'You are more likely to impulse buy' if watching England at 1am on Monday - whilst also playing on your phone
An expert at the University of Plymouth has been looking into the way advertisers target sports fans
Last updated 2nd Jul 2026
With a 1am kick off for England's last 16 match with Mexico, academics have been looking at how we're both less likely to remember brands advertising at the World Cup on TV - and more likely to purchase items on impulse served to us via online advertising.
Dr Shikhar Bhaskar is an expert in digital marketing at the University of Plymouth, who said: "We researched a few back mostly Asian viewers who are following champions league matches or British football and they watched those matches at very odd times and we looked at how it impacts their processing of information such as billboard advertising or in-game advertising.
"We identified that these guys were not able to remember those brands as much as any person who was watching at a more ideal time such as early evening or an afternoon."
He continued: "Advertisers are smart, they have found different ways to capture the attention of the viewers - they know you are watching the match. They know if you're an Arsenal fan you would surely be watching let's say the particular game they are playing.
"They will target you at the right time - so when they have the billboard advertising the same add would appear on any of the apps that you are using on your phone. That synchronised advertising leads to double capture of attention.
"Because the viewers are mentally fatigued they are not able to process that information perfectly. They are more likely to have purchase products they normally would not have gone for such as gambling or late night food - or anything that in an ideal day they would not do.
"Because they are fatigued, they have less self-control, their resources of controlling their impulses is much weaker."
Research released by Snapchat, found three in four fans expected to reach for their phones during ad breaks or during the game - with devices increasingly becoming part of the viewing experience.
The research, conducted by OnePoll among 1,000 UK Gen Z ahead of the tournament, suggests 'modern fandom is increasingly built around participation, chat and shared reaction as much as passive viewing'.
Dr Bhaskar says people are now used to targeted ads appearing on their mobiles but he suggests reducing or avoiding phone use during late night games and just focusing on one screen rather than two simultaneously.