FIFA World Cup 2022: Campaigns & Ad Formats to Golden Boost Traffic

From the Andes Mountains to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, people from all backgrounds around the globe tune in to witness the greatest sporting event on Earth: the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Every four years, passionate fans, donning the colors of their nation, come together to support their fellow countrymen as they prove to the world their nation is home to the best footballers. As we gear up for the 2022 World Cup edition hosted in Qatar, we have some tips, tactics, and recommendations to golden boost your user acquisition and website monetization.

🗓️ Important Dates (UPDATED!)

Croatia 🇭🇷 1-1 (4:2 SO) Brazil 🇧🇷

Netherlands 🇳🇱 2-2 (3:4 SO) Argentina 🇦🇷

Morocco 🇲🇦 1-0 Portugal 🇵🇹

England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 1-2 France 🇫🇷

Croatia 🇭🇷 0-3 Argentina 🇦🇷

Morocco 🇲🇦 0-2 France 🇫🇷

2022 WORLD CUP FINAL: France 🇫🇷 3-3 (2:4 SO) Argentina 🇦🇷 

Ps. Keep in mind the time zone difference. Local time in Qatar is GMT+3. However, our server is GMT+1. For scheduling, make sure to use our time zone.  For example, the Croatia vs. Brazil game starts at 6 pm Qatar local time. You should schedule for 4 pm as that is the local time of our server.

 

🎯 Countries to Target

Ipsos reported, 55% of adults worldwide plan to watch the 2022 World Cup. 

So, it may go without saying, targeting countries that are actually competing in the World Cup will be your best bet. In most cases, yes; but that doesn’t mean there isn’t ample opportunity to monetize in other countries through various verticals. We’ll discuss this and the verticals later on. For now, consider our choice of the top countries to target from the 32 featured in the World Cup:

🌎 Neighboring Nations

While focusing on the participating nations is a great idea, that only covers 32. More than 150 countries will be prime for targeting! Many of the countries with nations competing in the World Cup will have the rights to broadcast games on networks in their country. This leaves Video On Demand (VOD) as a great option to reach audiences. Think about it – Italy isn’t in the World Cup, but that won’t stop Italians from tuning in. And where will they be watching? Most likely on a VOD option or through a VPN. 

Although countries like Indonesia and the UAE will not be featured in Qatar 2022, Ipsos research shows that many of these countries have some of the highest proportions of football following, with 69% in Indonesia, 65% in UAE, and 60% in India. When targeting, consider them and these countries as well:

💡TIP: The use of “nation” and “country” is not interchangeable. FIFA, the governing body of the World Cup, includes places that are not internationally recognized as a country. For example, England and Wales are two nations competing in the World Cup, but the country to target for both would be the United Kingdom.

🗂 Ad Formats

We offer unique ad format options, with each one providing an opportunity to increase your bottom line. We recommend using as many ad formats as possible. Below is a table of our ad options and a description of how their features:

Pop-Under	Our top performing ad format, Pop-Under ads pop under the current page the user is on. The cool part about your site popping under is that this will be the last thing the user sees before leaving. The user experience with this ad allows for limited interruptions, minimized pressure to purchase or act, and a continuation of seamless browsing, which we strongly recommend.
Interstitials	Appear while a website or page is loading. They have a 5-second countdown window, meaning a guaranteed delay in exit times and a more substantial monetization potential. They are an extremely versatile and cost-effective ad format for advertisers, delivering maximum exposure in return for a minimal investment.
In-Page Push	These alert-like ads mimic the traditional push notification in their design. They are well-targeted, highly engaging, and less intrusive to the end-user experience.
Native	The format blends seamlessly with the surrounding onsite content, generating high engagement rates and conversions. When onsite, Native Ads are regarded as less intrusive and provide publishers with an easy way to boost ad revenue.
Banners	The OG display ad. You can opt for skyscraper, rectangle, or leaderboard.

(Example of our newly designed in-page push notifications feature)

Advertisers

First things first – make sure you set campaigns to active. Of the ad format options (although we recommend using all, if possible), we believe In-Page Push Notifications, Pop-Under Ads, and Interstitials will bring the best opportunity to increase website traffic and sales.

🔑 Key Verticals (UPDATED!)

🏇  Sports Betting  🏇

🎥  Video On Demand  🎥

🎰  Casinos & Gambling (iGaming)  🎰

💡TIP: Consider cross-selling casino products as it’s top-notch in sports inventory.

💻  VPN Services  💻

💜  Online Dating  💜

💡TIP: A sweepstakes offer is a great way to boost traffic to your site. An effective tactic is to link the offer to a sports landing page.

 

💎 Bet Against The Odds (NEW SECTION!)

In the group stage, no team finished with a perfect 3-win record. Even top countries like Argentina and Belgium experienced historic upsets at the hands of Saudi Arabia and Morocco, respectively, which is excellent for RevShare. Even more so, the last match of the group stage round showcased just how unpredictable this World Cup is. Shocking headlines and scorelines shifting from the typical 0-0, 1-0, 2-1, etc., placing a calculated AND daring bet is even more critical.

Even with all the statistical analysis, there are continued surprising results heading into the quarter-finals. Also, choosing the correct score for the games has become difficult. Going into the first quarter-final game on December 9th, ensure you get your ads ready by 4 pm Central European Time (CET). The match starts at 6 pm local time in Qatar.

Don’t stress if you don’t have time to run ads before the first game on December 9th – there are two quarter-final matches on December 10th that you can prepare ads for as well. Also, there will be time to prepare for semi-final matches as there is a two-day break between those rounds.

💡TIP: Dedicate and promote sports landing pages highlighting betting odds for all remaining matches on all ad formats.

 

Now that you have an idea of which verticals best suit you, let’s dive into tactics. We’ll emphasize below, but we want to reiterate the importance of using the Performance Tab. This powerful feature allows you to have full visibility of key performance metrics of your campaign to optimize and scale your buying activities through the different traffic sources.

🎯 Tactics

🟣  When using CPM payout type, adopt our Quality Tier bidding  🟣

🟣  Evaluate, assess results, and optimize your campaign in the Performance Tab  🟣

💡TIP: If you’ve been considering using a promo or discount on your landing page, now’s the time!

 

Has this stirred up any campaign ideas? If you’re still wondering or unsure how to set up a campaign for this occasion, look no further. We want you to be an elite advertiser when it comes to How to Target Sports Traffic. We cover which categories to whitelist, user interests to target, and more!

Publishers

World Cup, Black Friday/Cyber Monday, and Christmas…what a time to be alive! With all the traffic you’ll be experiencing at this time, be sure to include our tactics to reign it all in. Real quick, let’s check out the best verticals for you:

🔑 Key Verticals

🚨  Sports Scores & Statistics (Live Score)  🚨

🥅  Sports Videos & Channels  🥅

🎮  Arts & Entertainment  🎮

🌐  Online Communities  🌐

Ps. In the Ipsos report, those watching World Cup games plan to do so on the internet (35%), on a mobile device (26%), and on a tablet (13%).

🎯 Tactics

🟡  Opt for In-Page Push, Pop-Under & Interstitials  🟡

🟡  Use Autotag  🟡

🟡  Include Anti-AdBlock Tags  🟡

🟡  Test Adcash ASAP  🟡

 

😢 Post-World Cup

The dreaded World Cup hangover. But unlike previous World Cup editions, ads and website traffic won’t slow down – if anything, it’ll be revved up this time around. Not only because the winter holiday season will be right around the corner but also because World Cup-related commentary will continue. The 2022 World Cup Final is on December 18th, one week before Christmas. Traffic and chances to monetize from football fans searching post-World Cup discussions and recaps will exist. In this period of time, pushing Christmas and holiday-related ads will be prime.

 

Holiday Top-Up Bonus 🎁 

In the spirit of holiday giving, we here at Adcash want to extend a top-up bonus to you. The one-time use bonus is available from December 19 – 31, 2022.

You must add a minimum of $200, but it cannot exceed $1000. To get the bonus, sign in to your Adcash profile. Go to the “Add Funds” tab. Insert code ADCASH15 into the empty box and press proceed to payment. You can see the approved bonus in your Wallet.

 

Feel free to reach out to your account manager for further information or tactics and tips geared toward your business.

 

That’s all we have for you at the moment. Now, go out and get it!

 

As always, connect with us if you have any questions.

 

Good luck, and enjoy the World Cup!

– The Adcash Team