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The World Cup in Germany in 2006 was the most watched television event ever, with FIFA’s figures projecting average audiences of 1.2bn per match. In comparison the next biggest event, the Super Bowl, received an estimated 200m viewers.

Football is the only truly global sport. It crosses borders and barriers bringing people together (and dividing them!) like nothing else. No other sport evokes such vociferous support from so many nations around the world.

Consequently, it also represents the most far-reaching marketing and sponsorship platform. There is no other event, sporting or otherwise, that enables you to reach such a truly global audience. The World Cup is the captain of all branding events.

FIFA understands this. As holder of the rights to this flagship event and all corresponding trademarks, the organisation manages an extensive marketing programme. 

In terms of structure, an official association with FIFA represents a two-pronged approach - sponsors can promote their brand on a global basis, and target local markets at the same time.

Together with the official broadcasters delivering TV and radio coverage, the sponsors and licensees also support the staging and promotion of the event. They are the only commercial entities allowed to claim direct association with FIFA as well as use the trademark on products for promotions, advertising and marketing.

However, the market is undeniably saturated. Although revenues for the FIFA World Cup in Germany in 2006 were the highest ever, understandably, those for South Africa in 2010 are expected to fall.

Nonetheless, there are no shortage of sponsors lining up to lend their name to the competition. FIFA, as you’d expect, selects carefully those it chooses to work with.

The forthcoming World Cup in South Africa has 6 official partners (Adidas, Emirates Airlines, Coca-Cola, Sony, Visa and Hyundai) and 6 official sponsors (Budweiser, Castrol, Continental, MTN, Satyam and McDonalds), not to mention countless trademark related partners.  

FIFA also understand their susceptibility to the exploitation of image and marketing rights. They have, therefore, released marketing and advertising guidelines for affiliated and non-affiliated businesses wanting to cash in on the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

These guidelines relate to the use of the FIFA logo, emblem, slogan and event titles, as unofficial and unauthorised use of these official trademarks can jeopardise the organisation’s revenues for future events. 

As well as commercial branding, the World Cup also serves as a means through which the host nation can change its own international perception. Being chosen as the host provides an opportunity for a country to develop infrastructure. In fact, the opportunity to develop stadia, transport and tourism infrastructure is a crucial factor in the selection process.

Germany was seen by many as the best run World Cup ever. Both on and off the pitch things went better than could have been expected. The football was excellent, the country projected a positive image and tournament generated record revenues.

The challenges for the forthcoming tournaments in South Africa and Brazil will be different, but ultimately the goals are the same: to put on a safe, friendly and profitable tournament that projects the host nation in a positive light. Easy. 

Lead generation is the creation of prospective consumer interest or inquiry into products or services by signing up for an advertiser offer that includes contact and demographic information. It is a sector that is maturing quickly with annual growth of 71%.

If done well lead generation can be highly effective. It is of particular use to companies with a quantifiable projected revenue stream, such as utilities, insurance companies and TV or magazine subscriptions – businesses that can forecast the flow of future income if they sign up a new customer. 

Lead generation is also very good value, making it particularly relevant in the current economic climate. It allows businesses to quickly understand whether the campaign is working. For every £1 spent they get a tangible item on their database  - a customer who wants to be sold to.

At Sports New Media we see lead generation as an integral part of the process of connecting brands with fans and we have put all of our knowledge and experience to use in our recent campaign with Setanta Sports.

There are many ways in which leads can be generated, but we generate them naturally through search platforms and via our own PFA site (www.givemefootball.com), as well as through partner sites. Our methods are visible and allow clients to track their leads from the source through to the tangible data.

From Google, the PFA site or affiliated websites, potential customers are directed to the PFA fans’ player of the month award page. They then complete a questionnaire with the incentive of presenting their favourite star with the award, encouraging them to share their data. The data they impart is then stored on our database and in turn passed on to Setanta.

What the client then chooses to do with the data is entirely up to them, but the details of potential customers from a specific and targeted demographic can be put to various uses.

Whilst we understand best practices and always ensure they are carried out, if done badly lead generation can be a waste of both time and money. The crudest and perhaps least effective method is to purchase leads from aggregators.

Aggregators are companies that buy leads from online marketers and in turn sell them on to brands. Although such a system allows a third party to do the work for you, the downside is that how and where the leads have come from and whether or not they are wholly relevant to your brand is unknown.

With lead generation you are creating a relationship with consumers. At Sports New Media we understand the importance of connecting brands with fans and making sure that relationship is mutually beneficial to both parties.  

The winners of the PFA Fans' Player of the Month Awards for January have been announced…

Premier League

Steven Gerrard – Liverpool

Gerrard has once again confirmed the belief of many – that he is one of the top midfielders in Europe, arguably the world.

A former PFA Fans’ Player of the Year, the Liverpool skipper has been hailed the best player in the Premier League for the second month running.


Championship

Lee Grant – Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday’s consistent keeper, Lee Grant, has been an ever-present in the Owls’ first team this season.

Grant, who joined Wednesday from Derby in July 2007, is a former England Under 21 international – and he’s now being talked about as a possible addition to Fabio Capello’s full squad.


League One

Fabien Delph - Leeds

Leeds United’s exciting midfield talent, Fabien Delph, takes the League One award for the second time this season.

Leeds’ fans will be mightily relieved that the transfer window has come and gone without the highly-rated England Under 21 international departing Elland Road.


League Two

Simeon Jackson

Gillingham’s exciting young striker Simeon Jackson is another player of immense promise.

Born in Jamaica but raised in Ontario, Canada he has represented Canada at Under 20 level – seven caps – and has been included in the full national squad but is yet to make his debut.


Voting for February closes at midnight on the 28th.  Fans can vote for their favourite player at www.givemefootball.com/vote

The reputation of direct email marketing has been tarnished by spam mail, but not only are such scattergun methods ineffective, they can in fact have a negative impact. Indiscriminately sending out a raft of generic messages is unlikely to catch the recipients’ attention, and may even sully a company’s image.

At Sports New Media we understand the importance and effectiveness of targeted email marketing as part of an integrated overall marketing strategy. If carried out correctly email marketing can increase website traffic, increase sales conversion, generate repeat sales and even help obtain valuable feedback.

With a wealth of experience in the field we have learnt what is important when launching a new media marketing strategy for sports sites. In recent campaigns we have worked with the Professional Footballers’ Association and Setanta Sports, calling upon our existing database to focus campaigns to our clients’ needs.

We understand the importance of running a customer focused campaign. Our bank of consumer research is an invaluable resource that we utilise to make sure your business’s goals and objectives are met. To best serve customers needs we personalize every campaign, using our database in a selective way to ensure that focus is maintained and targets are met.

We also believe it is important to incorporate emerging technologies, making sure your business remains at the forefront of new developments. A successful email marketing campaign will go hand in hand with other forms of new media marketing. A wide, diverse marketing strategy that incorporates a range of channels such as social networking, forums and mobile technologies is key to further increasing exposure.

If done correctly an email marketing campaign can be incredibly good value, with statistics showing that for every £1 spent returns can be as high as £57. A focused and integrated campaign is an excellent way to further the aims of your business and help meet your marketing goals. At Sports New Media we can help you every step of the way.