BrandSouthAfrica.com

A day-long procession through the city was led by
the People’s Bus and included a Joburg Tourism rig,
Harley Davidson bikers and the Metro Police.

The Bree Street Taxi Rank, Noord Street Taxi Rank, Gandhi Square, Jabulani Mall and Maponya Mall in Johannesburg were the places to be on 11 May to join Brand South Africa’s celebrations of 30 days to kickoff of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

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A day-long procession through the city was led by the People’s Bus and included a Joburg Tourism rig, Harley Davidson bikers and the Metro Police. Starting at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown, the procession made its way to Maponya Mall in Soweto, joined by South African celebrities Arthur, Chomee, Slikour and Sugarmaxx.

The people of Johannesburg were able to join the procession along the way, with prizes to be won.

“We encourage South Africans to be great hosts," says Brand South Africa chief executive Miller Matola. "Let’s show the world our warmth, friendliness and love of the game. We should all fly the flag, sing the national anthem with pride, learn the Diski Dance and celebrate Football Fridays.

“Bring along your Diski Dance moves, as well as your knowledge about all things football. Most of all though, bring all your uniquely South African passion and energy.”

The People’s Bus provided an interactive 10-minute tour including Fifa World Cup team facts and trivia, foosball table fun and a mini cinema showing unforgettable moments from previous tournaments. On exiting the bus, good luck messages that will be posted on the Brand South Africa and Bafana Bafana websites can be added to the bus message board.

About the International Marketing Council of South Africa (Brand South Africa)

The International Marketing Council of South Africa (IMC) was established in August 2002 to help create a positive and compelling brand image for South Africa. At that time, the world was unsure about what to think of South Africa, with many different messages being sent out by various sources. These did very little to build the country’s brand and it was evident that to attract tourism and investment there was a need to co-ordinate marketing initiatives to make them more effective.

This led to the creation of the IMC, whose main objective is the marketing of South Africa through the Brand South Africa campaign. There are many benefits to having a consolidated brand image, with the most important being that a consistent Brand South Africa message creates strategic advantages in terms of trade and tourism for the country in an increasingly competitive marketplace.