2010 publicity must get intense after the elections

The last two months or so have all seen marketing communications focussed on the general elections which will take place this Wednesday, the 22nd of April. This reminds us that there are other things in life that are more important than football. All the hype and publicity has been focussed on the campaigns of the competing parties.

Publicity regarding the world cup has understandably taken a backseat. However awareness has been maintained with various brands like McDonalds starting to advertise their 2010 FIFA World Cup branded offerings featuring the South African international soccer star Teko Modise in their TV commercial. The last two months of relative media quietness have been an opportunity for World Cup preparations to proceed without the full glare of the media.

Recent television news footage revealed the distinctive calabash façade of the FNB stadium, which will be the centrepiece of the tournament and venue for the final. The shots proved that a lot of progress has been made which means that there will be meaningful progress to report about once the elections are over. The media will also be able to update us on positives like the commendable progress, which has been made on the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth that had previously been lagging behind schedule. The media made sure we are aware of this which even led to speculations about the existence of a ‘Plan B’ which had been put in place by FIFA in case South Africa couldn’t meet preparation deadlines. Thankfully this is now in the past.

After the elections it is imperative that the World Cup publicity grabs the lion’s share of the public’s attention. Don’t forget that the World Cup will also be competing with the hype around the Indian Premier League (IPL) 20-20 tournament, which is currently underway in South Africa, for a share of the public’s mind. The Soccer World Cup is arguably the biggest tournament in the sports tournament in the world therefore it is important for the it to have a larger voice in the media than any other tournament.

It would be unthinkable for the promotional material of the FIFA Confederations Cup, the dress rehearsal for the World Cup, to be lost in the clutter of the IPL 20-20 publicity. Post-elections all the billboards that currently feature the likes of Jacob Zuma, Helen Zille and Mvume Dandala, must be replaced with images of international soccer stars and World Cup messaging. For now the business of soccer must make way for the serious business of elections.