18 August 2009
While most television advertisements only last for 30 seconds, the 2010 Fifa World Cup offers South Africa the opportunity to stage a 30-day advertisement to the world, says 2010 Local Organising Committee (LOC) chairman Irvin Khoza.
Speaking at the 2010 National Communication Partnership conference in Johannesburg on Monday, Khoza said the World Cup was a once-in-a-lifetime marketing opportunity for South Africa.
“Think of the tournament as a 30-day commercial for South Africa – a 30-day television commercial to be watched by a cumulative audience of billions around the globe – this is the scale of our opportunity for South Africans to present this country effectively and proactively,” Khoza said.
The LOC chairman said it was up to South Africans to decide what the message of the “30-day commercial” would be.
The 2010 Fifa World Cup will be played in nine South African cities over a period of 30 days, with 32 teams playing 64 matches in the battle to be crowned football champions of the world.
Assessed in terms of the number of worldwide viewers, the World Cup is the world’s biggest sporting event. It is expected to draw in a cumulative worldwide television audience of more than 26-billion spectators in 2010 – for Germany 2006, the total cumulative television audience was 26.3-billion.
Using Monday’s occasion to give a 2010 stadium construction update, Khoza said the six stadiums that have not yet been completed are 80 percent complete and would be complete by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the latest research indicates a major shift in confidence among South Africans regarding the country’s ability to pull off a successful World Cup.
During the first quarter of 2009, a Fifa-commissioned survey revealed that 88 percent of South Africans felt a sense of pride at being the first African country to host the World Cup, while 77 percent predicted the tournament would be a success.
And in May this year, a separate survey by African Response found that 89 percent of South Africans believed the World Cup would benefit the country.
Source: BuaNews / South Africa 2010