In Malaysia, football is the number one sport. Approximately 10 million people show an active interest in it, in a total population of 32 million. Football is more than just a sport in the country — it brings people together — no matter their background or social class. iflix, Netflix’s competitor in Asia, understood Malaysia’s passion for football. They partnered with Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP) to live stream the Malaysia Cup, the Super League, and other football events for free. Likewise, the Malaysian Government announced that twenty-seven of the 2018 World Cup football matches would be aired live and for free on RTM1, a popular TV channel in Malaysia. This audience represents a massive opportunity for marketers trying to enter or persevere in the Malaysian market. Using our audience insights tool, Profiler, we have uncovered key insights about football fans in Malaysia. Our audience analysis example focused on the following segment: 18-65+ year olds showing an interest in football or football-related topics who live in Malaysia. Here’s what our audience analysis revealed:

Audience Analysis Example #1: Malaysia Football Fans Are Not Only Men

The population of Malaysia is composed of more men than women, 56% compared to 44%. Our first discovery was that 60% of football fans in the country are males and 40% females. Surprising as we’d expected a higher percentage of men.

Audience Analysis Example #2: Millenials Are the Most Interested In Football

The majority of football fans in Malaysia are millennials, with 67.5% of the target audience between 18 and 34 years old. The oldest age group shows very little interest in the sport – just 1.4% of 65+ years olds.

Audience Analysis Example #3: Ronaldo, Mata and Messi Are Their Favorite Football Players

At the top of the list of favorite players, we find Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s followed by Juan Mata and Lionel Messi. In the Malaysian team, Rozaimi Abdul Rahman ranked first. Their favorite Malaysian team is Johor Southern Tigers. Surprisingly, the international team where the highest interest is shown is the Bangladesh Football Federation. We were expecting more well-known teams, such as Germany or Spain, to be at the top of the list.

Audience Analysis Example #4: They Use Facebook, Read Sinar Harian and Watch TV3

It is interesting to note that the TV channels Malaysian football fans watch the most are not the ones where the government chose to air the matches.

Audience Analysis Example #5: Their Favorite Brands Are Adidas and Honda

So what brands do football fans in Malaysia favor? Perhaps unsurprisingly two of their favorite clothing brands are sportswear brands: Adidas and Nike. However, there is still a preference for Adidas. It could be partially related to who Adidas chooses to sponsor — mainly football players. These players are essential influencers for football fans, who will no doubt be attracted to the brands their favorite football stars wear. Adidas sponsors most of the Malay team. Nike also uses football players to promote their brands, but not to the same extent. Instead, they sponsor local events such as the Malaysia Super League or the Malaysia Cup.

Interestingly, these football fans are also keen on automotive brands. 18% show an interest in Honda and 15% in Perodua. The analysis of their brand affinities also revealed that they use Maybank and that their favorite fast food brands are McDonalds and KFC.

Audience Analysis Example #6: They Have Various Hobbies

It’s no surprise that as football fans, they enjoy watching football matches, especially the FIFA World Cup. They also appreciate travelling, especially to Asian countries. 37% of them like to go to Singapore, and around 30% to China and Japan. During their leisure time, they listen to rock and pop music and watch drama movies. Their favorite music artists are Justin Bieber, Queen and Siti Nurhaliz.

With audience insights tools, businesses can leverage data to optimize their marketing strategies. For example, with these insights on Malaysian football fans, Adidas can promote their sportswear based on the likes and interests common to the entire audience — ultimately allowing them to optimize their messaging to their target audience.

Want to learn about the characteristics of your target audience? Request a demo of Synthesio Profiler today!