I've been having an odd, and surprisingly strongly negative reaction, to the font that is being used for all the official FIFA signs. Let's back up. I have an opinion on a font. WTF is wrong with me? !!? Surely there are other things that I can form opinions on. But, there it is - FIFA: Bad choice on the font. Too childish.
Transport to the games is well organized - I've tried 4 methods now. Walking, new bus system called Rea Vaya, park and ride (actually park, walk, ride, walk, walk, walk...) and hired minibus for a group. For my last match, I think I'll have to try the train. It's quite amazing, because Joburgers with means never take any form of public transport. And now, they are having epiphanies and revelations on a daily basis - white people on the train is massive!
Yesterday at the Argentina-Mexico match, I saw the FIFA police in action. There was a highly innocent, well decorated banner hanging on the rail in front of me, from a guy who had followed Argentina to 3 recent World Cups. On his banner, he had painted the logos for 2002-Japan, 2006-Germany and 2010-South Africa. Apparently, this was not cool. Not regulation. Not officially sanctioned. No more banner for Mr. Argentina. This, out of the hundreds of banners hanging around the rails. Those are some hawk eyed FIFA police.
I'm considering filling my suitcase with vuvuzelas. Do you think there is an ebay market for that?
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Official FIFA everything
It is very interesting to see that in stadiums, fan parks, and any associated FIFA venues, viewing areas and the like, there are only a handful of products available for sale. These are the official licensed FIFA products. From the point of view of the spectator, it is boring - you can buy Coke, Sprite and Powerade; Budweiser; Cadbury chocolate; and hot dogs, boerworst rolls (not sure if they are branded...) and biltong (jerky). As for merchandise, there are official jerseys and other paraphernalia available at the stadiums, but there are also a host of other official licensed products which are not available. These products, for which the companies have paid large licensing fees to FIFA, include the products of Soylights, the company of my hostess here in Joburg.
As a new company, they thought that getting these wonderful products into the market for tourists would be a solid business opportunity. All has not worked out as planned, however, because all of the markets into which they were promised entry before signing the contract and paying the high licensing fee were subsequently denied to them. This included sales in the official fan shops at the stadiums, because they candles were deemed "missiles", and therefore dangerous. It also included 3 national retailers with whom they could not enter into exploratory negotiations until after they signed the contract with FIFA. And as a final blow, they were denied entry into the official web platform, because the products displayed on the web platform had to be created, approved and ready for sale by January 2010, when they only signed the contract the prior month. Each and every product had to be approved, with samples sent to Singapore, and only a finite number of images previously approved by FIFA could be used. Their own brand name is not allowed to grace the packaging, and all profits after the license costs are covered belong to FIFA. For a small company, these restrictions are very constraining. Sadly, she told me that of the 30 some odd official license holders in South Africa, only 4 make products locally, using local labor and materials. The rest, as I alluded to before, come from China. The candles are great small gifts, and should have been picked up by the hospitality and corporate gifting industries, but it turns out that some enterprising individual has the license to deal with all corporate gifts. As gatekeeper, he collects 15% sales commission, without having to engage in much legwork - that is the realm of the product manufacturer. To my delight and admiration, the company's owners have taken a very positive view of the learning opportunity presented to them. I am nonetheless wracking my brain for ways for them to increase sales before the end of the event. The online sales limitation is really a killer.
This is a resilient country and people - on a number of levels. One example has been from my friend Ant, who put together a labor of love in light of the loss and elimination of the home squad from the tournament. He was worried that local support would wane since Bafana Bafana is no longer playing. So, he created an inspirational presentation to share with his friends. I share it below - it had music, which does not come through in the google docs embeded format.
Ke Nako = It is time.
Other local catch phrases for the games:
Ayoba = "It's all good"
Laduma = Goal
Makarapa=the safety helmet which has been cut up and painted
As a new company, they thought that getting these wonderful products into the market for tourists would be a solid business opportunity. All has not worked out as planned, however, because all of the markets into which they were promised entry before signing the contract and paying the high licensing fee were subsequently denied to them. This included sales in the official fan shops at the stadiums, because they candles were deemed "missiles", and therefore dangerous. It also included 3 national retailers with whom they could not enter into exploratory negotiations until after they signed the contract with FIFA. And as a final blow, they were denied entry into the official web platform, because the products displayed on the web platform had to be created, approved and ready for sale by January 2010, when they only signed the contract the prior month. Each and every product had to be approved, with samples sent to Singapore, and only a finite number of images previously approved by FIFA could be used. Their own brand name is not allowed to grace the packaging, and all profits after the license costs are covered belong to FIFA. For a small company, these restrictions are very constraining. Sadly, she told me that of the 30 some odd official license holders in South Africa, only 4 make products locally, using local labor and materials. The rest, as I alluded to before, come from China. The candles are great small gifts, and should have been picked up by the hospitality and corporate gifting industries, but it turns out that some enterprising individual has the license to deal with all corporate gifts. As gatekeeper, he collects 15% sales commission, without having to engage in much legwork - that is the realm of the product manufacturer. To my delight and admiration, the company's owners have taken a very positive view of the learning opportunity presented to them. I am nonetheless wracking my brain for ways for them to increase sales before the end of the event. The online sales limitation is really a killer.
This is a resilient country and people - on a number of levels. One example has been from my friend Ant, who put together a labor of love in light of the loss and elimination of the home squad from the tournament. He was worried that local support would wane since Bafana Bafana is no longer playing. So, he created an inspirational presentation to share with his friends. I share it below - it had music, which does not come through in the google docs embeded format.
Ke Nako = It is time.
Other local catch phrases for the games:
Ayoba = "It's all good"
Laduma = Goal
Makarapa=the safety helmet which has been cut up and painted
Monday, June 21, 2010
Fick Fufa
The legacy of the world cup in South Africa won’t be known until weeks, months and even years after the 64 games have ended, the tourists have left, and all the FIFA officials have turned their energies to Brazil. Nevertheless, stories of distress, injustice, absurdity and misfortune are already surfacing. In the midst of a global recession, in a country desperate for job creation, however, it certainly appears as though the primary beneficiary of retail sales is somewhere in the Guangzhou province.
South Africa is the host, and my experiences so far have led me to believe that it is a very accommodating and gracious host. Like well appointed homes all over the world, they have cleaned and swept, dusted off their best china, and are wanting to provide their guests with experiences they will cherish and “gifts” they can return home with. On the streets, we can find vendors selling the flags of many nations, hats and scarves and beaded trinkets of all sorts. The genius behind the vuvuzela socks (flag inspired covers for the generic plastic horn) came to a budding entrepreneur as a vision, and is now a business which employs many compatriots, at least for the duration of the big dance. Stories of success will certainly emerge, and it is those stories for which we must search when the inevitable recriminations occur.
So why the angry title? It was the newspaper headline two days ago, in the wake of the arrest of the “ambush marketers” - 18 women dressed in identical orange dresses, dancing in the stands at the Netherlands-Denmark match last Monday. Police surrounded them, arrested them, made them leave the match...because apparently, some eagle eyed FIFA official (because surely the South African police would not have been aware of this) recalled that the particular orange dress the women were wearing was somehow associated with a Dutch beer company. And the only beer company that can be associated with FIFA is Budweiser. As in many countries, the judicial processes in South Africa are slow, and generally under-resourced. Yet, while the dance card is open, 56 additional courtrooms have been made available expressly for FIFA related “crimes”.
If the idea of a FIFA related crime sounds a bit absurd, especially in the context of a city with one of the world’s highest violent crime rates, it probably is. These are crimes which are perpetrated against the pocket books of the corporate giant which is FIFA. I had never before thought of FIFA as a corporate giant, and if I had ever considered the idea of exclusive marketing rights or sponsorship, it was buried deep somewhere below the frontal cortex. FIFA, it seems, have the power to bend multinational corporations and governments to their demands - the ultimate beneficiary of whom is...not the South African people.
More to come soon...
South Africa is the host, and my experiences so far have led me to believe that it is a very accommodating and gracious host. Like well appointed homes all over the world, they have cleaned and swept, dusted off their best china, and are wanting to provide their guests with experiences they will cherish and “gifts” they can return home with. On the streets, we can find vendors selling the flags of many nations, hats and scarves and beaded trinkets of all sorts. The genius behind the vuvuzela socks (flag inspired covers for the generic plastic horn) came to a budding entrepreneur as a vision, and is now a business which employs many compatriots, at least for the duration of the big dance. Stories of success will certainly emerge, and it is those stories for which we must search when the inevitable recriminations occur.
So why the angry title? It was the newspaper headline two days ago, in the wake of the arrest of the “ambush marketers” - 18 women dressed in identical orange dresses, dancing in the stands at the Netherlands-Denmark match last Monday. Police surrounded them, arrested them, made them leave the match...because apparently, some eagle eyed FIFA official (because surely the South African police would not have been aware of this) recalled that the particular orange dress the women were wearing was somehow associated with a Dutch beer company. And the only beer company that can be associated with FIFA is Budweiser. As in many countries, the judicial processes in South Africa are slow, and generally under-resourced. Yet, while the dance card is open, 56 additional courtrooms have been made available expressly for FIFA related “crimes”.
If the idea of a FIFA related crime sounds a bit absurd, especially in the context of a city with one of the world’s highest violent crime rates, it probably is. These are crimes which are perpetrated against the pocket books of the corporate giant which is FIFA. I had never before thought of FIFA as a corporate giant, and if I had ever considered the idea of exclusive marketing rights or sponsorship, it was buried deep somewhere below the frontal cortex. FIFA, it seems, have the power to bend multinational corporations and governments to their demands - the ultimate beneficiary of whom is...not the South African people.
More to come soon...
Friday, June 18, 2010
World Cup Fever!!!
Just two days back in Jozi, and I’m already finding ways to get into situations. It must be something about this city. The memories are coming back for sure- Campus Square Mall with the Pick N Pay, and people selling things at the corner. The only difference is that now they are selling flags of every country, hats that look like soccer balls, and of course, the ubiquitous vuvuzela.
For all the vuvuzela naysayers, you have to be here. The vibe in the stadium when people are going, in rhythm - some of them sound like old elephants, while others sound like kazoos - absolutely wild. And the horns aren’t just confined to the stadia - people walk down the street blowing them, take them into the bars where they are watching the games, have them in their car. On a public health side note, there will be a great deal of hearing loss as a result. Even with earplugs, you get the full effect.
My first match was seen in Melville, on 7th street - an old haunt. It was South Africa-Uruguay, and the town was decked in yellow. Every bar was packed, and tvs were blaring. But, after the red card and penalty kick, things fell flat. The stadium started clearing out, the vuvuzelas stopped their song, and those who could, probably drank more. For the host nation, Bafana Bafana is not a very smooth team.
And then today, the first live match. USA-Slovenia at Ellis Park, on the other side of the city. It was a project, to figure out how I was going to get there alone, and how to get back after dark. There is a new “rapid transit” bus system called Rea Vaya, with built stations throughout the region. But, of course, nothing in Melville. So, I decided to take a combi, my old form of transport, into city center. Someone advised me that I could walk from the Nord rank to Ellis Park. But the first foray into city center, after 6 years, was disconcerting. I remembered some things, but have forgotten most of my zulu. Street names were familiar, but not registering. In the end, after asking a couple of uniformed folks - some kind of pseudo police who are deployed all over during the event, I think - someone decided that I was lost. I was not lost, in fact. I was just a bit disoriented. But it was 1pm, sunny, and I had no problem walking. Unfortunately, I could not explain this adequately to my new guardian, who decided that... I should get a police escort. Yes. Just to set the record straight, though, I was in the front seat of the van. It was ludicrous. But, they drove me like a kilometer, and then couldn’t get any closer anyway, so I walked.
The transport systems have been improved. But the attitude, about how foreigners, or even non-black people - cannot possibly figure out there way around town remains. There are park and ride stations, but if you don’t have a car and you are in one of the more upscale neighborhoods, there is no answer for how you will get to the stadium. The official guide alludes to a “westport” transport hub. Is it the Bree taxi rank? Who knows. No one has ever heard of such a hub.
On Sunday, I will travel in style to Soccer City, for Brazil-Cote d’Ivoire. My hostess and her whole family are going, and they have rented their own combi for the event. :) And before I get there, I have to acquire some random flags/hats/scarves so that I don’t feel naked.
I'm purposely not discussing the game I just saw. As exciting as the 2nd half was, there was so many frustrating moments, that there is no need to relive it.
For all the vuvuzela naysayers, you have to be here. The vibe in the stadium when people are going, in rhythm - some of them sound like old elephants, while others sound like kazoos - absolutely wild. And the horns aren’t just confined to the stadia - people walk down the street blowing them, take them into the bars where they are watching the games, have them in their car. On a public health side note, there will be a great deal of hearing loss as a result. Even with earplugs, you get the full effect.
My first match was seen in Melville, on 7th street - an old haunt. It was South Africa-Uruguay, and the town was decked in yellow. Every bar was packed, and tvs were blaring. But, after the red card and penalty kick, things fell flat. The stadium started clearing out, the vuvuzelas stopped their song, and those who could, probably drank more. For the host nation, Bafana Bafana is not a very smooth team.
And then today, the first live match. USA-Slovenia at Ellis Park, on the other side of the city. It was a project, to figure out how I was going to get there alone, and how to get back after dark. There is a new “rapid transit” bus system called Rea Vaya, with built stations throughout the region. But, of course, nothing in Melville. So, I decided to take a combi, my old form of transport, into city center. Someone advised me that I could walk from the Nord rank to Ellis Park. But the first foray into city center, after 6 years, was disconcerting. I remembered some things, but have forgotten most of my zulu. Street names were familiar, but not registering. In the end, after asking a couple of uniformed folks - some kind of pseudo police who are deployed all over during the event, I think - someone decided that I was lost. I was not lost, in fact. I was just a bit disoriented. But it was 1pm, sunny, and I had no problem walking. Unfortunately, I could not explain this adequately to my new guardian, who decided that... I should get a police escort. Yes. Just to set the record straight, though, I was in the front seat of the van. It was ludicrous. But, they drove me like a kilometer, and then couldn’t get any closer anyway, so I walked.
The transport systems have been improved. But the attitude, about how foreigners, or even non-black people - cannot possibly figure out there way around town remains. There are park and ride stations, but if you don’t have a car and you are in one of the more upscale neighborhoods, there is no answer for how you will get to the stadium. The official guide alludes to a “westport” transport hub. Is it the Bree taxi rank? Who knows. No one has ever heard of such a hub.
On Sunday, I will travel in style to Soccer City, for Brazil-Cote d’Ivoire. My hostess and her whole family are going, and they have rented their own combi for the event. :) And before I get there, I have to acquire some random flags/hats/scarves so that I don’t feel naked.
I'm purposely not discussing the game I just saw. As exciting as the 2nd half was, there was so many frustrating moments, that there is no need to relive it.
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