Over the years FIFA World Cup has become more than just an international football event. It has become an emotion that connects people beyond borders. Merchandising, sponsoring, social media campaigns, media events, and a whole lot of other things happen. All of these are FIFA’s way of creating a brand more than an event. 

And as a brand FIFA knows where its fans are. So. from YouTube to Instagram, FIFA is rocking the social media stage with all kinds of content. Countdowns, announcements, team stories, player stories, behind-the-scene content and so much more. This gives the fans the privilege of staying connected with the game and their favorite players. And it gives the brand a way to expand beyond boundaries and reach out to the masses. Win more fans. And sponsorship too! 

Wondering how FIFA does it? Let’s find out. We are going to discuss marketing lessons from FIFA’s marketing strategies in this blog. Let’s go over some popular campaigns on social media, print, and outdoor channels. See if you can grab any idea from this for your brand. 

Marketing Lessons From the FIFA Branding Approach

1. There is more to your brand than your products 

A brand that cares for its customers and stands for the greater good ends up winning hearts. With this, you are showing people that you are in the market not just for selling products. But to create a name. To make a difference. And that’s what differentiates your brand from the competition. 

FIFA’s print campaigns during the COVID period are examples of how the brand aims at making meaningful connections with its customers. The copy in these ads read, “Being out can change the game. To defeat COVID-19, stay in.”

There were a series of images from critical matches used in these campaigns. These were not just any random moments from the game. But moments that changed the game. FIFA picked out images from games where the goalkeeper was not “in” to defend. And thus eventually became the reason for the team’s disadvantage in the match. Using this message the brand conveyed the need to “stay in”, during the pandemic. 

Remember that you are not selling just a product or a service. You are selling an idea. And unless you make a real connection with your audience, they will not be able to consider your idea. After all, will you stop and listen to a random idea from some random person you are not acquainted with?! 

2. Focus on the engagement part 

Your communication should not be one-way. If you need your brand to be successful your marketing should go beyond you talking about your brand. You should initiate conversations with your customers and let them have a say! Stories on Instagram can be valuable tools for this. Without interrupting the flow of your regular content on social media, Stories can be used to initiate quick and easy conversations. 

In fact, 58% of Instagram users report developing an interest in a brand after seeing it in Stories. So, consistently creating Story posts and also Story ads can have a huge impact on your reach. And engagement rates too! 

Yes, promotions are important. But what matters, even more, is engagement. Selling becomes easy the moment you start conversing with your audience. That’s why conversational posts and even engaging stories on social media are part of FIFA branding. Here’s an example. 

Kimp Tip: When you have to create Stories with a poll, quiz, or even countdown, ensure that you have an easily recognizable template. When this template has your brand colors, signature fonts, or other visual elements, your customers will quickly identify it even as they navigate from one Story to another. 

Want to create social media templates to create consistent-looking Story posts for your social media page? Sign up for a Kimp Graphics subscription today. 

3. Give your fans something to look forward to 

2022 games are still not on but FIFA has already started creating anticipation for the 2026 World Cup. 

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A post shared by FIFA World Cup (@fifaworldcup)

See how FIFA keeps building the thrill days ahead of an actual event. That’s a brilliant idea to try. 

Posting regularly is one thing. But giving your social media audience something to look forward to can be productive. 

For example, if your Instagram followers are the first to hear about critical brand-related announcements, more customers will come forward to follow your brand on Instagram. They will be eager to join the conversation and get some insider information. 

Remember to plan such anticipation-building posts regularly. For example, say you want to replicate this idea for a big sale that’s coming up. Here are a few things you can try: 

• Start with a post that simply says that there is an important announcement coming up. Clearly mention the date and time. 
• Add a countdown if required. 
• Finally, announce the sale. 
• After this, you can further boost the excitement by doing a price reveal and asking customers to keep their shopping cart ready or to wishlist the items. 

4. Leverage the power of nostalgia 

When your videos or images make customers feel nostalgic, it means that you have managed to evoke a strong emotional response from them. And they will like your brand for that. For example, an ad that helps them reminisce fond memories from their childhood will be an ad they remember. 

FIFA cashes in on this idea brilliantly through its social media channels. You see FIFA posting snippets from past World Cup events. Or even game-changing moments. For fans who have witnessed them, this will be a trip down memory lane. And for others who have not watched the previous games, this will be something that tells them what they have been missing out on. 

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A post shared by FIFA World Cup (@fifaworldcup)

As a brand, you can use this idea and use throwback posts. These can help customers know your brand a little more. Or you can further expand the idea and create month-in-review or year-in-review emails. These can tell customers about their journey with your brand. It helps them relive the experience. And if it was a good one, this will be a trigger that motivates them to shop again. 

5. Have a good mix of marketing channels 

The world of marketing is nothing less than a warzone today. There is no brand that has made significant progress merely by advertising through flyers or by using web ads alone. While narrowing your focus might give short-term conversions, if you need long-term growth, diversify your approach. 

Do not shy away from exploring the many marketing channels out there. Just because there are many new digital channels, do not give up on the old ones, like the good old billboards, for example. 

FIFA knows that pretty well. That’s why it goes strong when it comes to billboard advertising., year after year. 

And yes, the brand also makes sure that it keeps up with the evolving trends. Animated billboards are in. Take a look at this attention-grabbing revolving billboard design from FIFA. 

Even someone who does not follow football will be drawn to a billboard like this one. And you will see a lot of people share pictures of such creative billboards on social media as well. Now that opens up a few more marketing opportunities for you. And expands your reach. 

Kimp Tip: Display loops, static animations, and a whole lot of other animations look cool on digital billboards. But always remember the placement and plan your design accordingly. Even with static billboards, you can make heads turn by using optical illusion and other interactive concepts. These will make people stop and take a second look at your ad. 

6. Create content that inspires and entertains 

As you were reading this blog post, thinking about football all along, how many times did you unintentionally hear Waka Waka play in your mind? You are not alone. Every World Cup, fans look forward to the official soundtrack and anthem as they look forward to the games. See what FIFA has done here? It has been creating content that inspires and entertains its audience. 

As a marketer, this is a wonderful tip to add to your marketing strategy. Remember the good old days when we listened to that familiar jingle on TV and instantly recognized what brand it was? This idea never gets old! Your content should create an immersive experience. It should stimulate all the senses. Images are good enough. But you cannot settle down there! You need more than good enough! You need videos. 

Kimp Tip: You might have the best concept for your video. But a lot depends on the final editing part. You need to make the clip look professional. There should be a relevant and engaging soundtrack. And most importantly, there should be convenient captions and text overlays. Nearly 80% of Americans are more likely to watch the entire video if it has captions. This is pretty obvious because videos are played muted most of the time. 

Want to edit your videos or add text overlays to them? The Kimp Video subscription covers all this and more! 

7. Weave emotions into your ads

This was the emblem launch video for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. As you can see most stills focus on the emotional moments from the games. And the raw emotions from fans. It is these emotions that connect fans around the world. 

When you want to convey something to your customers, directly talking about your products is one way to do it. But if you want to create a memorable ad, you need to evoke all the right emotions. Your ad, be it an image or a video, should make your customers smile or cry or at least challenge their perspectives in some way. By doing this, your message stays with them a little longer. Such ads give them a strong reason to try your products/services. 

8. Sustainability strengthens your brand image 

Over the years FIFA has shown the world how it supports sustainability. Adding to this, FIFA announced the Green Card for the Planet campaign. This is a campaign intended to strengthen the awareness of environment-friendly practices. There was also a video featuring  FIFA President Gianni Infantino talking about this initiative. 

When you focus on your corporate social responsibility activities and engage your customers in them, as FIFA does, your brand gets stronger. You show people that your business is not merely about making money. 

More than 33% of consumers prefer working with brands that focus on environmental and social good. So, inculcating sustainable practices and smartly talking about them on social media can boost your brand image significantly. 

Revamp Your Marketing Strategy Based on Fifa Branding Secrets With a Kimp Subscription

To execute all these ideas, you need a good mix of images and videos for all traditional and trending marketing channels. As your brand grows and as your marketing strategies change, your design requirements change too. That’s why we have comprehensive graphic design and video design plans at Kimp. So, if you want to start with branding designs only but then expand to digital ads and then social media, we got you covered. Your monthly rate includes all these design categories. So, start your free trial today.