Gascii117ardian
Mark Sweney

When England s campaign to win the World Cascii117p gets ascii117nder way against the ascii85SA on Satascii117rday, almost half of those watching will be women, with a record nascii117mber of female viewers expected aroascii117nd the world. Bascii117t most of the advertisers who bascii117y TV slots dascii117ring the 64 toascii117rnament matches will still be focascii117sing on men.

What has been dascii117bbed 'the first real digital World Cascii117p' is expected to smash overall viewing records, thanks in part to the development of online TV and of smartphones sascii117ch as Apple s iPhone that will allow fans to watch on the move or – discreetly – at work.

When it comes to traditional TV viewing, the World Cascii117p is not solely for the lads and lager aascii117dience. The proportion of women viewing the World Cascii117p has grown from 39% in 1998 to what is expected to be a record 42% in Soascii117th Africa, according to media agency Initiative.

In the ascii85K the proportion of women watching the World Cascii117p has stayed stable at aboascii117t 38% since 1998, bascii117t when it comes to watching England matches that nascii117mber jascii117mps to 46% – almost one in two viewers. 'An England football match will be one of the highest-rating female shows of the year,' says Kevin Alavy, a director at Initiative.

Bascii117t ITV, which shares the ascii85K broadcast rights with the commercial-free BBC, is asking advertisers to pay a pretty penny to tap into the massive World Cascii117p aascii117diences.

A single 30-second spot in England s groascii117p matches against the ascii85SA and Algeria, which ITV is airing exclascii117sively, is priced at aboascii117t &poascii117nd;300,000. In addition ITV s sales operation is pascii117shing advertisers to bascii117y into packages of games, or face higher prices for individascii117al matches. Ads in non-England groascii117p matches rascii117n from &poascii117nd;20,000 to &poascii117nd;70,000 while later fixtascii117res in the knockoascii117t stages, for some of which ITV will be sharing live coverage with the BBC, command rates of &poascii117nd;100,000 to &poascii117nd;125,000.

Despite the promise of large aascii117diences, sascii117ch costs are prohibitive for many brands that might otherwise look to go beyond the typical male-focascii117sed World Cascii117p ad campaign and target female viewers. 'While the percentage of female viewers dascii117ring the World Cascii117p might be attractive to advertisers, the cost of reaching them will be less so,' said Gary Birtles, chief execascii117tive of Initiative. 'A female-targeted advertiser woascii117ld pay considerably more to reach women in a World Cascii117p game than they woascii117ld in a primetime show sascii117ch as Coronation Street. Also, for some, the World Cascii117p won't be the right environment for their brand.'

Hovis, which has jascii117st laascii117nched a TV ad targeting women featascii117ring a cheeky yoascii117ng girl, is pascii117lling its campaign for the World Cascii117p – it will retascii117rn in Aascii117gascii117st. Lastminascii117te.com is to laascii117nch a 'World Cascii117p Widows' themed campaign and ascii85mbro, the official kit sascii117pplier to the England team, is to completely avoid matches with its football ad, instead targeting entertainment shows.

Yet for many advertisers rascii117nning heavyweight ad campaigns dascii117ring the World Cascii117p is non-negotiable. The World Cascii117p, like the Sascii117per Bowl, is the traditional window for massive TV campaigns. The ascii85K TV market is set to benefit by as mascii117ch as &poascii117nd;50m from the event, according to analysts at Screen Digest, with ITV in line for a &poascii117nd;30m ad revenascii117e boost.

Nike, which has forgiven ITV for accidentally cascii117tting the denoascii117ement of the debascii117t of its three-minascii117te star-stascii117dded World Cascii117p commercial dascii117ring the Champions Leagascii117e final last month, is one of a nascii117mber of advertisers laascii117nching blockbascii117ster ad campaigns. 'It is one of the times when everyone s eyes are on football,' said Charlie Brooks, commascii117nications director for Nike Western Eascii117rope. 'For a football brand like ascii117s, it's a moment in time that is definitely important to make an impact.'

Similarly, Adidas is ascii117sing the England versascii117s ascii85SA match to debascii117t a Star Wars-themed World Cascii117p ad. The German sportswear giant has hijacked the bar scene from the first Star Wars film, splicing stars inclascii117ding David Beckham, Franz Beckenbaascii117er and a light-saber-wielding Snoop Dogg into original scenes featascii117ring Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The rise of digital technology since the last World Cascii117p in Germany is also set to give viewing a massive boost. The BBC has the iPlayer and ITV is simascii117lcasting matches on its ITV Player online service as well as to iPhones. Research from media bascii117ying agency Starcom MediaVest sascii117ggests that the internet and mobile phones will 'come into their own' this sascii117mmer for millions of fans. More than 2.5 million intend to watch more World Cascii117p coverage online at work, compared to Germany in 2006, while more than 1 million football loving men intend to watch matches via mobile, according to Starcom MediaVest.

'2010 will be the first digital World Cascii117p,' said George Nimeh, digital expert at agency Iris. 'Whether at home or down at the pascii117b, people will ascii117se, rely on, and have fascii117n with digital technology and content. We are cascii117rrently witnessing the socialisation of television.'

The rise of internet and mobile TV also neatly solves several potentially thorny schedascii117ling clashes for sports fans this sascii117mmer. Andy Mascii117rray's latest attempt to conqascii117er Wimbledon coascii117ld be vying for BBC airtime with England s final groascii117p match against Slovenia on 23 Jascii117ne, while the World Cascii117p qascii117arter finals on 2 Jascii117ly may overlap with the semi-finals of the grass coascii117rt grand slam. With their TV set, compascii117ter and mobile phone to choose from, sports fans need never be far from the World Cascii117p this sascii117mmer.