Football superstars gear up for Confederations Cup

It's not only his football skills that Spain and Liverpool football star Fernando Torres is brushing up on ahead of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 in June this year, it's his language skills too.

From Wednesday night, 18 March 1009, South Africans have been hearing the likes of Torres and Brazilian superstar Kaka speaking first-hand on their television screens about how they are looking forward to coming to South Africa for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009, 14 - 28 June 2009 in four South African host cities.

The television advertisement featuring the two stars ends with Torres saying "Ke Nako", which in Sotho means "it's time". The advert forms part of the next phase of the 2010 FIFA World Cup promotions and marketing campaign to generate excitement for the FIFA Confederations Cup, an important eight-team precursor to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

With just 85 days to go to the kick-off of the "Festival of Continental Champions" the tournament featuring European champions Spain, South American champions Brazil, African champions Egypt, Asian champions Iraq, CONCACAF champions United States, Oceania champions New Zealand, hosts South Africa and reigning world champions Italy, is indeed fast approaching as excitement in the host country mounts.

True superstars

"Fernando Torres and Kaka are true superstars of modern-day football. South African residents see them week in and week out displaying their brilliant football skills in some of the biggest leagues and most famous stadiums in the world. Now, they have the chance of seeing these famous names, as well as the likes of Ronaldinho, Robinho, Andrea Pirlo, Adriano, Cesc Fabregas, and many others, right here in our own backyard, on our own local football fields. We want to encourage South Africans, and visitors from around the world, to take up this historic opportunity to see these players live, in the flesh, right before their eyes," said OC CEO Dr Danny Jordaan.

Local sporting icons also feature in the new promotions campaign, with South African cricket heroes Graeme Smith and Makhaya Ntini also getting behind the campaign and featuring in forthcoming television and radio advertisements.

Marketing campaign

The first phase of the FIFA Confederations Cup marketing campaign focused on awareness of the tournament and on the initial ticketing sales phase, while the phase launched on Wednesday - which is called "Ke Nako. Time to host the Champions" - focuses on generating excitement for the tournament and on maximising attendance at the 16 FIFA Confederations Cup games taking place in Johannesburg, Tshwane/Pretoria, Rustenburg and Mangaung/Bloemfontein. It will encourage South Africans to host the event in an unprecedented, distinctively African way - from learning how to blow a vuvuzela (a distinctive air horn blown at South African football matches), wearing a makarapa (a colourfully adorned hard hat worn at matches by South African fans), buying their FIFA Confederations Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup tickets early and getting firmly behind the national football team Bafana Bafana.

The campaign will comprise nationwide television and radio advertisements, an intensive broadcast and print media campaign and outdoor media placement in the four FIFA Confederations Cup host cities. It will also see FIFA Confederations Cup activations held at shopping malls, taxi ranks and the canteens of major South African companies, where fans will be assisted to purchase tickets for the matches. The campaign will also focus on ways South Africans can contribute to becoming good FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 and 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts.

"We want to encourage South Africans to take emotional ownership of this tournament, to see themselves as hosts and the best way is to go out and fill the stadiums and welcome the teams and visitors to our country. We know that South Africans will rise to this call and we are focusing on making it as easy as possible for them to purchase their tickets," said OC Chief Marketing Officer Derek Carstens.