Qatar 2022: Sensitively Navigating This World Cup

Uncharted territory

The FIFA World Cup presents an almost unprecedented opportunity for marketeers. In 2018, 3.5 billion viewers tuned in to the event¹ – almost half of the entire human population – and the competition added an estimated £2.1 billion ($2.4 billion) to the global advertising market².

This year, Qatar hosts the World Cup for the first time. While it’s expected that we’ll see incredible football played, 2022 takes us into unchartered territory in more ways than one.

For the first time in World Cup history, the competition is taking place in an Arab nation. For this reason, it’s also being held during the northern hemisphere’s winter to avoid the extremely high temperatures of Middle Eastern summer.

While this collision with the Christmas run-up presents a unique challenge for marketeers, it’s the controversy and social issues surrounding Qatar 2022 that sponsors, broadcasters, and other brands need to navigate with care:

• Controversy began 12 years ago, when Qatar was announced as a host nation. This was met with accusations of corruption and bribery.
• Qatar have since faced intense criticism from human rights organisations for their poor treatment of migrant workers in the construction of the tournament stadiums.
• Adding to their poor human rights record, Qatar has an intolerance of its LGBTQ+ citizens and strict laws banning homosexuality.

Deciding if it’s right for your brand

In light of these ethical and socially charged issues, the first thing companies should be asking is whether advertising during Qatar 2022 goes against their brand values. It’s important that companies consider their key demographic – is this audience more likely to boycott the World Cup in protest of human rights issues? How many are from the LGBTQ+ community?

Cause-related marketing

Choosing to align your brand with Qatar 2022 doesn’t automatically put you on the wrong side of public sentiment. On the contrary, it can even be an opportunity for socially conscious marketing, if handled sensitively.

In 2022, a growing proportion of football fans expect the brands they love to support good causes and comment on social issues. Globally, 86% of fans are interested in cause-related marketing³. In the UK, a recent YouGov survey found that 84% of World Cup viewers believe FIFA should allocate some revenue to pay Qatar’s migrant workers⁴.

If you are affiliating with this World Cup and your values directly contradict the inequalities present in Qatar, it’s likely fans will expect you to address this and be a force for good. We saw this last year at the European Championships, when sponsors entered the LGBTQ+ rights discourse. This year, several brands are reporting from Qatar, showing both positive and negative activity beyond the stadium.

Keeping campaigns generic

In the UK, broadcaster ITV have created a thoroughly British ad with archive footage of British pundits spanning 50 years. Of course, hyping up national nostalgia and pride feels right for one of the main British TV networks. For international brand Puma, their ad shifts the focus onto football obsessed teens and youth culture, instead of international and geographical culture.

Some brands are taking a different approach – they are neither addressing the controversy nor celebrating the host country. In the past, ad campaigns often focus on the city or country where the World Cup is based, but this year many are subtly shifting the focus away from Qatar.

FIFA sponsor Coca-cola’s campaign does pay tribute to international togetherness through an upbeat collaboration between a Saudi Arabian singer, Egyptian rapper, and Latin artist. However, while the Middle East is represented, there is no direct nod to host Qatar.

Focusing on digital advertising

This year, it’s expected that a lot of European fans won’t be travelling to the stadiums in Doha, Qatar. Alongside boycotting as a political protest, many fans are also considering the personal risks and restrictions of attending the live World Cup:

• Qatar has warned against any displays of affection between people of the same sex – which could result in arrests.
• There is debate over whether LGBTQ+ rainbow flags will be banned in the stadium.
• Public drinking is not allowed during each game.
• Cultural dress code restrictions include covering your shoulders and thighs.

This has huge implications for global World Cup marketing, as two-thirds of the World Cup’s market value comes from Europe⁵. For marketeers, this makes digital advertising more important than ever.

Social media can be a great tool for brands to help remote football fans feel part of the action. Thanks to social channels, marketing is also increasingly becoming a two-way conversation, and this World Cup brands are expected to sensitively navigate social conversations, which if handled correctly could result in significant brand engagement.

There’s a good chance that the human rights dialogue could flare up during the competition, and brands should be proactive and prepared with a robust social comms strategy if tensions on social media bubble over.

Sources and references

1. https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/2018russia/media-releases/more-than-half-the-world-watched-record-breaking-2018-world-cup
2. https://www.zenithmedia.com/world-cup-to-boost-global-adspend-by-us2-4bn-this-year/
3. https://decodingstudy.com/
4. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/09/qatar-global-survey-shows-overwhelming-demand-for-fifa-to-compensate-world-cup-migrant-workers/
5. https://www.statista.com/topics/9211/2022-fifa-world-cup/