Euro16 is here- so what should brands expect from it? Onspon.com dissects a few research reports published and learnings to bring across some facts that can make their brands' engagement effective.
A study conducted by RadiumOne has derived key findings in a sample group of 1,000 people interested in the tournament. Their findings show that TV rules the roost, but it also suggests there are opportunities for brands to branch out in how they connect with fans watching football. While 82% will watch games live on TV, 58% will talk about the Euros with friends or family face-to-face, 56% will follow news about the tournament and 50% will follow a team.
In addition, 22% will listen on the radio, 21% will consume content on social media, 20% will share UEFA Euro ‘16-related content with friends or family using email, text or instant messaging and 19% will share content via social channels.
Team from Onspon.com further analysed the research details. The research also shows that engagement with the Euros is high, as 45% of those surveyed would describe themselves as fanatics, 36% as enthusiasts and 19% as followers. Fanatics are mostly male – 59% versus 41% of females – while the split for enthusiasts swings the other way, with 45% of men classing themselves as such, versus 55% of women. There are also more female followers (67%) compared to men (33%), but while men are perhaps more obsessive in their love of football, there are a significant number of very interested women that brands should be looking to engage. What does it mean ?
So what about the gender divide ? Almost three in five fans suggest that they will watch the Euros at home on their own, more prevalent in male fans (71%) than female fans (45%) who want to devote their time to the game. Female fans are significantly more likely to plan a party or barbecue (21% compared to 11% of men) or watch the games at a family member’s house (43% of women versus 27% of men).
Further detailing on the mode of viewing ; the data clearly indicated that most fans will watch matches live on TV, talk about games with friends or family, and watch highlight shows on TV. Fanatics are significantly more likely to participate in any UEFA-related activity, while female fans are more inclined towards supporting a team in the Euros.
Hitesh Gossain, CEO of Onspon.com derives an interesting conclusion, “While those described as followers will be more likely to focus on the game, fanatics and enthusiasts will be multi-tasking and actively engaging with the match by reading, chatting and sharing content. Reading online comments or chatting via instant messaging are the top two activities done while watching the game, illustrating that brands should consider different tactics to reach their target audience.”
The above study also unveils that about 87% of the people will be sharing content in ‘dark social’ mode which indicates to online chats and emails and not social platforms. This means that their content will be bypassing the analytics programs for web measurement. Among the type of shared content, scores turned out to be the favorite with 53%, and goals being the next in line with 47%. News and pictures take up 42% each, followed by controversial decisions by referees, which stand at 41%. Team news sharing will be done by 35% of the respondents.
In terms of devices used for sharing, smartphones lead the way with 38%. This will be followed by 24% using laptops and 18% using tablets.
Hitesh sums up by saying - 'The above stats clearly point out that the Euro 2016 is all set to be a second-screen experience providing Indian brands with a series of sustainable opportunities regarding ‘moment marketing,’ if they are able to establish a connection of the usage of second-screen with the key moments.'
The key moments can also be synchronized to ads that can be directed to a number of connected devices holding a profile similar to that of TV audience. The focus of advertisers will be on making the use of technology to take up a key moment from TV, and use that to expand the reach of their audience base for relevant real-time ad in order to gather better ROI and higher engagement. Hitesh Gossain, CEO Onspon.com says 'Its a perfect opportunity to communicate with a highly engaged gender agnostic IP where a brand can be creative and drive massive engagement across all platforms.'
