2022 FIFA World Cup: the sponsors hitting the back of the net
Maite Azkuna
Senior Analyst, Marketing Content & InsightsComscore
As we near the final stages of the tournament, we look at how the sponsors are faring.
So far, the five official sponsors who have gained the most traction on social media are Budweiser, Adidas, Visa, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s. These brands achieved millions of engagements since the tournament began.
After an unexpected head start - Budweiser obtained 7.3 million engagements during the seven days to Nov 24, then the number of engagements dropped to 5 million during the period Nov 25 - Dec 1, before nearly doubling to 9 million during the period Dec 2 - Dec 8.
How did Budweiser pull this off?
It all started 48 hours before the tournament’s kick-off, when Qatar, the host nation, banned the sale of alcoholic drinks in its stadiums. Budweiser – an official sponsor of the tournament, no less - tweeted "Well, this is awkward..." (The post was later removed.)
The unexpected restriction on alcohol consumption, as well as Budweiser's response prompted much social buzz.
The day after, Budweiser announced that the winner of the tournament would take home the banned beers. “Bring Home The Bud” campaign (hashtag #BringHomeTheBud) was launched.
New Day, New Tweet. Winning Country gets the Buds. Who will get them?pic.twitter.com/cK4Cz21ygj
— Budweiser (@Budweiser) November 19, 2022
The campaign hashtag #BringHomeTheBud achieved 5.4M actions in 20 days.
Remember when we said winning country gets the beer? They also get a victory celebration on us. It's gonna be big.
— Budweiser (@Budweiser) November 24, 2022
Help us #BringHomeTheBud pic.twitter.com/cK4Cz21ygj
America, we're one step closer to cracking open the crate.
— Budweiser (@budweiserusa) December 1, 2022
Let's rally behind @USMNT and help them #BringHomeTheBud pic.twitter.com/gmq5A9X7Ek
Budweiser’s “Player Of The Match” campaign (hashtag #POTM), where fans vote on the best player, is also paying off, with a huge engagement for the brewer.
The first game of the FIFA World Cup = your first chance to select the #Budweiser Player of the Match.
— Budweiser (@Budweiser) November 20, 2022
Voting is now open, pick your #POTM!#YoursToTake #BudweiserWorldCup
The campaign hashtag #POTM achieved 10.8M actions since the tournament first match kicked off.
For now, Budweiser tops the scoring charts in terms of social engagement. But with just a few days to go, another 2022 FIFA World Cup sponsor may yet surprise us with a last-gasp winning post.
Learn more by contacting your Comscore representative or visiting comscore.com/learnmore.
Definitions:
* Total number of actions (i.e., reactions, shares, comments, retweets, favorites, loves)