Digital World Cup
Loud cheers and jubilant shouts from all directions: On June 12, 2014, after a four-year wait, the long-awaited World Cup finally kicked off in Brazil. However, this isn’t just good news for our mighty FIFA and the passionate soccer fans—companies both large and small are also using the event to market their products and services and line their pockets in the process.
Whether it's fan merchandise from T-shirts to shorts, as at the mall, or free World Cup planners in print magazines - everything is under the sign of the World Cup. Agencies are busy planning campaigns, on the streets we are inundated with advertising posters in the World Cup look, and media companies are reporting live on the big event in a ticker. Not to mention the hairdresser's store just around the corner, which has decorated its shop window to match the football event.
Yes, the World Cup is in full swing, and of course everyone wants to earn money, but which actions are really useful and above all useful for us fans? In my eyes, Web 2.0 in particular offers a number of helpful functions and tools for the World Cup:
For example, I noticed the online image processing program Pixlr, which has something practical to offer for this occasion: they have developed so-called soccer stickers, with which anyone can decorate their own pictures and collages. Simple, but useful for anyone who wants to spice up their own pictures with their national flag or mini soccer balls to match the World Cup.
Another smart move came from Internet TV pioneer Zattoo, which launched a new version of its mobile TV app just in time for the World Cup. Zattoo further developed its Windows 8 app and prepared it for use on Windows smartphones. As a result, Zattoo is of course ideally prepared for the World Cup and the expected increase in users.
However, I find the "World Cup Games Planner" of the online scheduler Doodle particularly useful, with which the joint public viewing can be organized in an uncomplicated way. The various groups and pairings of the tournament are clearly listed and presented. Whether at home in the garden or in the favorite pub - the place for the ideal World Cup party can be determined by everyone. After sending the invitation, the guests can open the link, click on their possible dates and also see who has already made an entry and when that person has time and when not. This makes it easy to find a common date for the World Cup games. Practical, clear and free of charge: Doodle uses its classic product in an innovative way.
Once again, the digital world proves that with the right mix of creativity and pragmatism, you have excellent opportunities to achieve the best results. Just like football, actually.
Manuel P. Nappo, Director of Studies CAS Social Media Management HWZ Hochschule für Wirtschaft Zürich. www.fh-hwz.ch/smm
