I am back from South Africa and ready to report on my experience. In my last blog entry I promised to provide feedback on how FIFA sponsors leverage the World Cup sponsorship opportunities in South Africa and beyond. Most of my trip was around Johannesburg area and the North West of South Africa, so my reporting is based on what I have seen in the industrial part of the country.
First of all, it is impossible not to notice a WC fever in Johannesburg. From the moment I stepped out the airplane and entered the OR Tambo airport, I was overwhelmed with the "Africa United" advertising by MTN, South African mobile operator. MTN is one of the main FIFA sponsors and their campaign is the loudest, brightest and most overwhelming in the industrial capital of Africa. "Africa United" theme is prevalent on the continent and showcases top soccer players, such as Essien, Makalele, and Tshabalala from all over Africa under one MTN tagline. Furthermore, MTN did not stop there and created the "Ayoba" campaign, which is a fake word that everyone in South Africa started using when they wanted to express a feeling of greatness. So Ayoba Times (great times) was born! Ayoba could be found everywhere: on billboards, magazines, mobile phone cards, stadiums, TV ads, street vendor umbrellas, and even condoms.
Second of all, each sponsor had its own presence in a Fan Zone at every official stadium in South Africa. The famous MTN had a great stage presence with a huge TV screen that showed other matches taking place in other cities. They also entertained the audience with music, competitions, and amazing dancers. Hyundai built a campaign around oversized soccer balls representing loyalty to what is dear to one's heart. Before each game at the stadium, they asked fans to choose one of the two huge blow-up soccer balls representing the teams playing on a particular venue and write a message on it. Then, the balls would be released into the air. Hyundai supported the initiative with a massive TV campaign showcasing the same act. I wish there was more interaction with the audience beyond giving them a marker and asking to write something on a gigantic ball, but Hyundai have done worst in the past.
Emirates had a tent where they invited participants to kick a ball into a man-made tunnel and whoever makes it, can win some type of price. I tried and made it on my first attempt which was pretty easy to do. They asked me for my email address and let me go. I have never heard from the Emirates marketing people anymore. That was pretty lame and a total waste of money. There was no connection to the Emirates Airlines and the fact that noone cared to communicate with the winners was a big flaw on their part.
Coke had the best presence of them all. They simply brought a replica of the London bus, put a DJ on top of it, created stage at the bottom, and played "Waive a Flag" K'naan's WC theme song for two hours straight before the game while providing crazy (in a good sense) fans with a replica of a World Cup trophy asking them to jump up and down the stage. This was the best engagement one could imagine. Here is a picture to prove it. Thousands of taken pictures, great fun and full engagement that corresponds with the "Celebrate" tagline that Coke had for the WC.
However, those who have not paid millions of dollars to FIFA for the official sponsorship rights took advantage of the soccer fever as well. Nike, with the plethora of their own soccer stars from Ronaldo to Rooney to Ribery, was visible everywhere: on Johannesburg skyscrapers, TV, as well as on the soccer pitch - at least one third of the players wore the new NIke Vapor soccer cleats, which stood out because of its bright colors. Smart move, Nike.
Overall, fun was everywhere and sponsors enjoyed a lot of exposure. The World Cup fever is contagious, and almost one billion people around the world who watch every game are worth every penny sponsors spent on them. The key is to engage them in a memorable way and some sponsors did it better than other.
Ke-Nako! (cheers)
