If you’re living in the UK like the team at immediate future, you’ll no doubt be enjoying a bit of classic British summertime – it’s August, and you need a coat, scarf and wellies to go anywhere. It’s frankly rubbish outside, so why not stay in and get everything you need from the online world?

We’ve been talking about virtual reality for ages, with plenty of early 90s shows like Tomorrow’s World and Blue Peter getting presenters to don a cumbersome helmet and escape the real world. Truth is, the transition to the virtual world is getting closer and is much more subtle.

3D is the current driver. Why pay massive ticket prices to sit in a cramped seat listening to some idiot spout abuse at a real football match, when you can watch all of the big games from the comfort of your living room in stunningly immersive Full HD 3D? Soon all sports will be following suit, and you’re much more likely to see what’s going on via your TV (invite a few mates round, crank up the volume and hey presto, the atmosphere is replicated too.)

3D gaming is going to be BIG, BIG, BIG. If you can box, dance and play tennis in the house, without having to deal with those aforementioned weather issues or that sweaty dude from the gym who always stares at you in the shower, well that’s good with me!

You can talk with video conferencing on Skype and iPhones. You can find out exactly where friends are and what they’re doing via social networks. Online shopping is bigger and better than ever. More and more live gigs are being streamed on YouTube. Music festival coverage gets bigger and longer every year as digital channels and online devote resource to bringing you music without any mud. V Festival has recently announced live streaming this year for the first time. Once we get gigs and festivals in 3D, there will definitely be no point in going out ever again.

OK, so you lose a bit of atmosphere, but if you’re on Twitter you can still talk to other people about the events (be they gigs or football matches), the beer’s much cheaper and there’s no chance of getting stuck in a three hour traffic jam on your way home. Sounds good to me.

• Arcade Fire join U2, Alicia Keys in streaming gig online (ctv.ca)
• Can Twitter wit replace live comedy? (guardian.co.uk)

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Once every four years the whole country goes a bit crazy for a few months. Flags get attached to cars, people with little or no interest in football suddenly get wrapped up in pub debates about who exactly should be England’s third-choice goalkeeper, and businesses the length and breadth of the country rack their brains as to how best tap into this collective delirium.

Yes, 2010 is a World Cup year. Having been starved of an England appearance in a major football tournament for four long years, this summer’s tournament in South Africa is already looking set to be one of the most heavily branded and marketed ever. Adidas, Coca Cola, Emirates, Hyundai, Sony, Visa, Budweiser and McDonalds are amongst the official sponsors and partners.

However, being an official sponsor means you have to observe FIFA’s draconian rules. Doing your own thing and not even mentioning the World Cup can open a bit more creativity. Toshiba will refund the price of your TV if England win the tournament, whilst Currys show a little less (or is it more?) faith by giving ten pounds cash back for each goal scored by the Three Lions. James Hall at The Telegraph has already looked at these in more detail: they’ll only be worth analysing if England win the tournament, scoring a bucketful of goals along the way.

Online, Sure are heavily promoting their ‘last eight’ sweepstake, which mentions nothing about a World Cup. It vaguely mentions ‘your team’ in ‘South Africa’, but everyone knows what they’re referring to. Pepsi have combined their offline and online marketing in an attempt to derail official tournament partners Coca Cola. Africa-themed TVCs featuring Leo Messi and Frank Lampard run concurrently with the www.MAXITLEGENDS.com video competition and a digital game called Football Hero. Pringles have targeted their 3 million Facebook fans with a Peter Crouch endorsed ‘Pringoooals’ mechanic – cheesy, but ingenious and 100% unofficial.

Offline, the Sun has gone down its tired jingoistic route, recruiting former England manager Terry Venables. Yawn. More effective are Kit Kat’s Cross Your Fingers commercials and billboards, mixing a unique brand identity with football (again, without mentioning the World Cup once). Facts and figures are behind Nestle’s marketing drive – the last World Cup in 2006 resulted in a 16% sales hike for four-finger bars and a 38% boost for Chunky. This might explain why Nestle have doubled the amount of money invested in the campaign.

Ultimately, it comes down to ROI. How much money are you going to make back from the investment you’ve put in? If you’re banking solely on the fortunes of a football team, I wouldn’t expect too much.

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