Introduction
Marketing has become an important aspect of this information age. This project focuses on the successful World cup bid that was in favor of Qatar. The world governing football body FIFA normally allows for bids so that the highest bidder or country hosts the World cup competition. The World Cup 2022 is to be hosted in Qatar for the first time. This will be an ample opportunity for businessmen to invest in Qatar during the competitions. This paper focuses on the Qatar World Cup bid by taking a look at the World Governing body FIFA. The paper will also investigate and analyze the probable promotional campaign medium such as brochures, posters among others. The paper then concludes by analyzing the target market and how the promotional materials will affect the target market. This discussion is tied to FIFA’s mission and objectives.
Background Information
In 2007, FIFA finalized its policy of continental rotation making African and South American countries disqualified for 2018 and 2022. FIFA World Cup bidding process for the year 2022 started in March 2009. The governing body received a total of eleven bids from close to thirteen countries. All the bids from Europe were canceled while other countries like Indonesia had their bid canceled for inadequate backing from the government and Mexico withdrew due to financial constraints. The hotly contested bidding process had voting rights taken away from two FIFA committee members due to allegations of bribery.
The final success of Qatar winning the World cup is seen by many people as a boost to the nation’s economic and financial growth of the country. Marketing becomes an important aspect during this competition since the world cup is a world competition that brings several countries together. FIFA is governed by the FIFA Congress, the Executive committee, and the standing committee. The governing body must ensure that the competition is well marketed. In an interview with the FIFA president, he cited several factors that must be considered for a country to be considered. These include the number of stadiums and their capacities, finances, government support, security, and other social amenities.
The Organization
The purpose of this plan is to create investment opportunities in Qatar during the year 2022 by putting in place the right promotional materials so that a large number of people can attend the world cup competitions in Qatar. The objectives of FIFA are to organize the world cup competitions in a free and fairway, to analyze the different technologies to be employed during the competitions, and the planning how the competitions will be promoted throughout the world.
Promotional Campaign
After the successful bids, Qatar has a very challenging task of promoting the world cup competition with the help of the FIFA governing council so that the competition succeeds. Jobber (2001) argues that a successful promotion plan should assess all the opportunities available for communication, the channels of communication to use, the objectives to use, the message to pass across, the budget to work with, and the campaign effectiveness. Several promotional materials are suitable for this competition.
The market for the world cup competitions grows from one season to another. This is because many countries have incorporated football as the main game for both the young and the adults. It remains that though the majority of the people may not be actively involved in playing the game, a large percentage of people like watching the game. A proper marketing plan is essential since the whole world has a role to play in the competition. The larger part of the promotions will be done using posters, websites, and brochures.
Brochures
A professional design of brochures for this competition is a good investment for FIFA since it will conceptualize the demands of the fans of the games. Brochures can post FIFA to a world of professionalism where their profile is well illustrated. The designing of brochures needs the designer to capture the psychology of the target market. The brochures are not overcrowded since in the world of designing brochures, the lesser the contents, the more the design of the brochure. Large fonts have been used to pull the attention of the audience. It is possible for someone who is far away to be attracted so that he can pay attention and capture the message. The message is clear, sporty, and takes into consideration the customer’s mind.
Posters
This material is used to capture a larger audience at a very little cost within a very short period. Research on the kind of players the fans will be looking for, favorite countries to lift the trophy and the audience must be considered. Diversification while using posters is a very important practice. The posters should be used in different places and different designs for posters used, messages varied, offers included, and other techniques included so that the posters are noticeable and clear in the customer’s mind. Striking colors are used to create a relaxed mood.
Websites
This is a very important promotional material for FIFA. Internet use has changed the way different companies reach their markets (Dinan, 2000). A large population can be reached through several channels that promote football, the blog spaces, and the social websites available through the internet. The FIFA website shall form the main location for the information concerning the World cup. Other websites are to be created to solve different issues and create a market for other activities during the business. Balanced fonts should be used and dull colors should be avoided.
Market Target
FIFA and other business partners spend a lot of resources on analyzing the existing market in readiness for the Qatar world cup. The changing needs of the target population are studied, the existing opportunities to be exploited, and the market trends. The market size must be analyzed so that the necessary evaluations can be made on the market based on the previous world cups and the customer surveys. The market for the competition is growing at an alarming rate with the games aiming for popularity across the world. Distribution channels are also important since they reach a larger market. The existing channels, emerging channels, and channel power can be embraced with the recent technology so that a larger percentage of customers can be reached. The use of images of footballers with a good reputation in football makes it possible to be identified by the targeted market. The messages passed are aimed at communicating a message that all the people throughout the world should come to Qatar and have an experience of football. This will help the organization to reach a very large number of clients.
Conclusion
Bidding for the World cup is a sign of success once a country wins the bid. Qatari has a responsibility of studying the market so that the information about the world cup can be reached. For the success of this world cup, FIFA and other football governing bodies should ensure that they produce the right promotional materials so that a clear message can be communicated and draw a larger number of fans and other interested parties. These include nations, individuals, and corporate who want to invest in the World cup in Qatar.
References
Dinan, C. (2000). Social Marketing and Sustainable Tourism – is there a Match? International Journal of Tourism Research, 2(2): 1-14.
Jobber, D. (2001). Principles and Practice of Marketing. New York: McGraw Hill.