FIFA's mission: Unite The World

The FIFA World Cup, arguably the world’s largest sporting event had a combined 3.5 billion viewers in 2018. There are a total of 32 national soccer teams that compete to be crowned the champions of the tournament that is held quadrennially.  The Federation International de Football Association (FIFA) is a non-profit organization who “exist to govern football and develop the game around the world.” (Fifa.com) FIFA’s mission revolves around three pillars: the development of football around the globe, tournament development and social and environmental benevolence. 

FIFA wants to reinforce the reasons why soccer is known as ‘The Beautiful Game’ all around the globe. We are going to use the SWOT analysis to determine how FIFA markets the World Cup to achieve profits while maintaining its social mission. The sport is admired all over the globe and can unite communities through fanhood for a certain team and being prideful of your national team. 

 

Strengths

 

The brand image of FIFA is one of their most powerful assets. They are constantly developing ideas to reflect their global mission, to unite people through the game of football and change the lives of these people for the better. FIFA also has its own saying, “For the Game. For the World.” This saying best describes their mission to expand football as well as completing their social mission. Unofficially being world’s most widely viewed sporting event creating an opportunity for FIFA to develop soccer in countries that are willing to host the tournament in their nation.

 

 Weaknesses

 

There have been allegations of corruption at FIFA that includes the World Cup: fraudulent dealings, racketeering and money laundering are a few examples. Some of the higher executive positions have been accused of committing these crimes. FIFA must reassure the public and shareholders what FIFA is truly representing. These cases negatively affect the reputation of FIFA, but by continuing to be focused on their mission they can retain their prestigious brand logo that representing credibility and authenticity.

 

Opportunities

 

Expanding the game will help with not only the mission that
FIFA aims to achieve, but by generating more viewership for when the next world cup takes place. The 2018 World Cup brought in a revenue of $5.36 billion, with expenses of $1.2 billion and having a total profit of $3.6 billion. The amount of people it reaches around the world allows the World Cup to be an incredible marketing partner. A key partner for the most recent world cup was Adidas who promoted its new plastic-recycled products that aim to have a more sustainable company. The company was able to see a percentage jump increase of 12% resulting in the net income of the brand reaching $460 million.  

 

Threats

 

A current threat to FIFA is corruption because of the amount of money the corporation generates. Match fixing raises tensions between fans and ruins the reputation of FIFA. teams, referees and even some FIFA executives have been accused of participating in match fixing to financially gain from in from betting on certain teams to win. FIFA ultimately has the people asking the company ‘preserve the beauty of the beautiful game.’ 

 

Overall, we understand that FIFA has valued its social mission to unite people while using the money it generates to further grow the sport. The reputation of the company has tanked in certain moments over the last century, but the company remains focused on creating a sport that everyone can enjoy and benefit from.

Check out this video to see what the power of football is!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZB4kl2w7RE

Citations:

The FIFA World Cup, Human Rights Goals and the Gulf Between. https://scholarship.law.umassd.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1212&context=fac_pubs. 

“More than Half the World Watched Record-Breaking 2018 World Cup.” Klimkova: My New Zealand Will Play to Win, https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/2018russia/media-releases/more-than-half-the-world-watched-record-breaking-2018-world-cup. 

“MSG Management  Study  Guide.” Effects of FIFA World Cup on the Economy, https://www.managementstudyguide.com/effects-of-fifa-world-cup-on-economy.htm. 

“Sentiment Analysis and Sponsors – a Look at the FIFA World Cup.” NetBase Quid, 21 Dec. 2020, https://netbasequid.com/blog/sentiment-analysis-and-sponsors-a-look-at-the-fifa-world-cup/. 

Soccer and World Cup Bring Worlds Together - Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_hX3sB3_N8. 

Sweeney, Peter Adams and Erica. “Adidas Sales Surge on Strength of World Cup Sponsorship.” Marketing Dive, 10 Aug. 2018, https://www.marketingdive.com/news/adidas-sales-surge-on-strength-of-world-cup-sponsorship/529807/. 

Post-Covid: The return of cruise ships?

My roommates and I have talked about our plans for the upcoming spring break and what everyone is planning on doing. Most of them talked about going back home and spending time with their loved ones, while others talked about possible vacationing spots. One of my roommates talked about going on a cruise which caught my attention; we were seeing many industries suffer immensely due to the global pandemic, especially the tourism industry. With a socially distanced world, how can cruise line companies reach consumers post-covid and persuade them to embark on cruises?

 

Social media give companies opportunities to communicate with consumers in a more engaging and personal manner: an opportunity to provide discounts, promote new services, allow customers to share their experiences, greater customer service and post travel advice. Social media is not the only way to connect with consumers, many cruise lines have their own application that most phone owners can download. A social media presence allows companies to improve their line of communication to consumers. Consumers' high expectations are followed up with their extensive research, but a strong digital platform informs consumers of what the company has to offer.

 

There is a common misconception that most cruise passengers are older; this is far from the truth. There are numerous different cruise lines that will cater to different demographics. For example, a Disney cruise line will be full of families and children, whereas longer sailing cruises, typically around 2-3 weeks at sea, tend to have passengers who are retired and want to sail the world. With the current disruption that Covid-19 restrictions have brought to the tourism industry, cruise lines are forced to offer higher fares and fewer routes for consumers because of safety measures. Although there are issues that all cruise lines will face, they can create new key factors that will allow consumers to trust going on cruises again: health and safety standards and flexible booking. Companies are quickly developing strategies that include the key factors in the hope that customers will gain trust and demand of bookings will increase and recover to pre-covid times. 

 

Competing in the market has companies prioritizing engagement with consumers through digital content and social media. In summary, by understanding the consumer’s purchase decision process, cruises are attempting to reinvent their marketing strategy in the current environment. Companies are understanding that consumers are trying to travel the ocean. As a result, consumers are looking for cruise lines that guarantee the health and safety of its customers. Social media and applications inform consumers in a more engaging way by promoting different cruise routes and involving them in potential giveaways. Ultimately, the market is constantly changing and adapting to restrictions the global pandemic has caused; companies change marketing strategies to promote their service in a digital world.

Sources: Villar, D. F. (2020, November 17). How can cruise and airlines reinvent themselves post-COVID to win back consumers. WTM Global Hub. Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://hub.wtm.com/how-can-cruise-and-airlines-reinvent-themselves-post-covid-to-win-back-consumers/ 

\Cruise passenger demographics: Who will be on my cruise? Cruise Reviews, Cruise Deals and Cruises - Cruise Critic. (n.d.). Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=4008 

Google. (n.d.). 3 engagement strategies for cruise marketers to win with consumers - think with google. Google. Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/consumer-trends/cruise-marketing-engagement-strategy/