One of the biggest impacts from hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup will come from the phenomenal marketing and communication opportunity it will offer the country and continent. As world attention focuses on the first African World Cup this is an opportunity for Africans to tell their own stories.
The 2010 National Communication Partnership is a joint effort of communicators across society and in the many creative and communication disciplines to take advantage of this communication opportunity of a lifetime to benefit our country and continent.
The 2010 Tournament itself is FIFA’s event, made possible by sponsorship in return for exclusive marketing rights for the tournament itself. The Partnership respects absolutely these marketing rights.
The Partnership’s communication is in a different sphere. Its communication objectives are to take advantage of this opportunity of a lifetime to express and further build unity and pride amongst South Africans; to inspire our youth; to market the country and continent to the world; to build African solidarity and to create a communication climate that helps use this chance to speed up development and expand opportunities.
The Partnership is one of the ways people across sectors in South Africa and Africa are coming together to prepare for the greatest sporting event on earth.
The Role of the Partnership
The Partnership’s role is to promote coordinated local and international communication, so that the many communication agencies and role-players speak with one powerful voice to maximise the benefit of hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup for the country and continent.
The Partnership provides a strategic framework for communication – a point of reference – for communicators in the period leading up to and during 2010.
Its function is to promote coherence of message and to provide forums for information sharing and coordination, mutual support for campaigns, strategy formation, and to jointly address issues as they arise.
The Partnership is not a new communication agency. Its many member entities – SA Tourism, the International Marketing Council, Dept of Sports and Recreation, South African Airways, Government, Proudly South African, the Organising Committee, private sector and civil society – will embark on communication in the context of 2010 as per their respective mandates and roles.
But communication will be more powerful because communicators are working together in partnership, sharing a common vision and common messages.
