With the FIFA World Cup in Qatar fast approaching, is your company prepared to take advantage of the incredible marketing opportunity that it presents? The region is set to see a huge influx of visitors and fans, and with the world’s attention firmly focused here, brands are gearing up to take advantage of this major opportunity.

For mobile marketers, in particular, this is an exciting time. Consumers across the region are increasingly turning to mobile for all sorts of activities, and it’s proving to be a significant revenue driver for brands too. In 2021, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) saw a consumer spend of $3.3 billion in app stores in 2021 – up 44% from the previous year.

Like any other seasonal opportunity, such as Ramadan or White/Yellow Friday, companies that plan ahead and start early, gain a significant advantage. Keeping that in mind, here are some additional tips for mobile marketers across the Middle East that are looking to maximize their opportunities around the World Cup.

Understand the ROI of your campaign budgets

Yes, the Qatar World Cup is a fantastic opportunity for marketing across the region and you certainly don’t want to miss out on the increased consumer demand. But it’s important to ensure you’re not spending time and money indiscriminately — like any other campaign, all spending should be justifiable and carefully measured.

First of all, it’s sensible to look at the key performance indicators for your campaign and ensure they fit with your overall business goals. You need to be clear about what you want to achieve with your campaign before you begin it. Is it sales, subscriptions, downloads, or something else?

Second, remember that not all industries and markets will experience the same levels of increased demand during the World Cup. There are of course particular verticals that will be expecting a large surge in demand, like food delivery, taxis, and tourist experiences. But for those operating in sectors such as productivity or business, the rise will be far less marked. And if that’s you, it’s probably not the best idea to invest huge amounts of money and time on advertising and marketing simply because the World Cup is on.

Capitalize on owned channels

A good way to make the most of the opportunities brought about by the World Cup is to use your own channels, which are becoming an increasingly popular and cost-effective way of driving existing customers to a company’s app. There are all kinds of ways to generate downloads and reach using your own channels — like social media posts, using smart banners, or email marketing campaigns.

Brands should incentivize customers by marketing any app exclusives, for example, discounts for purchases in the app. QR codes and deep linking enable you to easily transfer users to where you want them — and make it easy for sales and marketing to measure campaign impact. It’s also vital to ensure a smooth and positive experience for the consumer as they move from the first engagement to downloading and interacting with the app.

Owned channels aren’t just about online media — many retail companies also have physical stores where they can direct customers to their app with a simple QR code at the checkout or in the changing rooms. This can be especially effective as customers shopping in-store are likely to be already engaged with and keen on the brand. 

The impact of remarketing

Remarketing looks at re-engaging people who have already downloaded your app or signed up to your service but aren’t actively using it. Motivating these consumers to restart using the app can have a powerful impact, with AppsFlyer research showing it can lead to an impressive 50% more paying users.

But how to remarket effectively? It’s about providing the right message at the right time, and via the right channel. During the World Cup, targeted special offers can be a great way of doing this. While doing so, it’s important to segment your audience for these campaigns to make sure you’re reaching the right people. 

Deep linking technology is also helpful here, as it takes people directly to a particular point in the app, which is a much more engaging and positive experience — boosting your chance of an effective and profitable campaign.

Campaign Kick-Off

As an example of just how impactful mobile marketing during sporting events can be, consider Coinbase who utilized QR codes to take people from offline to online in their unbelievably successful TV advert during Super Bowl LVI. The ad, which simply showed a QR code bouncing around the screen, generated an incredible 20 million landing page hits in just one minute.

The upcoming World cup presents a huge opportunity for mobile marketers, who need to maximize this opportunity to drive downloads and revenues for their apps. Get it right, and you too could reap the benefits.