The handing out of Pepsi to World Cup volunteers in Durban instead of official sponsor Coca-Cola’s product was a ’delivery error’, a city spokesperson said. ’The incidence whereby an inappropriate drink brand was served to volunteers at the Fifa fan fest was a delivery error from our suppliers and there was nothing sinister or deliberate about it,’ said city spokesperson Thabo Mofokeng. Earlier this week, many of the city’s cup volunteers had their bags searched and the Pepsi cans in their free lunch packs were confiscated and thrown into rubbish bins at the Durban beach Fifa fan fest.
Nike is reported to be lining up a shock coup d’etat by becoming official shirt sponsor of Bafana Bafana after it emerged the South African Football Association (SAFA) was close to ending its 12-year relationship with adidas. According to Business Day, adidas will have the right of first refusal when its contract with SAFA expires at the end of the year, but the two parties could go their separate ways after Nike made a presentation that impressed the football association.
The handing out of Pepsi to World Cup volunteers in Durban instead of official sponsor Coca-Cola’s product was a ’delivery error’, a city spokesperson said.
’The incidence whereby an inappropriate drink brand was served to volunteers at the Fifa fan fest was a delivery error from our suppliers and there was nothing sinister or deliberate about it,’ said city spokesperson Thabo Mofokeng.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney were among the superstars in Nike’s ’Write the future’ advert, but instead of making history at the World Cup, the featured icons are all history. The Times reports that Portugal’s Ronaldo and England’s Rooney both crashed out of the 2010 tournament in the first knockout phase, while Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast, Frenchman Franck Ribery and Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro didn’t even get past the group stage.
Nike, a non-sponsor of the 2010 World Cup, is advertising massively and imaginatively during the event – and winning huge awareness. It’s not ambush marketing, because it doesn’t attempt overtly to pass itself off as a sponsor. But research shows that most people think Nike is an official sponsor. And it does this without having to put up the $125m that topline FIFA ’partners’ reportedly pay for the privilege. Which goes to show how tough a job FIFA has in protecting the exclusivity of its partners and sponsors.
Sponsors turn their back on French team – 22/06/2010Sponsors
Sponsors are starting to distance themselves from France’s scandal-hit soccer team, notes a report on the IoL site. Credit Agricole said it had cancelled its television campaign with the team, which on Sunday boycotted a training session in support of striker Nicolas Anelka who was sent home for foul-mouthing the national coach. Meanwhile, fast-food company Quick decided over the weekend to stop using an advertising film featuring Anelka and Procter and Gamble said it was dropping a television campaign for its Pringles crisp brand that featured the expelled player.
Nike commits professional foul on Adidas – 21/06/2010
The official World Cup sponsor Adidas is losing out to Nike’s back-door marketing, which is proving a bigger hit with fans. Business Day reports that Nike’s global ambush marketing of the 2010 World Cup appears to be paying off, latest research indicating it is beating its rival, Adidas, in connecting with soccer fans and consumers. Great news for Nike, which has not paid a cent in sponsorship to FIFA, and bad news for adidas, which has stumped up an estimated $402 million for the rights to the 2010 and 2014 World Cup tournaments.
FIFA has denied reports it detained dozens of women for wearing orange mini-dresses at a World Cup match in an alleged ambush marketing scam by a Dutch brewery, notes a Sport24 report. FIFA spokesperson Nicolas Maingot said none of the women were arrested at the Netherlands-Denmark game at Soccer City or detained for questioning. However, Maingot said FIFA officials did ask the women about ’clear ambush marketing’.
Thirty-six sexily dressed Dutch women were forced out of Soccer City and held in a FIFA office for several hours for wearing an outfit designed by a Dutch beer company. The body-hugging orange mini-dress, known as the Dutchy dress, was part of a gift pack bought with Bavaria beer in Holland as part of the build-up to the World Cup. Peer Swinkels, from Bavaria beer, told The Star that his colleagues in South Africa had told him that 36 Dutch women had been arrested after the match between the Netherlands and Denmark for wearing the dress.
Visa launches Go Fans YouTube channel – 02/06/2010Go
In celebration of the 2010 World Cup, Visa, a FIFA partner and the exclusive card of the 2010 World Cup, has created a Go Fans YouTube channel enabling soccer fans to express their true colors in support of their national teams by viewing, uploading and sharing videos capturing creative, entertaining, passionate or humorous goal calls.
Cellphone network operator MTN SA says it has spent nearly R450m on network investments directly related to the 2010 World Cup, including the roll-out of dedicated infrastructure at all the stadiums to be used during the Cup, notes a Tech Central report. MTN SA chief technology officer Sameer Dave says the company has built additional infrastructure at stadiums to ensure fans can always make phone calls and connect to the Internet and to ensure the connectivity of residents in neighbourhoods next to stadiums are not affected.
Adidas, technical partner of Bafana Bafana, are using the 2010 World Cup to raise support for Nelson Mandela’s foundation, 46664. The Sowetan reports The Unite Against Mzansi campaign was created to inspire the world to celebrate diversity in unity while raising funds for the 46664 foundation. The campaign aims at developing long-term projects that will leave a legacy long after the World Cup. Adidas created a giant jersey, which is currently touring South Africa via a huge truck giving the entire nation sign messages of support for Bafana.
Tony Koenderman, Fin24: Vodacom seems to have taken a leaf out of Pepsi’s book by cleverly using its sports sponsorship without stepping on FIFA’s toes. Its antics may annoy the football body and rival MTN, which happens to be a 2010 FIFA World Cup sponsor, but it cannot be touched. With its Join the voice behind Bafana Bafana campaign, it ropes in soccer stars such as Matthew Booth and Teko Modise in its TV ads. Furthermore, the mobile provider is cutting it close with its cellphone and Bafana shirt package costing only R200. The shirts are not the national team jerseys, but have the national colours and logo.
2010 World Cup fever hit Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton when Vodacom, the official sponsor of Bafana Bafana, ambushed customers. The Star reports that their strike involved 170 dancers and hip-hop artist JR performing his big hit Show Dem (Make da Circle Bigger), the anthem for Vodacom’s five TV commercials for the Join the Voice Behind Bafana Bafana 2010 World Cup campaign. The launch formed part of an exclusive luncheon attended by VIPs at one of the restaurants on the square.
New Coca Cola campaign gets under way – 03/05/2010
The Coca-Cola Company is celebrating the countdown to the 2010 World Cup by encouraging people around the world to take part in the longest-ever online goal celebration. The ’Longest Celebration’ competition will offer fans the opportunity to win a range of prizes, including tickets to 2010 World Cup matches, notes a Stockhouse report. The ’Longest Celebration’ extends the global marketing campaign by Coca-Cola that includes advertising featuring the iconic goal celebration by Roger Milla, the African footballer whose corner flag dance at the 1990 World Cup encouraged a new generation of football moves.
Adidas will donate 15 000 tickets to deserving school learners as part of its FIFA Ticket Fund campaign, which starts with the national arts competition this weekend, notes a report on the News24 site. The adidas Ticket Fund campaign is a FIFA initiative aimed at making 2010 World Cup matches more accessible to those South African learners who do not ordinarily have the means to purchase tickets for the tournament. Adidas has received 15 000 tickets from FIFA for the global football showpiece and the brand has chosen to work with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) in distributing these tickets to deserving learners from schools throughout South Africa.
FIFA has come under fire from South African businesses upset with the tough trade restrictions put in place by soccer’s world governing body for the 2010 World Cup. CNN reports that FIFA makes the bulk of its money from selling marketing and television rights, and has already generated a record $3.3 billion ahead of the June 11 kickoff in Joburg. Big companies pay big bucks to be associated with the tournament, and in return FIFA strictly enforces its trademark rules to protect its sponsors.
Adidas have gone out of their way to ensure that Bafana Bafana have a good and comfortable stay while they spend three weeks for their training camp in Germany. Sports24 reports that Bafana Bafana are expected to travel in luxury Mercedes buses, which are branded with SAFA, adidas and the Jabulani ball – something that will make the South Africans easily recognisable in Germany. The global sports manufacturing company is also expected to launch the ball that will be specifically used during the final of the World Cup next week. Danny Jordaan, Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto Parreira and the Bafana Bafana squad are expected to attend this special adidas event.
Budweiser, Canada’s number one selling beer, unveiled its 2010 World Cup sponsorship activation plans. Committed to transcending cultural boundaries, each program is designed to unite consumers across the country and celebrate the game of soccer by rewarding passionate fans and top players, notes a CNW report. ’The 2010 World Cup is an incredible Global platform that presents an unparalleled opportunity for us to reach out and connect with Budweiser drinkers and soccer fans,’ said Kyle Norrington, Marketing Director, Budweiser.
According to Coca-Cola, the 2010 World Cup Trophy, will arrive in South Africa on 5 May on the final leg of its global tour, notes a report on the allAfrica.com site. During its journey through the country, the solid-gold Trophy will stop at 33 cities and towns across South Africa. The trophy will then arrive back in Johannesburg days before the opening match of the 2010 World Cup at Soccer City stadium on 11 June.
Bafana technical sponsor Adidas has embarked on a campaign to recruit 384 youngsters to serve as flag-bearers at the 2010 World Cup. The Sowetan reports that Zobuzwe Ngobese, the company’s public relations manager for South Africa, said they were targeting youngsters between the ages of 12 and 16 years. ’The majority of the youths will be sourced through a local retail competition, which started on April 1 and will run until May 16,’ Ngobese said.
Major advertisers push WC sponsorship – 05/04/2010
Advertisers such as Anheuser-Busch InBev, Coca-Cola and Hyundai-Kia are seeking to leverage their sponsorship of the 2010 World Cup to connect with consumers in various markets. A range of corporate partners, including Nike and Adidas, the sportswear giants, McDonald’s, the fast-food chain, and Visa, the finance brand, have been attracted to the competition, notes a Warc report. Powerade, owned by Coca-Cola, is the ’official sports drink’ of the 2010 World Cup, which it will use as the springboard for its first global multimedia campaign, crossing TV, print, online and outdoor.
Thirty-two soccer fans from around the world will cheer on their teams, quaff beer, race ostriches and surf sand dunes in a new reality show. Bud House, the brainchild of sponsor Budweiser, will feature one representative from each of the countries playing in the 2010 World Cup living together in a Big Brother-style house in Cape Town. The Times reports that the show will be broadcast online and participants will be eliminated as their countries drop out of the tournament. The last two will attend the final, where the winning fan will present the Budweiser Man of the Match award to the winning player.
Powerade has been chosen by FIFA to hydrate 2010 World Cup players and will be pitch side at every match during the tournament. In the brand’s first-ever global integrated marketing campaign, Powerade will give athletes the inspiration and ability to ’Keep Playing," through a comprehensive campaign highlighted by an innovative online experience and the presence of Powerade on the pitch during the 2010 World Cup.
McDonald’s won’t supply food at WC venues – 29/03/2010
McDonald’s, the world’s biggest restaurant company, waived right to exclusively supply food at South African soccer stadiums and fan parks during the 2010 World Cup. Bloomberg reports that the company will instead focus on providing food at its 132 restaurants in the country, said Sechaba Motsieloa, marketing director at McDonald’s South African unit.
Fans from across the globe rather than FIFA officials will determine the man-of-the-match awards at the 2010 World Cup. The technical study group of world soccer’s governing body have until now selected the best player from each game, but for the first time it will be left to online and mobile text voting, notes a report on the News24 site. The innovation is part of a digital media push unveiled by World Cup sponsor Anheuser-Busch InBev , the world’s larger beer company and brewer of Budweiser, whose name is attached to the man-of-the-match awards. Through promotions, fans will be chosen to present the trophies to players at the 64 matches.
Mobile operator MTN said it had invested R7.1bn upgrading its domestic network and infrastructure ahead of 2010 World Cup. The company said that as part of the work it had completed network coverage upgrades at all stadiums being used in the tournament. MTN is one of the sponsors of the month-long tournament, giving it exclusive mobile content rights.
Nike partner to launch football offer - 21/03/2010
South African mobile operator Cell C and Nike have join forces to create a starter pack focused on soccer, that will give both fans and players the chance to access multimedia information on football training and techniques. The Cell C Nike Football+ starter pack offers access to Nike Football+, a digital coaching program aimed at players who want to improve their game, with instructions and advice from top coaches and clubs like Barcelona, Arsenal, Liverpool or Juventus. According to Simon Camerer, Executive Head of Marketing for Cell C, the partnership proves innovative for the mobile operator and comes in an exciting time for South Africans, ahead of the 2010 World Cup.
MTN has signed a sponsorship agreement with the English soccer club Manchester United, which has some 330m fans worldwide. FIN24 reports that the deal, worth an estimated £5m will give MTN the exclusive right to use the club’s branding in promotions for the next three and a half years. In 2006, MTN signed the largest sponsorship deal by a South African company when it agreed to pay $65m to become Africa’s first global sponsor of the 2010 World Cup.
Seven thousand pupils from previously disadvantaged communities will watch the historic 2010 World Cup, thanks to Hyundai South Africa, notes a report in The Sowetan. Hyundai SA marketing and advertising manager Jacques Geurtse said: ’We are giving away tickets to selected matches. We are also using the FIFA Ticket Fund initiative to address the shortage in learning infrastructure and effectively educate children around safety practices.’ The company has approached schools in communities within a 200km radius of the 2010 World Cup venues in six provinces.
