DOOH is TV’s wingman this World Cup

Where there’s an audience, there’s an opportunity for brands to connect. Sporting events are about generating awareness and being part of era-defining moments. They also allow brands to connect emotionally and tap into the goodwill generated by sporting achievements.

This summer – sorry, winter – will see the start of the Fifa World Cup, with the final taking place on December 18 2022. A repeat of the 2021 Euros where we all went outside to watch it on the big screens seems unlikely. Aside from die-hard fans in heavy coats and woolly gloves, most of us will be watching from the warmth of our living rooms or at the pub.

What are brands up against this World Cup?

It’s going to be a challenging balancing act for brands, keen to bask in the inevitable glory that Gareth Southgate and his team will surely deliver (cough), but also mindful that Christmas is round the corner and a TV schedule dominated by sporting events may not offer the preferred environment or audience for some brands.

Additionally, audiences in the UK will view via the BBC or ITV – and history tells us that while commercial TV can drive mass viewers to a World Cup, it is usually the BBC that takes a larger share.

Commercial TV arguably remains one of the most powerful branding tools in the marketer’s arsenal, with its ability to reach specific audiences at scale, in their own homes and at speed. But this winter, it is likely going to have to work harder to deliver audiences. Here’s how out-of-home (OOH) advertising can help.

How OOH can help

We already know that OOH complements TV in terms of extending reach and boosting frequency, overperforming in areas with light TV viewership. But with the addition of dynamic, creative content tailored to pre-match excitement on the way to watch a game, or the morning-after celebration (or commiseration) on the journey to work, it adds another layer of engagement at broadcast scale.

TV ratings provide fast turnaround intelligence down to a regional and postal sector level about where and when audiences have been light. We can then use this data as a trigger to purchase DOOH programmatically within relevant locations to ensure our brands aren’t missing target audiences.

Programmatic DOOH allows us enhanced flexibility and the ability to deliver relevant creative to untapped audiences at speed – so it is an excellent way to support and ‘plug the gaps’ in TV delivery. This makes programmatic DOOH not just a technical solution to a problem, but another screen in the digital ecosystem.

So, whether people decide to watch the games at home or in the pub, OOH offers a real opportunity to complement TV advertising activity and ensure that audiences are reached wherever they are. TV – this World Cup, we’ve got your back.