After the birth of a son or daughter, for soccer fans, the World Cup is their second most important event. Yes, it is that important. That explains why 5 billion people around the world are entranced with the 2022 Soccer World Cup that is taking place in Qatar.
They are glued to their TVs or other devices, cheering, chanting, and supporting their favorite teams.
In the USA, an interesting phenomenon is happening. The importance of soccer is growing and is becoming mainstream, and Latinos are playing an essential role as the main drivers of this cultural, media, and economic shift.
The facts are impressive. In the USA, 85 million adults are soccer fans, 52% more than in 2012 or 2019. If you compare other sports, such as basketball or football, the popularity of soccer fandom has almost doubled or quadrupled other sports.
In short: Soccer is the fastest-growing sport in the USA. And it has been for several years.
Leading media and marketing companies have been noticing this tectonic shift. Once viewed as exclusive to Latinx communities, soccer is now the USA’s future sports driver.
Soccer is a worldwide sport. Latinx are driving interest in the sport in the USA.
What can marketing professionals learn from the growing impact of soccer in the USA?
There are many lessons agencies can learn from the soccer influence. These lessons are essential to create marketing strategies and budget allocations for products and services brands. Here are some of the most impactful:
Soccer Sells
This sport is a multi-billion dollar business. It is the next opportunity for American sports and entertainment to reach people from all income levels.
Famous soccer players have the same clout as Hollywood movie stars, sharing their aura with brands. Soccer players are big multicultural and multinational influencers.
Soccer fans spend 7% more than other sports teams on sports clothing. They also spend more on food and beverages, gatherings, and traveling to watch events with friends and relatives.
Marketing Pro Tip: Locate where fans are and connect with them early
Soccer is for Female Fans and Athletes
Soccer is a sport in constant expansion for new audiences. Long gone are the days when it was considered a men’s sport. Los Angeles Soccer Team Angel City Club was co-funded by Actress Natalie Portman and investors include actress Eva Longoria and singer Christina Aguilera.
There are as many as 1.7 million females registered soccer players in the USA, and the number is growing fast.
The United States women’s national soccer team is the most successful international women’s soccer, winning four Women’s World Cup titles, four Olympic gold medals, and nine CONCACAF Gold Cups.
Let’s not forget the rise of the soccer mom phenomenon: moms all over the USA are bringing their boys and girls to practice the sport. Even politicians have identified this group as a constituency.
Seventeen million Latinas viewed the 2018 FIFA World Cup™, making it the most-viewed sporting event for female Latinas.
Moreover, Latinas consider Soccer a family tradition.
Marketing Pro Tip: Soccer attracts female attention that brands can tap
Soccer Habla Español
There is no doubt that part of the allure of watching soccer in Spanish is the lively narrations from the commentators, including their long Gooooool shouts.
Fifty-six percent of fans viewing the games are watching the Spanish broadcasts, including non-Spanish speakers and Hispanics who speak English as their primary language.
Spanish is the language of the fútbol culture.
Marketing Pro Tip: Soccer audiences are diverse and enjoy the Latinx vibe
Soccer Lives in Electronic Media
As with all things popular, soccer is having a significant impact on social media. Facebook created an infographic showing that 350 million people interacted with 3 billion pieces of soccer content throughout the 2014 World Cup, breaking the record as the most extensive conversation of any event in the history of social media back then.
Social media has added new platforms to ‘The World’s Game’ and elevated the sport into a phenomenon that stretches across the globe.
Marketing Pro Tip: Fans continue soccer conversations 24/7 on social media. Tap into these conversations
In conclusion, large and small marketing agencies can engage audiences through soccer in diverse communities. Marketing agencies can use many strategies Latinx soccer organizations and agencies utilize to achieve their own ambitious goals. Moreover, agencies can elaborate plans of action contained in sport marketing guides and use the influential soccer fandom world to relate and engage with audiences.
Finally, marketers and brand owners can connect with customers through the excitement and dynamism of the game.
Soccer action plans can be tweaked and optimized within many industries to achieve common goals of increased awareness, more extensive social networks, or interactive customers.
______
We are Novle!
Novle helps your business to create community activations for your brands that bring meaningful profitability to your bottom line. Subscribe to our mailing list for updated community activations, or contact us directly HERE.