For the next year, the key word in SA will be Soccer. Soccer fever is slowly but surely taking hold in our sunny country. After being awarded the privilege of hosting the 2010 event it seems that we were off to a slow start. The marketing and branding of the event was criticized by FIFA, and the commitment of the sponsors was questioned. The feeling was that the branding and marketing of the 2010 world cup had taken a back seat.Well, that is about to change. Although the downturn in the economy is having a marked effect on the spend of the sponsors, the feeling is that the momentum is starting to build. People are starting to see that the 2010 Soccer World Cup may be larger than expected, and the spin-offs for the economy can be HUGE. Actually, the spin-offs have started already. Not a day goes by that we are not asked for some type of soccer related merchandise. Soccer balls, stressballs, soccer pens, soccer lanyards, soccer bibs, mini soccer-balls, and much, much more. T-shirts, soccer kit, flags and vuvuzela’s are already in demand. The trend in the promotions industry has changed from “giving a gift�, to giving a gift worth receiving. Mini soccer-balls are in huge demand. They are not only a promotional gift, but something that can ad value to any community, especially the kids. Recently Gopher Promotions donated a few soccer-balls to Lerato Crèche. The response from the kids was out of this world. Imagine playing soccer with a self-made ball of plastic bags, then playing with Confederation Cup Adidas soccer-balls. Quite a difference.
