As the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 enters the final stages of the tournament there is little doubt it has been the most scrutinised edition in the event’s history. No amount of shock results or benched legends should allow the focus to just be on football. In fact, the World Cup is the best time to focus on issues beyond the pitch when the audience is at its greatest.

Despite the noise, it has been reported that the event will deliver record revenues for FIFA, exceeding the $5.4 billion generated by the 2018 World Cup in Russia. These numbers are partially funded by the brands that continue to support the organisation despite the reputational challenges (see the OneLove armband campaign) and even challenges to operation in the host country ('awkward' for Budweiser!).

So, given the reputational risk, why do brands continue to align with such an organisation? Is having ‘Official Partner’ status as valuable as it used to be? Have brands done enough to highlight the issues raised by a World Cup in Qatar? And what marketing and storytelling strategies should brands be employing around major events moving forwards?

The Qatar Conundrum

The answer to the first question is undoubtedly money. adidas, a FIFA partner since 1970, expects a tailwind of as much as $417 million in sales related to the World Cup in Qatar. The tournament is predicted to attract 5 billion viewers, an audience brands will still pay handsomely to reach.

So much so that when Bloomberg contacted 76 companies sponsoring either the tournament or the teams taking part last month, not one said it was reconsidering its participation. Of the 69 sponsors of national teams, 20 responded to express their commitment to human rights, though declined to disclose if or how their marketing might change. 

Whilst not reconsidering their participation, when it comes to activating their rights, Official FIFA partners have deliberately kept it very low-key in Qatar and around the world to avoid further backlash.

And, with a few standout exceptions (e.g. hummel and the Socceroos), elsewhere organisations have been reluctant to talk in-depth about Qatar, often because there is a lack of deep knowledge and understanding about the country, and the fact it is located in a part of the world with many complicated issues layered on top of one another. 

Without a clear opinion or message, it is easier to stay silent, dismiss, or attack Qatar. The reality, as always, is more complex. 

Sport Sponsorship: The New Normal

The positioning outlined above, whilst understandable, will have to evolve as rights holders will continue to be driven by cash when it comes to who finances their sports and where events will be hosted. 

Saudi Arabia is already thought to be lining up a bid to host in the World Cup 2030 and the flow of money into football is increasing from the Middle East, China and the USA - regions with social, racial, and human rights issues - so brands will have to answer the perceived morality question (again) sooner rather than later. 

This is the new normal for sport sponsorship. For those who continue to use the power and influence of sport, and many will, then they need to find more authentic ways of activating their rights. Long gone are the days where sponsorship was an awareness exercise and some free corporate hospitality. 

Looking ahead, every tournament sponsor, event, or governing body needs to be prepared for justified scrutiny. Sponsors for United 2026 (the next World Cup in USA, Canada, and Mexico) - some of which will undoubtedly roll-over from Qatar - also need to come with a clear narrative and underpin their activation platforms with real purpose.

It is a stance which is supported by recent IPA research which revealed that half of consumers and 63% of young adults have more respect for brands who address issues around the FIFA World Cup being hosted in Qatar, than those who stay silent. This pressure may now be felt more keenly for other major events that take place in countries under the spotlight for ethical and moral issues.

Authentic Storytelling

Goal Click is a social business that advocates an authentic, first-person approach to storytelling whereby you speak and listen to those people affected and work with them to provide a platform for change. 

Storytelling is not a new concept of course, and lots of brands (and rights holders) point to it as a means to attract and retain new customers, but a first-person focus is less common. In recent years, there have been two standout examples of authentic storytelling that have had a significant impact on the brands of those involved.

In 2020, The Last Dance documentary series focused on Michael Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls reinvigorated the genre And F1’s Drive to Survive is a notable, albeit polished, example of what happens when fans better understand the people and teams competing.

The First-Person Perspective

Regrettably, we have rarely heard from those who have been most impacted by Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup (and the country’s laws, culture and politics): the people who actually live and work there.

In collaboration with The Sports Creative and Qatar Foundation, Goal Click launched GOALS - a series of powerful, unfiltered and diverse stories from people living and working in Qatar.

From workers and students to artists and football coaches, people representing more than 20 nationalities - the majority of whom are women - have been documenting their own perspectives on football culture in Qatar, community, and life in the year of the World Cup.

Goal Click also partnered with global football publisher 90min on a World Cup campaign called Faces of Football which features real fans from all 32 nations competing in Qatar. But this type of storytelling has been few and far between. 

Whilst brand ambassadors will always have a role to play, Goal Click endorses working with ordinary people that other fans can relate to and who are not compromised in their opinions on important issues. And research tells us that authenticity is what fans and broader consumers are searching for. 

The End Goal

The fact is, despite never having as many channels for communication, we still live in a world where many voices are overlooked, marginalised or silenced. For that reason, the FIFA World Cup in Qatar has shown why the need for authentic first-person storytelling is greater than ever.

It might just be a watershed moment for brands and the way they approach major event activations. Rather than look from afar and avoid difficult subjects, brands need to get in on the ground, engage with real people, and work out their purpose and be part of the solution to issues. If a brand is not prepared to raise its head above the parapet, maybe it should not be involved at all.