World Cup 2010: Who’ll be watching and where?
Experian report reveals the UK’s World Cup hotspots and where the football frenzy will reach fever pitch
London, 10 June 2010: With the World Cup 2010 just a day away, Experian, the global information services company, is today predicting exactly where in the UK the football frenzy will reach fever pitch.
All to play for: Expert insight for World Cup 2010 reveals the places where England’s progress will be most closely followed and where will be top of the league for World Cup drinking festivities. Its analysis shows that:
Experian’s latest report also highlights where in the UK there is the biggest support for other World Cup nations, the tournament’s economic impact and key online trends.
Jim Hodgkins, Managing Director of Experian Marketing Services, comments: “As World Cup fever grips the nation, what advertisers really need to know is who is going to be glued to the TV, tuning into the radio or streaming games straight to their laptops over the next three weeks? Where are the UK’s World Cup hotspots and where will people just despair at the blanket media coverage? Armed with insight like this means that brands can pinpoint who will snap up those World Cup related offers, what they’re likely to buy and where and how they’ll watch those crucial matches.”
Game of two halves: Northern grass roots supporters –vs- South London’s social scene
Using its Mosaic consumer classification Experian has identified that, outside of London, Birmingham, Bradford and Leeds will represent the World Cup 2010’s UK heartland.
In these areas it’s going to be a predominantly grass roots World Cup – with fans, mainly lower middle and working class, bedecking homes and cars with St George’s flags and for whom football over the next three weeks will be a major focus and part of their lives. Here, it is all about the football.
Within the M25, Experian’s analysis reveals that South West London’s affluent areas of Wandsworth, Putney and Chiswick will be the UK’s World Cup hotspots. In fact, South London addresses make up seven out of the top ten places where World Cup support will reach fever pitch.
These young Londoners are most likely to experience a digital World Cup and tune into games and embrace it on their flat screen TVs, iPhones and iPads as well as in bars across the capital, quaffing on bottled export lager and New World white wine. For some in this group it is as much about the social event and less about the football, which although important is just a part of their lives. Experian’s analysis also shows that there will be a surprisingly high level of support for the World Cup in Cardiff, despite the Welsh team failing to qualify.
Places in the UK where the World Cup will reach fever pitch:
London |
Outside London |
1. Wandsworth - Clapham Junction |
1. Birmingham |
2. Putney |
2. Bradford |
3. Chiswick |
3. Leeds |
4. Hammersmith |
4. Luton |
5. Wimbledon |
5. Farnborough |
6. Kingston upon Thames |
6. Cardiff |
7. Richmond |
7. Basingstoke |
8. Wood Green |
8. Maidenhead |
9. Epsom |
9. Milton Keynes |
10. Bromley |
10. Sheffield |
Top 10 World Cup-free zones
1. Hereford |
2. Boston |
3. King’s Lynn |
4. Evesham |
5. Chichester |
6. Ilford |
7. Taunton |
8. Abergavenny |
9. Shrewsbury |
10. Rhyl |
Football chanting..the sound of the suburbs
With mega-stadia, multi-million pound sponsorship deals and wages that put players on an earnings level with film stars and business tycoons, football has long since moved on from its working class inner city roots and so to a lesser extent have the people who follow it.
Using its Mosaic classification, Experian has identified the consumer groups and more specifically, household types, where World Cup fever will take hold. Its analysis shows that it’s those who live in comfortable, pleasant suburbs, now middle and lower middle-class, but with working class roots who will be the tournament’s biggest followers across the UK as a whole. These people are not as career-driven and aspirational as some of their suburban cousins, with solid jobs in traditional manufacturing industries. Another key group will be the “White Van Man” element of self employed tradespeople.
Looking at specific household types sheds even more light on where the most ardent World Cup fans live, shop and work.
Top three World Cup fans by household type
Household type |
Lives |
Shops |
Works |
1. “Production Managers”
|
Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool |
Sainsbury’s, M&S Simply Food, John Lewis |
Manufacturing industries (aerospace and automotive), civil service or public sector |
2. “Lower Middle Class Families” |
Sheffield, Liverpool and Chester |
Asda, Morrisons or Tesco |
Sales, skilled manual work in local industries, public sector |
3. “Jacks of All Trades” “White Van Man” |
Lincoln, Peterborough, Leeds |
Budgens, Co-op, Londis |
Trades, self-employed or for large industrial employers |
Reaching the parts…places in the UK that will drink most during the World Cup
Despite not qualifying for the tournament, Experian’s rankings show that the football fans in Glasgow are most likely to enjoy a drink while watching the World Cup. In second place is Brighton – largely due to a large number of young city-living professionals who will watch the matches in the abundance of local pubs and watering holes.
Top ten towns and cities outside London for World Cup drinking
Jim Hodgkins concludes: “This is going to be one of the most heavily advertised World Cup tournaments to date. Brands are going multi-channel to get as much TV, radio, print and digital exposure as possible and have invested millions in their World Cup campaigns.”
“If advertisers and marketers fail to get their tactics right from the kick off, it could be the proverbial ‘game of two halves’. The big winners will be those who capture the nation’s imagination, combining humour and patriotism with fantastic offers to create memorable, personal and relevant campaigns. The losers will be those who score an own goal because they haven’t thought about who they are trying to reach. In marketing terms they won’t even make it past Group stages.”
-Ends-
Contact:
Stephanie Dobson
Experian Public Relations
0115 9922515
stephanie.dobson@uk.experian.com
About Experian
Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 90 countries. The company helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft.
For more information, visit http://www.experian.co.uk.
Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended 31 March 2010 was $3.9 billion. Experian employs approximately 15,000 people in 40 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; Costa Mesa, California; and São Paulo, Brazil.
For more information, visit http://www.experianplc.com.
About Mosaic
Experian’s consumer classification Mosaic UK 2009 draws on over 440 separate pieces of compliant public and proprietary sourced information for each of the UK’s 48 million adults – a total of 21 billion individual data items to create a high definition picture of modern British society. The classification now incorporates 15 lifestyle groups, 67 lifestyle types and 141 person types, updated every six months.
Mosaic Methodology
Experian’s data was compiled using TGI survey data (Target Group Index) a continuous survey of consumer product usage, lifestyle, media exposure and attitudes across Great Britain and based on questions covering the aspects of behaviour that would make people most likely to be a fan of the world cup and to drink alcohol whilst enjoying the game. These data respondents were then matched to their appropriate Mosaic type, enabling Experian to profile the groups and types most likely to engage in watching the World Cup and drinking whilst watching the game. Using these profiles Experian can locate the highest areas of penetration of these people in the UK.
Mosaic types referenced
Production Managers – those living in quiet streets of semi-detached housing, typically in the established but more pleasant suburbs of large industrial cities. Comprise older couples and some married couples with children of school years. These are very often the homes of white-collar and technical workers.
Lower Middle Class Families - lower middle class families, often with older children still at home, living in early inter war semi-detached houses, mostly in large provincial cities. Many work for local manufacturing companies in junior management and supervisory roles. Many wives also work to supplement household incomes.
Jacks of All Trades - live in neighbourhoods of older owner-occupied housing, often in small towns. They are typically responsible skilled manual workers many of whom are self-employed and who gain satisfaction as well as an income from providing various technical services to local residents. Neighbourhoods are not the old, inner cores of small towns but very often the unpretentious areas of semi-detached housing that separate them from the more recent outer estates of private housing.