FIFA text message to 3m Qatar residents is a reminder to brands around the globe
FIFA text message to 3m Qatar residents is a reminder to brands around the globe
Last week, FIFA took it upon themselves to send a text message to every single person in Qatar with a “friendly reminder” that all official tournament emblems, logos and even the words “WORLD CUP” are exclusively owned and licenced by world football’s governing body and that any use of them without permission is illegal.
This is nothing new, and by sending upwards of three million text messages to residents of Qatar, FIFA are actively trying to get ahead of an issue which they face every four years.
As laid out on their website, FIFA in partnership with the host country, implement a number of strategies to limit the number of copyright infringements and what they call “ambush marketing”. In simple terms, this is any sort of marketing by non-FIFA partners on the ground in Qatar who aim to take advantage of the tournament- not just those who actively aim to ambush a live event.
One of the steps FIFA take is to enact what they call “Commercial Restriction Areas” around World Cup stadiums and other official FIFA sites. In the words of FIFA:
“A CRA is not curtained by a physical fence but an imaginary line that is outlined on a map and included in local laws in order to provide additional legal protection against prohibited marketing activities around the stadium, unauthorised traders, counterfeit goods and ticket touts.!”
Qatar 2022 has been widely billed as the “most compact” World Cup of all time, with each of the stadiums within touching distance of the capital Doha, which stands at only 132 km² -thanks Wikipedia! The furthest distance between two stadiums is only 75km, compared to 1,546km at the last World Cup in Russia.
All of this to say; space is at a premium. With only 259 days to go until the first ball is kicked, unsurprisingly our team in Doha are seeing locations being snapped up with many of the more obvious choices booked up long ago.
However, Doha is a rapidly growing city and that means new opportunities are opening up every day. To take advantage of these you need to understand how Qatar works. Fortunately, with 30+ years of experience on the ground, our team are uniquely placed to provide insight and creative solutions on the Middle East’s first World Cup.
Lusail, the district which will host the final, didn’t exist when Qatar won the bid. Our team in Doha have not only witnessed the change, they’ve been part of it.