FIFA World Cup 2022 campaigns excite fans, give them a taste of euphoria: Industry heads 

With merely a few days until the much-awaited sporting event--the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022--kicks off, soccer fans across the globe as well as in India are buzzing with excitement. India's football fan base is undoubtedly on the rise and is perhaps the largest among non-competing nations. To showcase the heightened excitement and interest of the desi football fans for the upcoming season of the global sporting event, campaigns around the event have been released by multiple brands. 

The high-quality advertising campaigns are an ode to the football craze among Indians--cutting across age and gender. The campaigns aim to excite the viewers giving them a taste of the euphoria and the carnival-like atmosphere that the FIFA World Cup brings with itself. 

Top industry heads have welcomed the manner in which these campaigns connect Indian fans to the excitement around the game. Dilip Cherian, founding partner of Perfect Relations said although the insertion of the Indic theme is not new, the attempt that the campaigns make to connect the Indian audience to the global excitement is a good effort. “The energy of the game, its sheer diversity and the universal appeal comes through these campaigns. From the spectator point of view, the campaign has tried to slightly Indianize a sport in which India still doesn't figure," he said. "While the attempt is to create a feel for the sport which is hugely popular in India, the message to me is that we are still at the cutputli (puppet) stage and we have a long way to go,” said Cherian. He, however, added that the campaigns are effective in terms of making people watch the game.  

Veteran adman Prahlad Kakkar said, "I think it is cute, but could have been funnier," he said.

Commenting on the heightened fan craze in India around FIFA World Cup, Varun Duggirala, co-founder of The Glitch, an independent creative agency said, “Football is one of the defining global sports and is especially one which brings a lot of connect with a younger audience who follow a broader realm of players across their favourite teams in the football leagues across the world. This along with the passion that exudes from each World Cup is why events like these are always attractive for a wide range of audiences”

Josy Paul, Chairman & CCO, BBDO India that he believes that the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be the most watched football World Cup in Indian history.  “It’s partly a reaction to the pandemic. After Covid, people want to maximize every possible experience. Like revenge travel, it’s ‘revenge experience’! There’s going to be greater football viewing with friends, family and colleagues. It’s happening for me too. I’ve been getting calls for community and group viewing,”said Paul.  He also added that the second reason for the heightened interest is the accessibility factor. “A lot of viewers will stream matches online on their smartphones. This will create added excitement and spread the game. Lastly, India losing in the cricket world cup semi-final will get more Indians to pause on cricket for a bit and move over to other sports. The Football World Cup is timely. It’ll take our mind off cricket and help heal the wound,” said Paul.