Indiantelevision.com Team

(3 June 2009 8:45 pm)

MUMBAI: South African Tourism launched its 2010 Fifa World Cup marketing campaign during last month’s travel trade show, Indaba 2009. The new brand campaign has been engineered to ignite the nation, the continent and the world behind both the Fifa Confederations Cup and the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

The country’s International Marketing Council (IMC) launched its domestic and regional 2010 Fifa World Cup at the same event to help South Africans specifically and Africans generally feel the excitement of hosting the sporting event.

South African Tourism India country manager Medha Sampat said, “We have organised a feast of activities and activations designed to get South Africa and the world dancing to the 2010 beat. The success of the second season of the Indian Premier League has proved to the world that South Africa is fully equipped to host world class events in an extravagant and efficient manner.

“The Fifa World Cup is going to drive the South African Tourism industry to the leading edge of global competitiveness and ensure arrivals grow well, post 2010. The World Cup will be one of the country's biggest investment catalysts and will help unleash great economic prosperity.”

The campaign rolls out in collaboration with the IMC (custodian of the South African national brand); the destination marketing organisation, South African Tourism; and the 2010 Organising Committee (as custodians of the 2010 Fifa World Cup event). The collective efforts of these entities provides a holistic approach to marketing the World Cup both in South Africa and around the world.

The domestic focus is to celebrate the active involvement of South Africans in the 2010 event. The campaign gives South Africans varied ideas on what they can do to prepare themselves to welcome the world next year, to be warm, hospitable and generous hosts.

At the heart of the Africa campaign is an invitation for the continent to unite and rally behind the 2010 FIFA World Cup, while the domestic focus is on celebrating South Africans as champions who will make the 2010 event a reality and a stunning success. Both campaigns celebrate Africa’s passion for football and drive excitement for a football championship that is going to be colourful, vibrant, intoxicating and alive with a fusion of cultures, dance, song and music.

As the multi-million rand global campaign kick starts, it will become the definitive hallmark of the first African World Cup. The 60-second commercial takes its inspiration from South Africa’s football style — diski. It will be screened on global television networks - BBC World, CNN International, Sky, EuroSport, Fox - and will reach more than 600 million consumers between now and kick-off.

There will also be an extensive online campaign component that includes a website, social media site exploitation and mobi sites to complement the television commercials. An extensive global editorial and public relations campaign is also in place.

South African Tourism Acting CEO Didi Moyle says, “From the onset, we have said that this World Cup does not belong to South Africa alone, but to all of Africa. In developing a communication campaign specifically targeting this aspect, and communicating in a manner that is widely appreciated, fun and contagious, we are firmly positioning this event and the host continent as alive and vibrant”.

South African Tourism’s head of marketing for 2010 Sugen Pillay says, “This campaign is for the people of South Africa. This will take the dance and welcoming spirit of 2010 to millions of South Africans. It will also give the campaign the domestic traction that it needs if South Africans are to truly welcome the world to this great celebration. This is our World Cup and we invite all to learn the Diski Dance and heartily welcome one and all to the great party that this Word Cup is going to be”.