Sport Innovation/The influence of Social Media on 2014 FIFA

By analysing the past versions of the competition it is possible to forecast some of the new ways of technology in use. The two-way communication channel is the new sensation as a tool to get event organisers closer to supporters, answering question in a more personalised manner;

Even at the inaugural World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, fans could use the technology of the day — telephones — to connect to one another! In 2002, the Korean/Japan organisers were one of the firsts to utilize the Internet by creating homepages for teams and multiple websites for the tournament. However, social media outreach was still limited in scope.^[1]

During 2006 Germany World Cup interactive social communities were limited online until the birth of Twitter later in 2006. In just the two years since the Euro Cup (2008), social media has exploded around the football world. Almost any site that even mentions football has embraced social media efforts from blogs to live streams to mobile apps. Even still, new initiatives are launched daily, such as Foursquare’s partnership with CNN to create two new World Cup badges and more than 100 viewing parties taking place across the globe.^[2]

Social media also helped to link those already in South Africa trying to stay connected between the 10 far-flung football stadiums, some more than 1,000 miles apart.^[2]

During 2014 tournament events will happen simultaneously from North to South of Brazil in a distance approximately of 4.454,7 km. In this case, social media will have an specific aim for events coordinators, connecting fans, teams, players all over the nation and the world.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup™ edition, which will be held in Brazil, is counting down days to kick-off. One of the greatest sport events is presenting a variety of communication channels to keep in touch with their followers and supporters around the world.

The event’s website is linked to FIFA.com and is thoroughly detailed with a special page designed for the main competition. The webpage has a community engagement based in promotions such as the FIFA Match Predictor. A weekly Predictor winner walks away with a customized football jersey and the overall winner receives a trip for two to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Other links used to attract fans and supporters are the display of the event’s countdown and the whole range of news and media releases available to the spectators. These tools create excitement and keep general public updated within the event information.

Social media is also part of the public relations tactics shown by the event organisers which relies in two way communication channels such as Facebook, Google+, Smart Phones Apps, RSS, Twitter and more. The website coverage is based as follows^[3]:

Footnote

↑ Graham, Bryan (2010). Twitter. Retrieved on December, 6 2011 from http://twitter.com/bryanagraham
↑ ^a ^b Sniderman, Zachary (2010, June 12). The World Cup’s Social Media Evolution. Retrieved on December 5, 2011 from http://mashable.com/2010/06/11/world-cup-evolution/
↑ http://www.fifa.com/index.html

Back to: Social Media in Soccer

[graham-1] Graham, Bryan (2010). Twitter. Retrieved on December, 6 2011 from http://twitter.com/bryanagraham

[sniderman-2] Sniderman, Zachary (2010, June 12). The World Cup’s Social Media Evolution. Retrieved on December 5, 2011 from http://mashable.com/2010/06/11/world-cup-evolution/

[fifa-3] ttp://www.fifa.com/index.html

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