Marketing people love major events such as the 2010 Fifa World Cup. They love the challenge of how to link products and services that may seem totally unrelated to football to the tournament. Beer is obviously the big one, but then there has always been a strong link between beer and football, so that is forgivable. But what about semiconductors and uninterruptible power supplies? These are among the products being marketed under a World Cup banner.
Uninterruptible Power Supplies and the World Cup
Riello UPS is a European manufacturer of uninterruptible power supplies, pieces of equipment that can keep individual items or even whole buildings and factories running if the mains power fails. They are important for computers that can lose valuable data if they are just switched off, and for keeping production running in time-critical manufacturing plants.
The company though has seen an opportunity with the World Cup. It has issued a press release pointing out that 83% of the UK will be watching some of the World Cup this summer. It reckons that a hot summer will increase the use of air conditioning which, when combined with the traditional half-time surge of people putting the kettle on, could cause power disruptions. Its answer is its IPlug range of power supplies so nobody needs to miss a kick.
Semiconductors and the World Cup
Whereas Riello may be able to produce a tenuous link to the World Cup, the same cannot be said for Acal Technology, a company that operates in the fields of semiconductors, RF wireless, frequency control, electromechanical, interconnect, passive, power management and embedded systems. No obvious footballing link there but that hasn’t stopped the company launching an online World Cup competition site.
It looks fun though, as players can predict results and test online footballing skills with the chance of winning a Nintendo Wii with official World Cup game and replica World Cup trophies. And it is free to enter.
TV Licenses and the World Cup
Everyone in the UK knows a TV license is needed to watch the television, but the UK TV Licensing authority has become a little worried that some may think they can get round this by watching the World Cup on a computer or mobile phone. Not so, it has announced. Its spokesman Ian Fannon has said: “Whether you plan to catch the games on an old black and white set, on the latest plasma, or any other device, including a laptop, mobile phone or games console, you need to be covered by a license.”
Golf Simulators and the World Cup
Golf simulator company Urban Golf has three London venues and is probably worried about a drop in business as amateur golfers sit in front of the television watching the World Cup rather than practicing their swings.
The simulators let users play simulated versions of fifty championship golf courses, but during the World Cup they can be turned into mini cinemas for private screenings, suitable for up to ten people each with a live feed of the football being projected onto a large screen. They can also be used for golf competitions to keep users entertained at half time and after the final whistle.
Suite 101 and the World Cup
And here at Suite 101, writers will be covering all aspects of the World Cup with previews and match reports and even tips on what beer to drink and interesting places to watch the games.
Steve Rogerson - Steve Rogerson is a UK-based writer specialising in television, technology, sports and beer.
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