Marketers highlight positive impact England World Cup 2018 bid win could have
Regional marketers highlight the value that England winning the right to host the 2018 World Cup could have for the UK marketing industry.
Kevin McKay, director of sports marketing for McCann Erickson Manchester, who is involved in the marketing of the 2012 Olympic Games said that he expected a great benefit for the marketing industry in England should the bid be successful.
“If we take our experience from our involvement with the London 2012 Olympic Games, with a global event such as the World Cup what you would have are global sponsors,” he explained.
“Now naturally what happens there is that they run their lead campaign our of the host country and they naturally fall to their agencies within those regions. Naturally what has happened with the sponsors working with Olympics is that they have appointed their agencies within the UK and the majority of their spend is in the UK. As a result there is a double effect. You get the agencies winning big global piece of business and equally the effect that it has on the economy translates into other areas of the nation,” continued McKay.
Meanwhile, Leeds sports marketer Gary McCall also highlighted the economic benefits that it would bring to the nation and the regions, should it be victorious.
“If England win the bid to host the world cup it will bring billions to the economy and generate millions for the individual cities where the games will be played,” commented McCall.
“For a city such as Leeds it’s a great opportunity for Leeds to be the focus of the world and clearly for some of the bigger cities you are talking millions of pounds for their local economies for hotels, restaurants, it’s just such a huge benefit for the regions.”
McCall continued to say that longstanding global sponsorship partners such as Coca-Cola, Budweiser and Mastercard would likely be on board such an event and that the effect that such an effect would have in creating a positive mood for the nation.
“The good will feeling that it will give the whole country through merchandise, the fanzones that will be created, hotel accommodation. A lot of people say that the World Cup is bigger than the Olympics in terms of its scale,” continued.
According to Price Waterhouse Cooper, hosting the World Cup would bring £3.26bln to the UK.
England faces stiff competition from Spain and Portugal, as well as Russia, which is the other hot favourite contender, and will find out the winning bid at around 3pm this afternoon when FIFA makes the announcement.