By Joe Dinga Pefok
The MTN Group, which will be Africa's first-ever global sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup scheduled to hold in South Africa, has declared that it is committed to making the event an unprecedented success.
MTN is quite conscious of the fact that the 2010 Wold Cup will be "the first FIFA event of its kind to be hosted on the African soil."The above message is contained in the MTN global FIFA 2010 campaign package, which the group officially launched on May 30.
The package was unveiled to the media on June 3 in Douala, at a ceremony moderated by the Chief Communication Officer of MTN Cameroon, Jean-Melvin Akam. Bouba Kaele, former Communication Chief, who late last year was promoted to a position in the Marketing Department of the company, did the presentation proper of the campaign package.
It was made known to the journalists that the first global FIFA 2010 campaign is the first global campaign to be launched by the company across all markets since the introduction of 'Everywhere You Go' and 'Payoff Line' in 2004.
So interesting is the slogan of the MTN FIFA 2010 global campaign: One Spirit. One Game. One African Sponsor.Bouba explained that the MTN Group's sponsorship of the 2010 World Cup, affords the company the exclusive mobile content rights for Africa and the Middle East, as well as global marketing rights.
Asked as to how much MTN is to disburse for the World Cup, Bouba said the company will cough out US $ 65 million (some FCFA 35 billion).He noted that MTN will sponsor the World Cup event alongside some big companies like Adidas.
"This will be a pride not only for MTN, but for the African continent as a whole," said Bouba.
It was asserted that MTN's bold investment in the sponsorship of the
2010 jamboree is in line with its championship of emerging and
developing markets.
"MTN's involvement in football, both in Africa and
through the 2010 FIFA World Cup, is more than a sponsorship. It is a
statement of pride and an expression of the company's belief in the
African continent, and what it can achieve", a statement by the MTN
Group explains.
Objective Campaign
Meanwhile, the MTN Group has disclosed a number of objectives which the company intends to achieve, with the campaign.Hear the MTN Group: "We must announce to the world that we are official sponsors. We must show MTN's stature through 'scale'. We must demonstrate our energetic, 'can do' philosophy. We must build anticipation and excitement amongst the MTN world, for the World Cup".
Campaign Plan
Bouba also disclosed that the MTN Group has worked out a programme for the company's campaign plan for the World Cup, which will take place in three phases. Phase 1: May -December 2008 (Anticipation). Phase 11: January -December 2009 (Excitement). Phase 111: February -August 2010 (Celebration). "The campaign will be the most ambitious advertising campaign done by an African company", the MTN Group says of its campaign programme.
As for the President / General Manager of the MTN Group, Phuthuma Nhleko, he says: "As the principal operator of mobile telephone in Africa and the Middle East, we (MTN) understand the gigantic diversity of these regions".
He says the ambition of the company in the launch of the first global FIFA 2010 campaign, is to bring together all football lovers, assist Africa to host the best World Cup of all times, and also to propagate the true African spirit as well as its passion for the most beautiful game in the world.
Comments