"Africa"s time has come - mobilising for 2010 and beyond”

By Pat McClelland

On 29 July, over 500 delegates attended the first day of the third 2010 National Communication Partnership (NCP) at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. The conference aimed to give African communicators the chance to exchange ideas and practical suggestions on how to project a positive image and reputation of Africa to the world through the many opportunities made possible by the FIFA Football World cup in 2010.

An African World Cup

The conference kicked off with a welcome address from Moeketsi Mosolo, acting CEO of The International Marketing Committee (IMC), custodian of Brand South Africa. Mosolo explained that when South Africa won the bid to host the 2010 World Cup, great emphasis was placed on its significance to the continent as a whole and its potential to enrich the lives of all Africans - an event destined to shape the perception of the continent for years to come. Mosolo mentioned the strong representation at the conference of other African countries, and went on to say that just as the German World Cup profoundly affected global perceptions of surrounding European nations, 2010 holds great significance for surrounding African countries and the continent as a whole. He said all aspects of South Africa will come under intense scrutiny and the microscope of international media, and suggested that this is our chance, as communicators, to speak for ourselves, and not be spoken for.

Media must exhibit independence of mind

Essop Pahad began his address by referring to the slogan of the 2010 World Cup Ke Nako (It"s time), Celebrate Africa"s Humanity. He reiterated Mosolo"s words, saying that from the onset it has been made clear that we will be hosting an African World Cup and not just a South African World Cup.

Pahad pointed out that the "stare" of the world will intensify after the Beijing Olympics, and that the world"s gaze will provide us with the opportunity to demonstrate the positive social and economic development of our people, our country and our continent. Yet, he went on to explain that this does not mean we need only accentuate the positive - it is also necessary to communicate our shortcomings. Pahad asked communicators to remember, “The event is bigger than the moment”, and that its impact will stretch well into the twenty-first century.

Communicators and the media must ask themselves what their role is, and “whether they have the capacity and independence of mind to question news items about our state of readiness from abroad”. Pahad said this is a key question - whether the media have the ability and self-confidence to point out the stories that are factually incorrect or biased. These stories, he continues, have and will continue to emerge in international media in months to come. In light of the media"s ability to shape perception, he asked that the media be critical, rather than merely parroting these reports.

Pahad explained how South Africa is cementing partnerships at a number of levels to ensure a successful event- with African countries; with domestic and national sponsors; with media and marketing agencies; and with the people of South Africa. With regard to the "partnership with the people", Pahad suggested that communicators need to prepare all people to act as ambassadors, as the ordinary man in the street may well be the first impression that tourists get of the country. Their impressions are intricately linked to the broader agenda of South Africa and Africa.

The unifying power of football

Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Dr Irvin Khoza, quoted a recent TNS Survey that had been published, which stated that there has been an increase in pessimism among South Africans regarding 2010 readiness. He quotes the closing remark of the survey: “Bear in mind that good communication about the event is necessary to rekindle the optimism we had a year ago”.

Football, he said, has a unifying power greater than any other sport or event in the world - its demographic reach transcends race, class, age, and gender. Although sport was invented as a means to while away time and was seen as destructive to productivity, it has evolved to become a unifying force, as well as one that is seen as economically constructive. While each nation places more emphasis on certain sports and almost none on others football is the exception, universally accepted as a "beautiful game".

Khoza emphasised the need for South Africa to stage a tournament that truly brings the world together for 30 days, and to create a positive perception of our country and the 2010 World Cup. After all, he said, perception is reality: it doesn"t matter how good a product is unless the market perceives it as something worth buying. Football itself has changed the way it is perceived - once seen as a sport of hooligans, FIFA struggled to find countries willing to host the World Cup… now, after changing its perception, no other sport can compete with this perception- that football, more than any other sport, has the ability to transform the world and be a source of good.

Media must not fuel dangerous expectations

City Press editor, Khatu Mamaila, observed that many reports he has read fall into one of two camps: either blind optimism or extreme pessimism. According to Mamaila, there is an abundance of theories circulating about how the World Cup is going to be taken away from South Africa.

Mamaila also highlighted a trend that he says the media needs to take responsibility for: what he sees as a "dangerous obsession with 2010" among some groups. He says that the media needs to help the public deal with unrealistic expectations of 2010. Some people, he says, have been made to believe that spending their pension money on building a B&B will prove profitable and that they should take advantage of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - but, Mamaila asks, what will happen to these people when the World Cup has come and gone?

Mamaila also refers to statements that have been made such as "Crime will have a negative affect on 2010" - as if crime is tolerable for South Africans but not for foreigners; or "Eskom must resolve the electricity crisis before 2010" as if we can go without electricity but just not for two months in 2010. The same, he says, goes for statements about the state of transport, and restaurant and accommodation standards. The media needs to find creative ways of finding a balance in the way it reports on 2010. This should include positivity about the event, but it should also perceive the country and its citizens as independent of 2010. Mamaila concludes that it is the media"s duty to hold power accountable and defend the weak against the powerful in the 2010 context.

Nation branding in the 21st century

Dr Nikolaus Eberl, brand historian and author of BrandOvation and A Hero"s Journey, is currently engaged in the international branding of the 2010 World Cup.

According to him, “Nation branding in the 21st century is as much a function of the country"s external reputation as its internal cohesion”. Eberl says the 2006 FIFA World Cup transformed the brand image of Germany from the archetype of the Fuhrer (effective; efficient; unfriendly; conservative), to the archetype of the lover (friendly; welcoming).

He says that in 2004, the German nation was described by its own president as a nation entering "collective depression". The country was experiencing what the media termed the "konsumverweigerung" phenomenon (refusal to consume); record unemployment; and xenophobia.

After the World Cup in 2006, Germany had jumped to the second spot on the Nation Brand Index; consumer confidence is at a 27-year high; unemployment has dropped by 29%; and record tourism bookings and exports are being experienced in what economists are referring to as "Wirtschaftwunder 2.0" (The Second Economic Miracle). The country is on a high - nine or ten months after the World Cup, it even experienced a baby boom! This transformation was a result of Germany changing its brand image, as well as a demonstration of the pure power of soccer.

So, how do you transform 82 million people from grumpy to friendly in just 32 days? According to Eberl, the transformation of Germany"s branding fortunes was due to a psychological phenomenon seen through the history of mankind, called “The Heros Journey”. It is the idea that the transformation of consciousness starts with the assertion of identity. The journey is based on the notion that if you want to change an image, you have to change behaviour, and to change behaviour you need to start with the people.

Our "Hero"s Journey" to 2010 requires us to look at the current perception of ourselves as a nation - according to Eberl, South Africa fits the archetype of the Orphan (poor, young) - and look to its polar opposite - that of the Hero, and start by showcasing the many heroes of our land. This is where the media and all communicators come into play- discovering and championing the hidden heros of the nation.