In the image: Antoine Caironi, Head of Revenue Twitter MENA

With football fever already underway in the MENA region and around the world ahead of this year’s FIFA World Cup Qatar, Twitter conducted on-the-ground research to understand what people are thinking about in relation to the tournament. Working with GWI, Twitter talked to over 12,000 people across 12 markets including MENA.  With 53M football-related Tweets recorded so far this year, football proves to remain a hot topic on the platform in MENA, and will only continue to be as the World Cup draws closer.

Over 261 Million people on Twitter follow at least one major football content contributor or speaker reflecting the potential value of brands engaging with audiences who follow football. It was demonstrated that cultural relevance drives 23% of a consumer’s purchase decision, while 78% of World Cup fans on the platform say they can find content on Twitter that isn’t available on any other platform, meaning brands that connect with football and the World Cup on Twitter will access a receptive audience.

Antoine Caironi, Head of Revenue Twitter MENA, said: “Football is clearly what’s happening, and it’s happening now on Twitter. The football conversation is bigger than ever before. Up until March this year, we’ve witnessed a 74% spike in average monthly football conversations in comparison to the previous 12 months. For brands to stay ahead of the curve and ensure their marketing calendars capitalize on this regional opportunity to play a central role in the FIFA World Cup conversations, they need to start planning early, and be ambitious!”

Caironi added, “Twitter is where highlights appear first. This isn’t just during the live event but months ahead during the build-up to the first match, as well as in the days and weeks after the tournament ends. So the potential to attract the interest of football fans is exponential. Moreover, we see a powerful intersection with other interests and behaviors as well. In particular, we’ve found football fans on Twitter are 78-82% more likely to engage with brands and other conversations such as tourism, wearable tech, auto, footwear, and smartphones.”

Twitter encourages brands to make use of its offering, such as Amplify Sponsorship, as 72% of people on Twitter find sports highlight clips appealing. Brands have the opportunity to place Pre-Roll Video in front of more than 200 premium content partners, as well as own the conversation with Takeover Ads throughout the year.

There is an evident need for brands in the region to take advantage of the trending topic of football and to capitalize on the large-scale globally anticipated event that will be watched by millions of fans around the world. Experts at Twitter are focused on ways brands can connect with the cultural moments that get the world talking, ensuring they can join the action, as it happens.