Fifa is set to announce the host country of the 2018 World Cup soccer tournament on December 2. The finalists have done everything to stand apart from the pack, submitting their detailed plans on local transport, security and the venues. They’re also trying a new tactic this time round: recruiting online supporters on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to show the stodgy Fifa chiefs they are the most worthy choice.

Team England in particular is taking no chances, hitting social networks to amass grassroots support in a major social media marketing blitz. It has succeeded in mobilizing hundreds of thousands of supportive fans on its various social media channels already. Other finalist countries are close behind.

The numbers are impressive. Too bad Fifa doesn’t take fan support into consideration though.

The finalists for the 2018 tournament have come down to England, Spain/Portugal, Holland/Belgium and Russia. Although Fifa looks at each country’s economic and infrastructure situation to determine which is the most worthy host, the top countries haven’t skipped a beat in harnessing the will of the masses online. The chart bellow breaks down the social following numbers.

Interesting enough, the two countries that have dropped out of the 2018 bid, Australia and USA (they appear set on vying for the 2022 tourney), would place just behind the UK in the social media league tables. All of the contestants – minus Russia (see below) have employed – similar tactics. Each country’s social media channels are connected back to their respective bid websites (links above), and Facebook appear to be the social channels of choice. The USA has put extra emphasis on Twitter and YouTube and has uploaded videos of celebrities and politicians backing the bid. Despite dropping out, the USA and Australia have kept up their push online, most likely to garner support for the 2022 bid.

Meanwhile, Russia, considered to by some a favorite for the 2018 bid, has not embraced the social media strategy at all. Its YouTube channel is a real yawner, and it has made one of the biggest mistakes a brand can do when making a Facebook page: creating a Facebook account instead of a fan page. Potential fans are forced to “friend request” the page before they are allowed to participate. No wonder it has only reached 50 fans.

Fifa, are you listening?

Source: socialmediainfluence.com

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