A new World Cup winner

Expect to see a lot more of this man. Oh, yes

THOSE of you trying to avoid the football this coming month will not only have to leave the television and the radio switched off. You’ll have to give the internet a swerve, too. This is the the first social media World Cup.

The tournament is all over whatever social network you use. If it’s not people talking about the games in their status updates on Facebook, it’s the hashtag #wc2010 on Twitter, or even the ability to switch your background to twitter’s new World Cup theme.

Advertisers have realised that social media is the way to interact with football fans, and they are willing to pay good money to do it. Global web company Yahoo! announced this week that ex-England football captain David Beckham – no stranger to endorsements – has signed to be their first ‘global sports ambassador’ and will front all of their World Cup content. The internet giant will also feature Golden Balls in its online sports channel, where he’ll share his experiences of playing in past World Cups. So expect plenty on getting sent off during crucial games, then. His coverage will then continue beyond the tournament when the AC Milan/LA Galaxy player will deliver rolling content, including chat sessions with users of Yahoo! Messenger and Yahoo! Answers.

It’s a trend that most of the big-hitting advertisers are following. Why blandly broadcast your wares widely to millions, without receiving real-time results, when you can interact with dedicated fans on a one-to-one basis? Most big brands have launched some sort of social media content to accompany their traditional advertising.

Beer company Budweiser is taking a tip from Big Brother and has gone so far as to launch its own reality programme on YouTube, featuring 32 fans from 32 countries living under one roof and watching every game together. It’s doubtful it will be as popular as the final series of Big Brother currently playing out on Channel 4, but then it’s unlikely to contain the same amount of, ahem, interesting characters.

Coca-Cola is going for interactive content by launching its own YouTube channel and encouraging fans to upload videos of their own goal celebrations. The winner of the longest celebration will be awarded tickets to the World Cup final. It’s an fine example of interactive content working to engage the public and we wait to see with an inventive YouTube generation can come up with.

If you’re looking for online games, Continental Tyres is offering to pit you against your friends using its conti tire kick game – challenging you to avoid the obstacles and simply kick the ball into the back of the net.

Big-budget World Cup television commercials often have the ‘talkability’ factor and this year they are getting the social media treatment, too. Nike’s Write the Future advert features players such as Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba and Ronaldo thinking through the consequences of their next kick. Shorter versions of the advert are currently being shown on television, but over 14 million have logged on to see the full three-minute ad on YouTube, featuring cameos from Roger Federer, Gael García Bernal and Homer Simpson. At the time of writing, the film sits at seventh in the world’s viral video chart.

There is no shortage of iPhone and Android apps to keep you up to date with the World Cup. There’s an app if you’d like to keep pace with all the news from BBC Sport and ESPN,  there’s the official FIFA app, which includes a full games schedule and stats for each player in the tournament, and even a world cup trivia app – if you’re one of those people that likes to impress your mates with obscure football knowledge.

Be warned though – if you’re following Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard on Twitter, don’t expect to hear their insights into what goes on behind the scenes at the tournament. England’s players have all been banned from using Twitter and Facebook during the World Cup and will only be allowed to air their views through the FA’s official website.

Social networking has historically been an ongoing headache for football clubs and players. Most football fans will remember sometimes England player Darren Bent was forced to apologised after posting a less-than-friendly message to the chairman of his then club, Spurs. Manchester United has completely banned its players from having any social media profiles.

Football fans may argue that players will have a more important matters to focus on rather than updating their profiles while out in South Africa. But why not give fans the latest information and see what goes on behind the scenes – perhaps with some social media training in what they should or shouldn’t say? Tennis player Andy Murray manages to Tweet while taking part in high-level competitions, and this helps to engage and involve fans.

But with all this social media surrounding the World Cup 2010 and fans and journalists regularly updating from South Africa , it will be almost impossible to miss the beautiful game. Even while you’re away from your TV screen.