If you thought Justin Bieber and Twilight Eclipse were international sensations, take a look at worldwide searches for the World Cup over the last thirty days:


Search trends are similar for US-specific searches, and show how interest in the world’s most popular sport is taking off.

Internationally, search volume was highest in African countries like Botswana, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe. Closer to home, users on the East Coast were the most interested in searching for World Cup related terms, particularly in Vermont, New York, and DC.

Beyond their general interest, searchers were also looking to buy hats, jerseys, flags, and other goods to show their support of their favorite teams:


All businesses should think about how they can integrate the excitement of the World Cup and other major events into their advertising campaigns. In particular, sporting goods and apparel advertisers should keep in mind that users search on pretty general terms when it comes to major sporting events, so this is an instance where you’ll want to have full coverage on broad terms as well as specific item terms, too.


Posted by Erin Piper, the Google Retail Team