Adland could do with a boost from this summer’s men’s World Cup in America but it doesn’t look lioke being the bonanza some hope for.
WARC’s new global Ad Trends predicts revenue of $10.5bn, up on 2024 but lagging 2018, in Russia of all places (below). How time flies.
One reason is TV timings in some key markets, another is the relative decline of linear TV. Or, just maybe, there’s too much football these days and some are tiring of it. Also club competitions have overtaken national ones in the eyes of many.
WARC Media head of content Alex Brownsell puts a positive spin on it: “This World Cup is no longer just about live matches—brands will engage with fans across touchpoints before, during and after matches have concluded. Media plans will include platforms that benefit from the conversation about the World Cup without the burden of bidding for rights – from creator content to podcasts, turning conversations around the games into powerful opportunities for connection and impact.”
Sadly these days it’s also about politics with the ogreish Donald Trump and his pal FIFA’s Gianni Infantino always prepared to help out. What should have been the biggest and best World Cup to date is now threatened from numerous angles, not least the Trump-inspired worldwide energy crunch.
