When a sporting event this big only happens every four years, there is no doubt that it generates super social media buzz all over the world. Especially during broadcasting, my recent twitter timeline has erupted along with other forms of social media, connecting everyone with their favorite players and teams. Twitter even has a new World Cup feature, where you’re prompted at login to select your favorite team so you can view World Cup news and trending topics on a separate timeline. The same goes for Facebook with their World Cup specific page called ‘Trending World Cup.’
The amount of soccer fans, especially younger fans, has grown significantly since the last World Cup in 2010, which is surprising because Americans are usually lagging behind as soccer fans compared to the rest of the world. With the passing of four years and the heightened growth of social media usage, new sources of information are becoming available to viewers, making it easier for them to be in the loop regarding events going on with the World Cup. Sony has created One Stadium Live, allowing users to connect with one another as well as with World Cup news through multiple social media platforms. They even created an app, since smart phones are the go-to device when checking stats and scores.
A number of brands have also started up World Cup campaigns including: McDonalds, Listerine, Hyundai, Adidas, Kia, Coca-cola, Budweiser and Visa. Most of them have gained more positive feedback than negative, but there is expected to be more sponsor acknowledgement as the event progresses through the next month.