APAC soccer fans are in Qatar this festive season – here’s how brands can reach them

We are entering a much-awaited season, where game watching meets holiday shopping. The world’s biggest soccer tournament and Double Day sales are happening at the same time this year, and it is huge. 5 billion people around the world are planning to tune into the games as they ring in their annual festive plans. And 28% of these fans are in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region (GWI Sports Q4 2021). 

‘Tis the season to ask a question – How will your brand successfully engage these billions? 

Create room for your goals 

There’s no doubt that plenty of challenges come with this season. 

But the good news is that there is a way to turn them into tremendous opportunities. 

#1 – Balance the interests for shopping and match watching 

How many tabs/apps do you have open right now? That’s right, people do more than one thing at once. Shopper behavior on the Microsoft network found that 27% of their audience is more likely to search for information or products related to the match they are watching – such as the jersey of their favorite team or some other merchandise. The data further indicates that 36% of the audience is more likely to purchase a flat-screen TV and 60% are more likely to purchase a laptop. These trends show that viewers are always going to be looking at a second screen. 

The audience is likely to look at their PC during matches and working hours to watch the game, research teams, and check results while also shopping on the side. It is highly possible that they have a second screen to get match updates while keeping track of their emails and spreadsheets on another screen. 

Marketers could benefit from developing a robust advertising strategy that focuses on engaging their audience across multiple devices to create a seamless experience. For instance, Microsoft Advertising enables markets to target and engage PC audiences effectively and can make seasonality adjustments to account for the heightened activity during this period. Target returns on ad spends and target cost per acquisition are both supported bid strategies with these seasonality adjustments. Additionally, shoppers on the Microsoft Network are more likely to be high-income earners when compared to the average internet user, so brands have an audience that is more likely to make a purchase. 

#2 – Conquer the rise in media cost 

We get it – while soccer players tackle the ball, brands need to tackle investments and returns. Luckily, while traditional media gets expensive, there is a great chance to score with digital media. Thoughtful contextual placements can take your brand a long way in connecting with consumers. 

For example, Microsoft used its Audience Intelligence to develop easy-to-use in-market audiences, designed specifically for the football event. This will let your brand target high-value customers across Microsoft Search and Microsoft Audience Network. On search campaigns, these in-market audiences can be associated with your brand’s current top-performing ad groups with the "bid only" targeting model. You could begin with a bid boost of 20% and then adjust it as you evaluate the campaign’s performance. On audience campaigns, it will benefit your brand if you add these lists in "target and bid" to existing ones that are using in-market audiences. Alternatively, you could create a separate campaign that targets these sports and soccer enthusiasts in an efficient manner. 

Ensure a class act 

Most matches fall during non-working hours for viewers in APAC, which means viewers are more relaxed and less likely to be distracted or get busy. This attentive audience will have all eyes on your content, so make it a cracker. 

Microsoft Advertising reported that they saw a huge number of soccer enthusiasts from APAC on their platform. The platform is home to 63% of Australia’s football fans, 54% of Japan’s soccer lovers and 46% of India’s football enthusiasts. 

Moreover, since fans are likely to use both mobiles and personal computers (PCs) to watch matches, it would be wise to use platforms such as Microsoft Advertising that are designed to reach them across devices. 

Our opinion: a combination of search and native placements to deliver rich content and thoughtful experiences to the soccer viewer will ensure that class act. 

There is no doubt that with the anticipation building, there’s a great opportunity for brand building. Whatever your goal, score with a strategy across mobile and PC this year.