2010 public relations machinery shows signs of life

The public relations machinery responsible for selling the 2010 World Cup to the rest of the planet is finally grinding into gear.

It’s no secret that South Africa has taken a beating in terms of its international media coverage since it was awarded the rights to host the world’s biggest single-code sporting event.

With each and every challenge (construction delays, labour disputes, crime, xenophobia, power cuts etc), this country’s reputation has taken a knock. But now FIFA, the 2010 Local Organising Committee (LOC) and other key role players have launched a well-aimed, long-range public relations missile.

The goal is to take the 2010 story overseas and outline the progress that has been made, as well as the challenges that lie ahead. LOC boss Danny Jordaan, who has tirelessly defended South Africa’s rights to host the tournament from as far back as the mid-1990s when the idea first took root, is leading the campaign.

Jordaan is in Europe – with Zakumi (the World Cup mascot) in tow – to “engage” with some of the teams, which have qualified for next year’s Confederations Cup. Jordaan says the tournament is a vital curtain-raiser for 2010 ‘and also a huge test for our own Bafana Bafana’.

Earlier this month, FIFA conceded that Afro-pessimism is affecting South Africa’s preparations for both tournaments. And the governing body’s director of communications and public affairs, Hans Klaus, says they are doing something about it: “We have a unique challenge to sell South Africa as it is.” Klaus said a major campaign will see FIFA inviting and hosting foreign media representatives on a fact-finding trip to South Africa.

Other initiatives are bearing fruit. These include pro-2010 television advertising campaigns hosted by CNN and Sky, which are reaching millions of people around the globe and promoting South Africa as the extraordinary destination it is.