Winning the World Cup with Shoulder Content

Key Points

• Live World Cup ad slots cost a fortune and most viewers walk away from the screen anyway
• Shoulder Content, the pre-game and post-game windows, has the same fans paying way more attention for a fraction of the price
• We blanket the whole soccer fan experience across TV, display, and online video, then retarget them on their phones
• Smart timing beats big spending, you can run the entire tournament for the cost of a few live spots‍

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‍The Most Expensive Seat Isn't the Best Seat

Ads during live World Cup matches cost a fortune. Every dealer wants in, and the price reflects it.

Here's the thing nobody talks about. When the whistle blows for halftime, people get up. They grab a snack, hit the bathroom, refill a drink. The ad you just paid a premium for is playing to an empty couch.

That's called break fatigue, and it's why live game inventory isn't worth what dealers pay for it.

Here's what that means for you: You're paying top dollar to talk to an empty room. There's a better way.‍

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‍Catch Them Before and After, Not During

Pre-game and post-game is where fans actually pay attention. They're checking the lineups. Looking up stats. Watching the analysis. Yelling at the screen about who should have started.

That's called Shoulder Content, the pre-game hype and the post-game breakdown. Same fans, way more engaged, way cheaper to reach.

We're not avoiding the World Cup audience. We're avoiding the World Cup price tag. You get the same soccer fan, you just catch him when he's actually looking at the screen.

Here's what that means for you: Lower cost per impression, higher attention, same audience. That's the trade we want to make every time.‍

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‍Three Places We Show Up

We don't put all the eggs in one basket. We follow the soccer fan everywhere he goes during the tournament.

On the big screen, we run on DirecTV, Sling, and Vizio during the pre-game and post-game coverage. That's when he's leaned back on the couch, locked in.

On display, we run banners on the sports sites he's already checking. CBS Sports, Gamedaynews, Bleacher Report. The places he goes to look up stats and read recaps.

On online video, we run premium video placements on USA Today, NY Post, SportBible, and EssentiallySports. News and lifestyle sites where soccer fans hang out between matches.

Here's what that means for you: Wherever the fan goes during the tournament, your dealership is there too.‍

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‍The Follow-Me Effect

Here's where it gets smart. The big screen plants the seed. Then we follow that same viewer onto his phone with retargeting on display and online video.

Think about your own game-day habits. You watch the match on TV, but your phone is right next to you the whole time. You're checking the score, the standings, the goal replays. The second the game ends, you're scrolling.

That's exactly when our retargeting hits. We catch you the moment you switch from the TV to the phone, and we keep catching you for the rest of the tournament.

Here's what that means for you: Your ad isn't a one-and-done TV spot anymore. It's a steady drumbeat from kickoff to the final whistle, across every screen your customer touches.‍

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‍Tournament-Long Coverage for the Price of a Few Live Spots

Here's the math that matters. The money you'd burn on three or four mid-game ad slots can buy you the entire tournament with this strategy.

You're not running once and disappearing. You're showing up every day, before and after every match, for weeks. The audience builds. The brand recall builds. Your dealership becomes the one fans associate with soccer in your market.

Here's what that means for you: You're outsmarting your competition, not outspending them. Same eyeballs, longer flight, way better price.‍

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‍Action Steps

• Ask your rep whether your World Cup plan is built on live match spots or Shoulder Content, if it's live spots, that's the first thing to rework
• Make sure the banners on Bleacher Report and the videos on SportBible match what's running on Sling and Vizio, the messaging needs to feel like the same campaign everywhere
• Use the savings from skipping live inventory to extend your flight across the full tournament instead of burning the budget in a week
• Pair the big-screen pre/post-game coverage with mobile retargeting so you stay in front of fans the second they pick up their phone

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