South Africa is visible at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, in spite of the fact that we are not playing at the mega-event.

The International Marketing Council of South Africa on Wednesday showed the media the cutting edge technology being used to market the country during the month long event. The message to the thousands of soccer fans from across the world who have converged on Germany is that South Africa is open for trade, investment and tourism and has the capacity to successfully host the 2010 World Cup.

Speaking at the media briefing, CEO Yvonne Johnston noted that the IMC’s use of cutting edge technology, which has largely been invented and developed locally, “shows the world that South Africa is capable of inventing and hosting the best technology in the world.”

It also means that South Africa will, almost literally, be all over Frankfurt International Airport, ensuring up to 4 million people have the opportunity of being exposed several times to our various advertising messages throughout the airport.  “Our technologically advanced marketing means that every visitor to Frankfurt International will know that South Africa is Alive with Possibility,” says Johnston.

In addition to city light posters and column wraps branding South Africa at the airport’s entrance, Brand South Africa adverts are being projected on two 9-metre resolution plasma Vision Walls.

But the cherry on the technology cake are two strategically placed Holografx machines which project the IMC’s adverts as eye-catching three dimensional images a metre in the air.  It’s the first time that this technology, which was developed in South Africa, will be used in Europe.

Describing the impact of the holographics images, Edward Vorster of Holografx, which is marketing the machines, explains the appeal of the free-standing images.  “It’s the unexpectedness of seeing 3D images hovering in the air that makes this marketing strategy so unique – cutting through the advertising clutter.”

SA Tourism is also playing an integral part in the drive to put South Africa on the map during the 2006 World Cup. “We are using Germany to show that South Africa will do as well in 2010. For us, the World Cup is not just a once-off opportunity. We are going to be working hard up to and beyond 2010 to boost tourism as one of the major drivers of our economy as recognised by the government in its Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative ASGI-SA, to create jobs for the benefit of all South Africans”, says Moeketsi Mosola, CEO of SA Tourism.

Addressing journalists at the media briefing, Victor Julius, the Deputy Director General for the National Department of Arts and Culture says that the way the country is presented in Germany underlines that there is more than wildlife to be seen in South Africa. “People will get the message that this country is modern, interesting; has dynamic, cutting edge arts and culture; is full of possibilities and is ready to host the next World Cup.” 

ENDS
Issued by:            Meropa Communications
On behalf of:         The International Marketing Council of South Africa (IMC)
                           Tumelo Kumalo: (011) 483 0122/ 084 962 5829, 

How the International Marketing Council of South Africa is marketing the country in at Frankfurt International Airport during the 2006 World Cup:

• Two Vision Walls have been set up in high traffic exhibition areas.  Each wall, which consists of 9 plasma screens put together in a 3X3 checkerboard pattern, depict the IMC’s adverts, subtitled in German, French, Spanish and Portuguese, as high-resolution dynamic visuals made possible because the Hi-Vision sets are very thin.
• Two Holografx machines, a South African customized invention, have been taken by the International Marketing Council of South Africa to Europe for the first time. These project 3D images through a laser lens. The unexpectedness of this marketing strategy is creating a novelty factor at the airport as people try to ‘catch’ the images from the air. All the advertising is subtitled in English and German.
• City Light posters, which are big framed lit-up posters with scrolling facts on South Africa, have been placed at the entrances and exits to the airport.
• Column wraps cover the big columns at the drop-off zones at the airport, branding South Africa as the place where anything is possible.
• As the 2006 World Cup draws to an end, the IMC will be taking part in an exhibition in Berlin to further strengthen its marketing message. Also at the exhibition will be the Government Communication and Information Service, the Local Organising Committees (those at the coalface at municipal level where the hard organising tasks have to be done) and representatives of all the host provinces.  Some 3 000 international journalists are expected to visit the exhibition.

For more information see the Germany portal www.southafrica.info/germany