The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be spoken about amongst friends, family and fans for years to come. US fans were treated with an almost-unprecedented performance by our national team, and despite ultimately being defeated in Round 16, they kept up with historic powerhouses such as Wales, England and even Iran! Meanwhile, Argentina emerged victorious after 35 years without success — spearheaded brilliantly by Lionel Messi himself.
And as the allure of fútbol, or soccer, continues to expand in America and advertisements become more and more captivating during this revered competition, we’ve got everything you need to know about this year’s World Cup ad performance.
FOX, FS1 shows top Ad performance
“During a thrilling and historic fall live sports season, the 2022 FIFA World Cup on FOX broke through the noise and generated nearly 6 billion impressions and hundreds of thousands of consumer engagements,” said Mark Evans, Executive Vice President of Sales at FOX Sports.
“Data from our TV outcomes partner EDO showcases how well ads that aired during the games resonated with fans: The World Cup provided a premium environment for advertisers as a whole, where viewers were significantly more likely to engage with ads than a typical TV program,” Evans continued. “The captivated American audience was locked into the four U.S. Men’s National Team matches, where viewers were 75% more likely to engage with ads than the average TV program.”
World Cup generates engagement across English-language and Spanish-language TV
The 2022 FIFA World Cup generated $114 million in total estimated spend and 3.5 million total searches with over 3,000 ads aired across FOX, FS1, and Telemundo.
Top insights include:
- Top spenders. The top five spenders (Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Coca-Cola, Ford, and Walmart) invested a combined $30 million throughout the World Cup, across networks.
- Brands that generated the most search. Walmart, Verizon, BMW, Ford, and Volkswagen generated the most consumer engagement, overall (check out a few of the spots they aired via the links).
- Walmart generated 37x more searches than the median brand that advertised during the World Cup, with Verizon Wireless (14x), BMW (10x), Ford (8.1x), and Volkswagen (8x) rounding out the top five.
- Department stores, wireless brands gain traction. Outside of the entertainment category, department stores were the top searched category during the World Cup, with 16% of searches during World Cup programming. TV, internet & wireless also performed well, garnering 13% of searches.
The road to Super Bowl LVII
With the FIFA World Cup now in the rearview mirror, all eyes in the advertising world have now turned towards America’s favorite pastime: the other Football. The Super Bowl is only a few weeks away, which means advertisers are putting the final touches on their plans to wow viewers’ senses come February 12th. From celebrity sightings to mischievous puppies, we can expect to see it all and more as brands vie for a place in our hearts (and minds). So sit back, relax, and get ready for an exciting ride leading up to one of the most anticipated annual events!
Your time on the pitch may be over, but your time on the gridiron is just beginning. Kickoff your Super Bowl planning by checking out our real-time NFL Season Top Ads (so far), or schedule a demo to make sure your next fourth down is the one you need.