Dive Brief:

• Kellogg's NYC Café teamed with Eat Soccer, a soccer lifestyle agency, for a Morning Match breakfast experience during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, according to news provided to Marketing Dive. The event kicks off on June 15 for the Egypt vs. Uruguay match at 8 a.m., and continues on weekdays through June 22. 
• The event will feature multiple TVs broadcasting the games, as well as what Kellogg's described as an "immersive kitchen." The café will open an Instagram-friendly nook with lighting, props and different angles for visitors to snap photos in their soccer jerseys. 
• Fans can reserve a spot at Eventbrite, with $20-tickets offering unlimited access to Kellogg's cereal bar, milk, coffee and tea. The café will have more than 30 ingredients, including rum-roasted bananas and marshmallows, on hand for the event. 

Dive Insight:

Kellogg's is again leveraging the popularity of its New York City cereal café to provide a viewing space for events that match up with Americans' breakfast time and serve as an opportunity to bring together like-minded fans. Soccer fans regularly have watch parties for World Cup games featuring their favorite teams, but this year's FIFA tournament is hosted in Russia, with a time difference that means early-morning airtimes in the U.S. Kellogg's created a similar watch party for experience last month’s British royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, with themed breakfasts curated by a former royal chef and cereal-box fascinator hats.

The World Cup watch parties being open to reservations via Eventbrite signals that these types of branded events are proving popular with consumers. The royal wedding watch party, for example, appeared to be at capacity several days before the actual nuptials, which were broadcast early in the morning stateside. The World Cup gives Kellogg's a chance to repeat those successes, as the tournament runs for several weeks. Adding an Instagram nook with props might encourage visitors to share selfies on social media and raise awareness for the experience, while fans will likely appreciate the ability to show off their team spirit. 

This could be a differentiating factor for Kellogg's World Cup marketing. General interest in the tournament this year among Americans is expected to be lower given the absence of the U.S. national men's team, which didn't qualify. Fox Sports, which has the rights to broadcast the FIFA World Cup games through 2022, is expected to take a ratings and ad revenue hit, according to Adweek. Focusing more on experiential marketing, as opposed to traditional TV ads, is one way brands like Kellogg's can potentially still spin the event into a win.