Charting 2010 FIFA World Cup adspend growth

"How well did the marketing and advertising industries do during the soccer spectacle? Previous organising country increases show that adspend during the World Cup rose in Korea/Japan by 20% and in Germany by 15%, compared with South Africa's 17%," says McArthur, adding that it must be noted that referenced figures are at gross rate card rates.

"Though off a lower base, internet advertising rose by the next greatest margin, some 27%. Cinema advertising improved by 16%; radio by 14% and outdoor by 13%. Direct mail dropped by 6% off a base already lower than other media. Total spend in July across the mix was R2.2 billion, excluding self-promotion."

Partners, sponsors, supporters

With advertisers enjoying different levels of association with FIFA, its partners - Adidas, Coca Cola, Hyundai/Kia, Sony and VISA - owned rights to a broader range of activities like competitions, special events or development programmes, as well as exclusive marketing assets.

Sponsor's rights consisted of the right to category exclusivity, brand association, select marketing assets and secondary media exposure. Sponsors were Budweiser, Castrol, McDonald's, MTN, Continental Tyres and Mahindra.

The national supporters association comprised a category that allowed local companies to promote their association with the World Cup within the host country. Rights included category exclusivity, association, local marketing programmes and domestic media exposure. BP South Africa, First National Bank, Neo Africa, PRASA and Telkom were FIFA National supporters this year.

Hey big spender

"Surprisingly, the biggest spenders had no association with FIFA whatsoever. With over R450 million spent from January to July 2010, Shoprite Holdings took the adspend lead, followed closely by Unilever with R450 million and SAB Miller with R300 million, more than double the brewery's spend at the same time the previous year," McArthur says.

"Coca Cola South Africa topped the sponsors list with an adspend of around R175 million. Of the national supporters, Telkom headed the list with an adspend of R150 million. Sponsor MTN raised its spend from around R175 million to R275 million from 2009."

Over all, sponsors saw a 50% rise in adspend from the previous year, with partners throwing an extra 32% in the pot. National supporters spend rose, while FIFA's own spend rose 244%.

Competitors' spending

In comparison to competitors, sponsors' spend didn't always match up. KFC, for example, spent far more than McDonald's at over R180 million; though it must be noted that the brand spends more than the burger giant normally. McDonald's spend rose from around R40 million to R50 million. Sponsor Adidas and competitor Nike both spent around R20 million; while Coca Cola far outspent rival Pepsi, with a figure of some R180 million compared to Pepsi's well under R10 million spend.