whether their team even made it into the cup. You have to do your research when using sports to advertise. You wouldn't use baseball in South American advertisements because it is not that popular here.
I'm excited to see how the advertisements increase as the cup approaches even closer.
You are right: Knowledge of your target market is key. The example you use is a good one.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the International Football Federation could/should use the world cup to promote soccer. Can you explain to me what it is with soccer that does not really engage the US audience?
People get bored by it. An entire game can go by with 10 almost goals but a score of 0-0. I think the US audience appreciates 1 a game with a high score and 2 a game with more contact. Not that fake throw-yourself-on-the-ground contact, but man to man contact sports. I think soccer could be considered that, but it's just too slow for American audiences compared to sports like basketball and football.
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