The Biggest Sporting Event on the Planet

Described as the biggest sporting event on the planet, the 2010 FIFA World Cup is slated to surpass the triumphs of the Beijing and Vancouver Olympics.

According to Matt Stone, head of new media for world’s soccer governing body FIFA, “Football is the world’s biggest sport, so the world will practically stop for the month of the World Cup.” (CNN)

Even more fascinating? This is the first World Cup since the explosion of Social Media so marketers and spectators alike are bracing themselves, ready to use the full potential of the Social Web. Obsessed football fans around the world -and the brands that woo them- will use endless social platforms to express their opinions and show off their wares.

Many of the biggest social media sites were mere babies during the 2006 World Cup. They now represent a huge force in communications. Sites like Twitter (50 million tweets sent daily) or Facebook (400+ million active users) will ensure that every single play is diagnosed, discussed and celebrated throughout cyberspace for a long time to come.

The kick-off on June 11 did not just usher in the 2010 World Cup. It launched one of the biggest social media extravaganzas the world has ever seen.

Facebook

Hundreds of fan pages have been put up for the 32 competing teams. Probably one of the most comprehensive pages is 2010 World Cup . As of Monday June 7th, the Page boasted 40,645 fans and includes real time global RSS feeds, outbound links to news articles and YouTube videos.

Visa has created a World Cup Match Planner so that fans can monitor the game schedule, track scores, chat with each other and connect to the FIFA store. You can download the application on VisaGoFans' Facebook page.

Twitter

Twitter is one of the most favorite forms of communications during the World Cup.. Keep an eye on @WC2010 where many fans will follow each play. Another address to check out is @fifaworldcuptm account. While not the official FIFA source, this account has already attracted tens of thousands of attentive football fans around the globe.

As Twitter employee Robin Sloan boldly states "Our notion is that [the World Cup] will eclipse everything we have seen so far [on Twitter] including the U.S. election, the Oscars or the Super Bowl, simply because it is so international." (CNN)

YouTube

YouTube has also prepared a very high level of activity. As YouTube’s Sports manager Andrew Bangs says, "Things like the World Cup really excite us because we see a level of engagement and interaction beyond what we normally see." (CNN)

Nike has launched a campaign on YouTube called “Write the Future” which describes the power of football and spotlights several players. Within days of posting it to YouTube, the Nike film enjoyed several million views.

The Coca-Cola Company is also using YouTube. The company is encouraging people to partake in a World Cup celebration, complete with a range of prizes including tickets. Coke has invited football fans from around the world to upload their on-line goal celebrations to Coke’s YouTube or Celebrations Web sites. The Coca-Cola’s Longest Celebration YouTube channel is currently in more than 100 countries and thus represents the largest-scale partnership YouTube has ever had.

The World Cup Is Not The First Time For African Social Media

The World Cup is not the first time when social media has been used to generate interest around an African event. When US President Obama made his historic speech to Ghana’s Parliament in July 2009, people across the African continent watched his speech as it was streamed live via Twitter, Facebook and the White House blog.

But There Is A Long Way To Go

But it is clear that social media-and internet usage in general-has a long way to go in Africa. According to a recent study published for the African Development Bank Group, Africa has the weakest penetration of the Internet in the world.

In Sub-Saharan African, Internet penetration and broadband are at seven and one percent respectively. North Africa fares a lot better with a penetration of 40.4% while broadband hovers at 2%. The best broadband connections can be found in South Africa, Algeria, Egypt and Morocco.

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Mobile phones. The African continent is experiencing a connectivity explosion, fueled primarily by mobile phones. With 280 million mobile phone subscribers, Africa is the fastest growing mobile market in the world. And it will be through mobile phones that Africa can begin to play catch-up and join the rest of the world when it comes to technology.

Because of this mobile phone-fueled explosion, a number of companies, investors and entrepreneurs are taking a second look at the continent. The giant Google is only one such company.

Through mobile phones, Africa is getting on the social media train. But is it possible that social media itself could very well be ready to change Africa?

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