Airborne bacon anyone? – Brandon Faber
Posted on 24. Jun, 2010 by admin in Brandon Faber
“Wakka Wakka”
is just about all I know from that song. . .
“This is Africa”
probably makes up the rest of my knowledge reserves but it doesn’t matter as long as you mumble it with real conviction, then nobody cares.
It’s a bit like my knowledge of all matters football / soccer. I’ll be the first to admit that I generally do not have much time for the round ball game. Between World Cups you will hardly find me watching major clubs competing – but there’s something about internationals and, especially, World Cups, that gets my skin tingling and sends strange sensations to all parts of my soul.
The vibe, the party, the possibilities of unexpected outcomes and the drama of it all is what gets me.
You can’t market that, you can’t advertise it or bottle it for sale – it just is and our realm of design, copy and creative brilliance has nothing on the raw passion of human emotion, specially reserved for occasions like this.
If anything the majority of our attempts are flimsy at best, with the odd soccer ball thrown in here and there – and suddenly we have now “themed” our ad.
Nandos are probably the ones that have done it best (as usual) by taking a different angle to proceedings. . . The rest are frankly doing the expected, like working the word “egg” into Easter copy, “Eggcellent offer”, or announcing the end of winter by saying “put a spring in your step and get 10% off. . . blah blah blah”.
But I don’t want to dwell on advertising in the general sense.
What we have here is an opportunity for every citizen to be an ambassador for “Brand South Africa”. We don’t know who we may meet, what influence that person has, what stories they may tell to whoever when they leave our shores.
All of us have a duty to show the world that beneath the thick crust of political mamparradom and general pettiness of our so-called leaders, lies a nation as friendly, as colourful, as vibrant and helpful as any in the world.
It is time for our beautiful people to compliment our beautiful country and sell this place as “a must return” destination. Why should the party end on 11 July?
With everything we have to offer the planet, this World Cup should be a campaign with legs like Bruce Fordyce, staying power like Dirk Diggler and radiate positive influence like Desmond Tutu.
In the end it will not matter where you watched the opening game or where you will watch the final. It is not going to matter if you managed to get to go to a game or if you had to make do with nothing but a radio.
What will matter is what we take from this massive occasion, this once in a lifetime experience.
Will we pack away our flags? Will we turn cold shoulders on each other once more? Will we allow those with hidden agendas and lust for power to overshadow the positive connections we have made over the last few months? From the Bulls in Orlando to Bafana at Soccer City – the power to change this country is evident in the smiles of ordinary people like you and me.
If we can hold on to 20% of that then we have won the greatest victory of them all. No cup, no sporting glory, no front page headlines will be able to match the restoration of faith in each other.
I’ll be watching the skies for flying pigs – for once I believe it could happen.
Great article and so true, though I think the tacticle Woolies ad was great on the day we played the French – “We have all the ingredients to make French Toast”. I too am a soccer newby, as Rugby has always been my supporter’s choice, but I have had such magic moments during the game,not just the heart stopping matches or the amazing passion of the fans, but smiles and conversation from fellow South Africans, complete strangers that have given me a thumbs up for my 4 SA flags on my car, or smiled at me in the traffic while I belt out one of the world cup songs (badly), and it gave me a sense of possibilities. I hope that each person remembers those feelings, and their connectedness, and starts to really do stuff to make this country all it can be – 20% is good enough for me.