David Cole (pictured) shares the results of research undertaken last month. 
If you’re looking to place ads, run promotions or centre campaigns around World Cup match viewing in the UK, these consumer insights may help you to maximise the effectiveness of your budget.
It is worth bearing in mind that 47% of adults are not planning to watch the World Cup at all and three-quarters of these plan to watch other channels instead. So, if your target market includes non-fans, advertising/promoting around the strongest competing programmes could both save you money and help you to avoid clutter.
But 71% of those who are planning to watch the games, intend to take advantage of offers from brands they don’t normally use to enhance their viewing experience and to use the profitable betting tips for each game– a great opportunity for companies to achieve high levels of sampling.
When online research company fast.MAP asked a demographically-balanced panel of 2,500 adults in January about their plans to buy extra snacks, drinks and foods to enjoy around World Cup matches, firstly, we discovered that English fans have a pretty realistic view of our team’s chances of winning.
- 83% expect our elimination before the semi-finals and only 5% expect us to win.
- 26% expect England to be eliminated at the group stage and after that, a third will watch fewer matches. Half expect elimination before the quarter finals and a quarter of these will then stop watching.
- Overall, a quarter of those intending to watch will stop viewing once England is eliminated, but 43% will watch whatever happens.
So marketers who share this pessimistic view of England’s chances and are planning UK TV campaigns might want to capitalise on those early matches, because 75% plan to buy extra crisps, snacks and drinks to eat while viewing.
And meat and beer brands might want to tight-target football fanatics for the best chance of increasing sales, because the keener the football fan the more likely he/she is to buy beer and barbeque meat for World Cup games. Male football addicts under-34 are the most likely to try promoted brands. Altogether, 15% are planning barbeques.
The over-55s are least likely to buy extra food and drink; only 13% plan to buy for use before and13% for during games.
And carry-out food establishments should prepare for a World Cup take-away bonanza, because 40% plan to eat takeaways and 49% pizza, while viewing games.
Similarly, crisp, snack and drinks retailers would be wise to keep the shelves stacked because 75% plan to buy these (especially the 18 to 24s, a quarter of whom intend to consume them before and 4% during the game. 57% across all demographics will consume beer.
For more at-a-glance insights click here to view the fast.MAP World Cup Buying infographic.
David Cole is MD of online research company fast.MAP.