Follow the Euro 2008 fans online

One of the biggest European soccer tournaments of the year is proving to be a prime opportunity for marketers targeting sports fans online.

by Helen Leggatt

euro2008%20logo.jpg If your product or service has an audience that fits with a soccer fan then the Internet is buzzing with them at present. Why? Because Euro 2008 is in full swing.

Hitwise noticed that the usual soccer search term favorites such as ‘man utd’ (Manchester United), and ‘liverpool fc’ (Liverpool Football Club) had been overtaken by a new collection – ‘euro 2008’ was the fastest moving search term in the sports category, while ‘euro 08’, ‘fifa world rankings’, ‘uefa euro 2008’ and ‘fantasy euro 2008’ were all within the top 10.

So where can you find the soccer fans? If they’re not traveling Europe following the games then they’re probably following the action on the television or, as is becoming increasingly popular, online.

Sites dedicated to, or featuring, Euro 2008 coverage come in various forms including blogs, celebrity diaries, video, podcasts, merchandising/retail and even social groups.

The British online newspaper, Times Online, recently published a detailed guide to Internet destinations where the soccer crowds may well be found gathering.