Soccer fans will have access to an emergency hotline launched during the World Cup to provide them with statistics about their teams in a brand-raising initiative for insights publication The Athletic.

Created by communication consultancy Harbour, the awareness-raising drive for the publisher aims to promote The Athletic as a source of insight and knowledge of the game.

Featuring the publication’s football experts, the hotline will run throughout the tournament until Friday for die-hard soccer fans and World Cup viewers to turn to for information, statistics, data and news.

The hotline number, 0800 0 433 433, will take callers to a call center manned by The Athletic’s football experts who are set to answer any question they might have.

The campaign will be promoted through a multichannel campaign running across out-of-home, projections, radio, social media, digital, PR and influencer channels. PR agency PrettyGreen and its sister influencer marketing agency What They Said have been tasked to amplify the campaign and develop PR insights.

It will kick off with a brand campaign film called “Hope” as well as a launch film featuring former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino as he tries to record a message for the hotline.

Sinead Bunting, International Marketing Director, The Athletic, said: “During the World Cup, football is everywhere. It’s a global event that is enjoyed not just by avid football fans, but also those who turn up every four years for the big tournaments. And we know that the more you know about football, the more you enjoy watching it and sharing the moment with family and friends, so an emergency hotline is the perfect way to help fans of all kinds get the most out of the World Cup.”

Other activities will see influencers share content of themselves involved in a World Cup-themed quiz, using the hotline for help with the toughest questions.

Guerrilla activity including sticker posting, sky and building projections as well as The Athletic branded phone kiosks will also appear to promote the campaign.

Yann-Gael Cobigo, a creative director at Harbour, added: “It’s a real pleasure to keep building this iconic brand in the UK, this time by manifesting its very own unrivaled football analysis in fun but savvy ways. We wanted to develop a big idea that resonated with everyone and find the most original and impactful way to involve them all.”