All Articles Tagged "2010 FIFA World Cup"
Africa’s Top Moments of 2010
The continent of Africa offers much more than the typical negative news stories of political unrest, corruption, poverty and disease that we often hear about. Though Africa still had its troubles, 2010 was a momentous year for the motherland that included the excitement of the World Cup being hosted in South Africa and 17 African countries celebrating 50 years of independence from colonialism. Here’s a recap of some of Africa’s memorable events from last year:
FIFA World Cup
This past summer, South Africa had the honor of the hosting The World Cup, an international championship competition that brings together the best soccer players – or should we say footballers- in the world once every four years. Though only a few African teams competed out of 32 teams, and Spain took home the trophy for the first time ever, the festivities did wonders for the country’s economy by generating tons of tourist dollars and enabling funds to build more infrastructure. It also influenced a peaceful union between African soccer fans and casual viewers.
The Year of Independence
This year marked 50 years of independence for 17 African countries, including Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Madagascar, Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia. Ironically, the occasion was marked by a number of African leaders attending the Bastille Day celebrations in France, the former colonial power for 14 of the 17 countries. In spite of the hardships these countries have faced (civil wars, dictatorship, corruption, etc.) there’s no denying the pride and love the natives feel for their homelands.
Spain Wins World Cup and South Africa Says Goodbye
In case you missed it…
In a overtime game against the Netherlands Sunday afternoon, Spain won the final game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The games that have been running for a month, were historic for South Africa in that they’ve never been in the continent in its 19th championship.
South Africa Has Big Goals After Cup Success
(Wall Street Journal) — South Africa defended itself against criticism about violent crime, disruptive labor strikes and lackluster organization ahead of the 2010 World Cup. Now the country is winning widespread praise after a successful tournament, boosting its ambitions to host other major sporting events. “It’s not the safest country and this was our problem,” said Franz Beckenbauer, a member of FIFA’s executive committee who was one of the people who acknowledged the challenges South Africa was facing in hosting the World Cup, which ended Sunday with Spain’s 1-0 defeat of the Netherlands. “But this organizing committee, with help from FIFA, has done a very good job,” said Mr. Beckenbauer, who won Cups as both a player and coach.
World Cup No Panacea for South Africa’s Problems
(Black America Web) — South Africa may reap a long-term windfall for defying the skeptics and successfully hosting the World Cup. Short term, however, the profits are heading elsewhere while unions gripe and the nation’s already staggering unemployment rate climbs even higher. Tournament organizer FIFA is happy with near-record ticket sales and huge global TV audiences. Some of its major international sponsors also are reporting record sales.
FIFA World Cup 2010 Marketing Roundup – 10 Marketing Lessons From South Africa
(Rohitbhargava.com) — Now that the Round of 16 is over and we are down to the final 8 teams that will be playing in the Quarterfinals of the World Cup – most of the marketing that has accompanied the games has been played out and it’s a good time to try and look for some lessons from the International phenomenon that is the World Cup. To help, here is my round up of 10 of the most interesting marketing campaigns from this World Cup as well as some marketing lessons that they offer…
Building Brand Africa Through Its Strengths
(Biz Community) — Africa is a continent rich in natural and human capital resources, but its biggest asset by far is the diversity, warmth, friendliness, generosity, humility and humanity of its people. This was the inspiration for the official slogan of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, ‘Ke Nako. Celebrate Africa’s Humanity’. The 2010 Soccer World Cup has created a wonderful PR platform for Africa to build an African brand identity that reflects the continent’s economic diversity, entrepreneurial aspirations, sporting excellence, increasing investment, economic growth, and greater stability. Hosting the 2010 WC also presented the continent with an opportunity to take charge of the management of the continent’s brand.
