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Johannesburg - The Fifa 2010 World Cup will be the most-watched ever in terms of mobile, which offers interesting opportunities, says MTN CEO Phuthuma Nhleko.
"MTN is involved in a lot of infrastructure deployment, with a 3G network being rolled out, and investing over $200m in cables bringing connectivity to Africa," said Nhleko, who was speaking at the launch of MTN's Fifa 2010 World Cup marketing campaign on Tuesday morning.
"The 2010 Fifa World Cup will be a huge boost for the South African economy, contributing in excess of R50bn to our GDP [gross domestic product], and will have benefits that will go beyond 2010 with an indirect impact that is likely to be more significant for our economy in years to come," he said.
The campaign was launched in 21 countries simultaneously. Irvin Khoza, the chairperson of the local organising committee, and Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma attended the Johannesburg launch.
MTN is the first African global sponsor of the Fifa World Cup and has centred its campaign on the slogan "We can't wait, let's go 2010".
The South African cellular giant has 90 million subscribers throughout its operations in Africa and the Middle East, with half a billion people in MTN's market footprint.
Khoza said that the local organising committee and Fifa are confident that South Africa will be ready for the event.
"We have seen stadiums rise from the African soil, each of them on schedule, or ahead of schedule. This tournament will stand apart in sport's history because it will not be held by officials, but by the 45 million people determined to stage the event in their country," he said.
"Today is a happy day. We are privileged not only to observe this event, but be part of it. MTN's participation in the 2010 Fifa World Cup is a first for an African enterprise."
The MTN campaign is being launched amid mounting 2010 fever sparked by the fast-approaching 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup in June, as well as ticket sales for the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa which went live worldwide about a fortnight ago.
Dlamini-Zuma said that she took pride in the fact that naysayers regarding South Africa's ability to host the event are being proven wrong by the good progress being made in preparing for the event.
"We take pleasure in dashing their hopes of getting an alternative venue for 2010. South Africa is ready to receive the world," she said.
MTN displayed previews of its World Cup television advertisements, along with a promotion where new MTN subscribers can win tickets for games in 2010.
MTN also announced an anti-malaria campaign it is launching with its 2010 campaign. This will distribute and encourage the use of mosquito nets in Africa in conjunction with the United Nations Foundation, Malaria No More, Roll Back Malaria Partnership and the Johns Hopkins Centre for Communications.
- Fin24.com