A World Cup of potential

In an hour, the US and Belgian FIFA World Cup teams will be proudly chanting their anthems as they prepare to play 90 minutes of football (yeah, football) in one of the most dramatic and exciting World Cups of the last decade. Sure, I’ll watch it on my DVR as soon as I get home but in honor of my spitefully sitting at a desk whilst missing the game, I’ve decided to write this week’s post about the incredible traction World Cup marketing has gotten during this tourney.

According to Google, the World Cup “has more interest in Google Search than the big game (the Super Bowl), the Olympics and the Tour de France combined.” In the same report, the tech giant notes that the sport is most popular among Latin American countries but has grown extensively in the U.S. as Hispanic population growth continues. In addition to this, Nielsen reports that U.S. Latinos adopt and engage with smartphones at a higher rate than the average American.

Consider these facts from the AHAA:

• – 1 in 6 Americans is now Hispanic
• – Every 30 seconds a Hispanic turns 18 years old
• – 65% of U.S. Hispanics are Millenials, ages 22-35
• – By 2050, Hispanics will account for at least 30% of the total U.S. population
• – Hispanic estimated purchasing power will increase to $1.5 trillion in 2015 from $1.2 trillion in 2012, growing faster than any other minority demographic in the U.S.
• – Latinos accounted for $2.2 billion of total e-commerce purchases made across the U.S. in the first quarter of 2012

Perhaps with a look at these numbers the picture becomes clearer. There’s a shift in the way Americans watch and interact with sports. Demographic changes are one part of the bigger picture, but the overarching theme is that technology is making our world much more global and connected, in a way twisting the arm of U.S. marketers. There’s no doubt that advertisers will be challenged with the rising minority demographics, but maybe this will be a stride in the direction of more universal branding messages that capture more than just Americans or Hispanics or Latinos or football fans. We’ll see where these shifts take us, but for now…

Victor Escoto

Creative AP

Mood: Diligent