Let me say this first of all: my interest in football as a sport is so minuscule you'd struggle to see it with the world's finest magnifier.
But even I get swept away sometimes by the social wave attached to a big match (applies to rugby too. But never tennis).
And so it was that I was stationed firmly on the sofa to see the Lionesses have a go at bringing it home last weekend.
I'm sad that England didn't bring home the World Cup. But I'm very happy to have these epic female role models getting the time in the limelight that they deserve. And both in the run up to, and following the game, there has been no shortage of commentary on what impact the tournament has had on brands.
Here's a few of the takes that I've spotted:
1. What’s kicking off the social conversations? from the team at Brandwatch
If you follow me on LinkedIn you'll know that I love Brandwatch because they use data to provide insight. Here they have pulled together some key data insight around volume of social posts, share of voice and sentiment to summarise the run up to the World Cup final.
2. How the World Cup final played out for brands from Marketing Week
Key insight in this article for me was this: "Brands, in the main, are still presenting stories of how players have “overcome adversity” to be where they are now, rather than focusing on the sport and the passion that comes with it." I think we'll continue to see some brands focus on the underdog angle and become more out of touch, as industry leaders hone in on what really resonates with old and new fans of women's football.
3. World's biggest brands queuing up to sign England's Lionesses says the Daily Mail
Even the Daily Mail is in on the act, comparing the salaries and brand sponsorship worth of the Lionesses in comparison to their male counterparts. I think it will be very interesting to see how brands approach this opportunity. So far there's been some great brands for the players to become involved with. It would be disappointing to see the sponsorship deals focus on supermarket shopping...
4. The best ads around the world as rated by Performance Marketing World
The crew at Performance Marketing World explain why women's football has more advertising appeal than mens, by looking at the short- and long-term impact of some of the best ads from this tournament, as compared with those for the last men's World Cup.
Perhaps the best summing up of the impact of the Lionesses comes not from this series, but from the Euros in 2022, when England midfielder (yes, I googled her position, sue me) Jill Scott commented: "The thought that this Christmas there will be little girls asking for a pair of football boots and embarking on their own journey, and it'll be classed as normal, that'll make us the happiest."
If you'd like your brand to make an impact on your prospective customers, let's get together.
With thanks to Pamela Buenrostro for the photo.
Comments