Sport Marketing Quarterly, 2011, 20, 174-184, 2011 West Virginia University

FIFA World Cup Brand Elements and Local Inspirations

Pawel Weszka
Pawel Weszka is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sport and Movement Studies at the University of Johannesburg. His research interests include sport mega-event branding, brand management, de.stination management and sport marketing.

FIFA World Cup Brand Elements and Local Inspirations

The Fdration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) unveiled a brand new logo for the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Gup Brazil on July 8, 2010 ("Official Emblem," n.d.). The Official Emblem of the 2014 FIFA World Gup, called Inspiration, features three victorious hands together raising the World Gup Trophy. Yellow and green are Brazilian colors and they dominate the design. The words 2014 FIFA World Cup Brasil complement the picture (see Figure 1). The official launch took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, three days before the final match of the 2010 FIFA World Gup. This high profile event drew 500 guests, including international media, who were treated to an hour-long show featuring Brazilian celebrities and artists. The star of the night, though, was the new Official Emblem designed by Brazilian agency Africa, which was chosen from the pool of 25 designs presented to FIFA by 25 Brazilian-based agencies. The 2014 FIFA World Gup is the fourth tournament that follows the consistent and integrated branding process initiated by FIFA in the 21^^ century. It is also the fourth World Gup that incorporates local inspirations into the event's imagery in an organized manner. Since 2002, FIFA World Gup has been co-branded with host destinations and the country's name has been incorporated into the Official Name and Emblem of the tournament. It is through these and other brand elements that the relationship between the FIFA World Gup and the Figure 1. The 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Official Emblem. Printed in compliance with the 2010 FIFA Public Guidelines.

Host Gountry has been exposed in Korea and Japan (2002), Germany (2006) and South Africa (2010). This does not mean that there was no connection between FIFA World Gup and its host destinations in the event's imagery prior to 2002. For over 80 years the hosting destinations have provided inspiration for the World Gup logos, posters and later mascots. Yet, prior to 2002 those messages appeared inconsistent in the way they portrayed the main event and its Host Gountry, whic h resulted in limited marketing potential of those two entities. The year 2002 marked the turn in FIFA's approach to the branding of the World Gup and a new direction in terms of enticing future World Gup hosts ("More than a game," 2002). The present case study aims to recognize how each World Gup destination inspired FIFA's chosen brand elements in the three most recent World Gups. To the best of the researcher's knowledge, the area of pairing a mega-event with a destination through a combined set of brand elements is virtually unexplored. As has been established, merely hosting a sport mega-event does not guarantee economic benefits (Preuss, 2000). Gonsequently, destination marketers more often look into co-branding to leverage their brands (Eberl, 2007). Since Brazil's World Gup related marketing has just taken off, the information gathered through the analysis of the newly re-branded event will provide some indication as to how the local themes may be incorporated in the bianding of the 2014 FIFA World Gup. The extent of local inspirations featured in brand elements of the past three World Gups varied from tournament to tournament. As this case study will show, FIFA's new branding of the event brought opportunities to leverage the destination brand, but also challenges in the way of including the 'local' in the tournament's global communication strategy. Brazil's love affair with soccer has made the sport an integral part of the Brazilian national identity, and it almost places the country in the tournament's branding pole position. The Official Emblem revealed in South Africa was only the first step to positioning the tournament in a Brazilian context and selling it to the world.

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Brand Elements
Keller, Apria, and Georgson (2008) define brand elements as trademarkable devices that serve to identify and differentiate the brand. In otber words, tbey derive from brand identity where a visual picture, sound and their meaning are conveyed in brand elements. The devices include: names; logos and symbols; characters; slogans and jingles; and packaging and signage. Brand name exposure benefits the brand by increasing the speed of brand awareness and by facilitating brand liking through the mere exposure effect (Baker, 2003). A logo, symbol or emblem creation is a base of any brand identity (Buttle & Westoby, 2006). It identifies an entity and must clearly communicate the personality, character and nature ofthat entity (Landa, 2006). Brand characters are created to promote a brand by establishing brand identity and favorable brand associations (Garretson & Niedrich, 2004). They also help brands to come alive with human qualities of emotion, thought and personality (Mize & Kinney, 2008). Brand slogans influence the meaning consumers give to a branded entity (Adamson, 2007). They have the potential to convey a brand message more directly than symbols, but ideally they should work together. Brand jingles form a really powerful memory trigger that increases the ability to recall (Bindea, Seserman, Bara, & Iancu, 2009). They 'marry' the name of the brand to the melody that clings to the mind (Buchanan, 2005). Brand packaging is especially important in the retail industryit conveys brand identity (Newman, 2009). If done effectively, it can tell a brand's story and build a deeper connection between the consumers and the brand (Lister, 2009). Lastly, signage is an especially important element during events. For instance, during a mega-event like FIFA World Cup the signs must be there to direct the crowds and provide information while also being consistent with all the other branding supporting the event. 1

eventually outstrip the Olympic Games in its global spread (Cashman, 2004). Played every four years, FIFA World Cup is the most televised, popular and largest soccer tournament in the world (Florek, Breitbarth, & Conejo, 2008). For example, the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany was broadcasted to 214 countries and had 26.29 billion viewers worldwide ("TV Data," n.d.). The number of teams has grown from 13 to 16 to 24 to 32. Initially the World Cup was mainly hosted either in Latin America . or Europe. This changed in the 1990s, after the Cold War, when for the first time the World Cup was hosted in the United States. At the turn of the century the event went to Asia and, most recently, Africa. Driven by the four FIFA values of authenticity, unity, integrity and performance, the World Cup organizers work hard to make sure that brand elements are consistent in their portrayal of the best soccer tournament in the world yet bring unique characteristics of the Host Country.

The Role of Destinations in the FIFA World Cup Branding

Economic, promotional (Burton, 2003) or developmental benefits are most often cited as motives for a host community to stage sport mega-events (Preuss, 2000). The hosting of sport events is also viewed as a broader tourism strategy intended to enhance the profile of a destination (Kotze & Visser, 2008). FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games have become two of the main platforms to drive the attractiveness of places. It has had a lot to do with technological advancements and the growing role of media in spreading the popularity and perceived benefits of mega-events. Development of brand identity became a key element in building a destination brand (Morgan & Pritchard, 2002) and with countries and cities realizing the power of branding, sport mega-events have grown into some of the most appreciated marketing FIFA World Cup Brand ! mediums, enabling destination brands to access the customer base of the event. Sport mega-events own a place in consumers' minds as The relationship between FIFA World Cup and its some of the strongest brands. Brought to existence in 1904 by a Frenchman, lules Rimet, FIFA was an organ- Host Countries could be best described as co-branding. Co-branding is combining two or more brands ization that recognized the power of sport, soccer parinto a joint product or marketing them together in ticularly, and aimed to unite nations for peace some fashion (Keller et al., 2008). According to (Lichfield, 2006). Rimet became the head of FIFA in Leuthesser, Kohh, and Suri (2003), a co-branding 1921 and committed himself to convincing the world arrangement very often includes a strong parent brand of need for an international soccer tournament. In effect, 13 countries took part in the first ever FIFA and a complementing secondary brand. The parent World Cup in Uruguay in 1930. Rimet was the first brand is determined by the category driver, has full ambassador of the FIFA World Cup brand, which has control over marketing and distribution systems, holds gathered more and more support over the years to a status of a modified brand and owns the customer base (Uggla, 2004). Therefore, FIFA World Cup is the world renowned parent brand and controls the marVolume 20 Number 3 2011 Sport Marketing Quarterly 175

Figure 2. The FIFA World Cup Official Posters, Emblems, and Mascots: Italy 1934, Mexico 1986, France 1998. Printed in compliance with the 2010 FIFA Public Guidelines. Since 1950 the FIFA World Cup also has an Official Emblem and Official Mascot. The poster of 1934 does not carry significant references to the hosting nation Italy, whue the inspirations are more apparent in the remaining two designs. Also, the lack of consistency in terms of use of language and name of the tournament can be observable.

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keting of the event ("2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa: FIFA Public Information Sheet," 2007), ticket prices and their distribution ("Ticketing process explained," 2009). It is modified by the destination brand (for instance incorporating destination theme in the event branding) and owns the customer base of the event, which it allows the destination brand to access. The role of the secondary brand (destination) is to contribute brand equity to the parent brand via brand associations (Uggla, 2004). These brand associations are secondary to the immediate territory of the parent brand (the World Cup). For instance, every FIFA World Cup is given a unique set of characteristics deriving from a particular destination. Many of them are communicated via co-branded brand elements. These elements, although owned by FIFA ("South Africa 2010 - Final Report," n.d.), bring opportunities of massive exposure for the host nations prior to and during the tournament. It is therefore mainly through brand elements that FIFA has provided destinations with a way of increasing the scope and influence of their brands, entering new markets, embracing new technologies, and refreshing their brand image (Keller et al., 2008). Taking into consideration the exposure of the FIFA World Cup brand elements via broadcasts, sponsors' advertising, media reports and licensed merchandise, the opportunities to leverage a destination brand have become significant.

FIFA World Cup Brand Elements Prior to 2002

Brand elements have accompanied FIFA World Cup since its very beginnings. The Official Posters were the main marketing tools incorporated in the promotion

of the World Cups between the first tournament in Uruguay in 1930 and Fngland in 1966. They often contained the name of the event in the local language, dates of the competition and graphic designs using various images of a soccer ball. Since the World Cup in Brazil in 1950 the posters have been accompanied by logos and the graphic design was limited to the name of the country, name of the competition and a soccer ball incorporated in a simple colorful background referring to the host destination. The words World Cup have been appearing on the Official Emblem of tournaments only since 1994. Figure 2 presents some of the World Cup brand elements used over the course of the past century. For instance, in 1934 in Italy, 100,000 posters, 300,000 postcards and one million stamps were issued to commemorate the occaiiion (Cordon & London, 2006). Gino Boccasile's image of a player kicking the ball with various flags in the background emphasized the international nature of the competition. The player had a Swiss flag on his shirt, rather than the flag of the Host CountryItaly. The poster was in Italian and contained the words: Campionato Mondiale Di Calcio. Fast forward to Mt xico 1986 and the Official Poster presented a shadow of a presumably Mayan warrior thrown over statues remembering the ancient Mayan civilization. The figure had a soccer ball at his feet and the letters in the right bottom corner stated: Mexico '86. Since 1966 the World Cups have also had Official Mascots promoting the event, like Pique in Mexico. Both the post(;r and the mascot carried associations with the Host Country of the competition. It is hard to imagine a more distinguished sign of 'Mexicaness' than a sombrero. Also, the last World Cup of the 20*" cen-

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tury in France refiected the French national colors in its poster, logo and mascot designs. The World Cup was translated to Coupe du Monde on the poster to emphasize the destination. Although decades separated the tournaments in Italy, Mexico and France, and technology developments brought new ways of reaching out with the World Cup messages, these three examples show that brand elements have been accompanying the competition since its humble origins. The FIFA World Cup brand has been built for over 80 years and the destination of the event has mattered. Frankly, destinations more often than not were providing inspirations for the poster and emblem designs. In the previous century, the words World Cup were sometimes adapted in the host nation's language and the designs tried to appeal to and showcase the destination's spirit. However, looking at Figure 2, one may also observe a lack of uniformity and integrity between the elements. Although local inspiration between the posters and logos is apparent, from the images to the letters to the language, it appears that the World Cup brand was not given adequate attention. After all, strong and unique links to one source complement and protect the brand from being interchangeable in the marketplace (Zaichkowsky, 2010). Also, brands with marks that are consistent in their design with the name better communicate the brand's meaning (Klink, 2003). The soccer ball appeared in all three designs, but would one glimpse at the posters of Mexico 1986 and Italy 1934 automatically triggers associations with the World Cup? In fact, the Jules Rimet Trophy, as the World Cup Trophy was known then, was featured only on the Official Emblem in 1966. The emblem of France 1998 went much further in showcasing the World Cup brand, but still built no easy connections with the previous events. Each event was given a unique character while long term strategies seemed to be lost, not existing or depending on the sole global phenomenon of the game of soccer. The World Cup, although already a brand with strong images and associations, was lacking consistency as a brand, which limited further opportunities to leverage.

abandoned four years later). The term World Cup was too generic, though, and could have brought all sorts of associations (there are World Cup competitions in other sporting codes, i.e. rugby or cricket). When FIFA took on the role of the brand's endorser, the message became clear. It also provided the consistency in the way the Official Name has been applied since then. For FIFA it was a strategic decision that had its contribution to the rapid growth of the value of television rights. Between the World Cups in Spain (1982) and France (1998) the broadcast revenue was growing steadily, from $23 million to $97 million respectively. However, the new branding strategy incorporated before the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan allowed for an unprecedented broadcast revenues growth to $789, million pushing it all the way to $910 million for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany (Solberg, 2004). The role of the Host Country brands has grown as well, as they have been providing inspiration to the unique yet consistent set of the event brand elements. Hence, FIFA recognized the growing role of and dependability on destinations in staging their tournaments. Not only was the World Cup brand to appear attractive to soccer fans, sponsors or broadcasters, but to potential hosts of the tournament as well. A strong, focused brand aligned with all of FIFA's activities, consistent in its communication of brand elements and including the host destination imagery was easier to build associations with and more difficult for marketers of non-sponsoring companies to ambush (Chalip, 2004). The following section will investigate local inspirations behind the brand elements of the 2002, 2006 and 20JO FIFA World Cups. Background and brand names The J7th FIFA World Cup took place in Korea and Japan between May 31 and June 30, 2002. It was an exceptional World Cup for several reasons. First, it was the first time FIFA agreed to co-host the event. It was also the first tournament that was hosted in Asia. Korea and Japan were competing separately in the final bid, but eventually got into an unfriendly business relationship which was managed by two separate organizing committees. Lastly, before the event, FIFA made a decision to re-brand the organization. In consequence it was the first World Cup that went through a rigorous branding process ("More than a game," 2002) and the first one that trademarked its name and other brand elements. There were two benefits of the new strategy. One benefit was clearnew and distinct brand identity. A brand name is the verbal identity of a product, the main point of reference and the main verbal marketing

FIFA World Cup Brand Elements after 2002

At the turn of the century, FIFA made a decision to rebrand the organization and their most precious product. It started with the name. The new officially trademarked FIFA World Cup did not shy away from the past, but was building on its heritage. Looking back, it was a logical move when the name World Cup was used for the first time in the Official Emblem in USA 1994 (the name FIFA World Cup had been used in West Germany in 1974 before, but the idea was

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tool (Landa, 2006). The FIFA World Cup was a Soccer World Cup and was clearly differentiated from other events. The second benefit was in tbe trademarks, wbicb allowed FIFA to make sure tbat tbe media portrayed tbe brand correctly ("FIFA Event Titles," 2011). In 2002, after a long battle between tbe Japanese's and Koreans' organizing committees over tbe order in wbicb tbe Host Country names would appear as tbe Official Name (McLaucblan, 2001), tbe 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan was agreed on. Tbe next, 1 8 * FIFA World Cup, was played in Germany between June 9 and July 9, 2006. Twelve cities were selected to bost tbe World Cup games. It was tbe first World Cup played in tbe unified Germany since West Germany bosted tbe event in 1974. Tbe tournament followed tbe branding rigor initiated in 2002 and consistently kept tbe Official Name: 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany. Finally, the most recent FIFA World Cup was staged in Soutb Africa between June 11 and July 11, 2010. It was tbe first World Cup on African soil, and tbe Host Country took on tbe proud role of representing tbe continent. Tbe games were played in ten stadiums and tbe signage and otber brand elements carried strong African and Soutb African tbemes. Tbe Official Name of tbe tournament kept tbe continuity: 2010 FIFA World Cup Soutb Africa. Hence, since tbe Korean-Japanese World Cup, FIFA bas established a distinctive and memorable brand. The distinction came with FIFA making a decision to endorse its tournaments wbile still drawing on tbe memories of past events. By combining tbe event and tbe destination names, a co-branding arrangement was formed. Thus, every four years FIFA includes tbe bost destination in tbe Official Name of the event wbicb makes every tournament unique. Additionally, in certain instances FIFA provides a translation to tbe Official Name in German, Spanish and French (all names are composed of the same elements and must be used accordingly), wbile tbe 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil will also have a Brazilian equivalent ("FIFA Event Titles," 2011).
Logos

organization v/anted to move away from tbe clich soccer ball tbat was so overused in tbe past. They came up witb a fresli idea. Tbe FIFA World Cup Tropby itself was the central feature of the emblem. Tbe tropby was placed in a circular device symbolizing tbe universe of tbe Asian cultures as well as the asymmetry, dynamism and harmony (Asian artistic principles). Below tbe picture, there was a name of the tournament written in gold for quality wbile tbe two zeros in the year of tbe evtnt (2002) were representing the unity of tbe co-bosts ("More than a game," 2002). For the first time the year of tbe tournament, tbe name of tbe Host Country and tbe name of tbe event appeared next to eacb otber. The word FIFA was complementing tbe name of the tournament as tbe endorsing brand for tbe first time as well. That practice bas been consequently incorporated in the events tbat followed. The Official Emblem for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany was designed by UK-based agency Whitestone. Although designed by a different institution, similarly to tbe design of tbe logo of the 2002 World Cup, tbe emblem escaped the image of a soccer ball. Instead, tbe central features were smiley faces
marketed as tbe Celebrating Faces of Football. Tbe mes-

Tbe FIFA World Cup brand autborities searcb for local inspirations in grapbic designs of particular tournaments. As mentioned before, althougb a standardized brand to some extent, every World Cup brings different experiences, and the destination matters. By incorporating various references to Host Countries in the design process, tbe FIFA World Cup brand promises tbe world a unique experience every four years. Tbe logo for tbe 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan was designed by London-based agency Interbrand. The

sage bebind it was to convince people to bave fun in 2006 as well as to present bappy faces to tbe world to depose existing stereotypes about Germany (Mason, 2002). Again, tbe FIFA World Cup Tropby found its way into tbe picture, but tbis time not in a central role. The colors of tbe German flag were also visible subtly on the left below one of tbe faces. The use of tbe green color in tbe design could bave symbolized tbe environmentally friendly cbaracter of tbe event, actually the first one ever wbere tbe emission of tbe greenhouse gases was full)' compensated (Stabl, Hocbfeld, & Schmied, 2006). Again, as in 2002, tbe Official Name of the tournament appeared in full. Lastly, tbe 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa's logo was designed iind developed by Soutb African company Switch Design. The logo included strong references to the South /ifrican history and culture. A figure of a man kicking a soccer ball referred to tbe rock art popular in tbe country centuries ago, wbile tbe bicycle kick position brougbt dynamism to the picture ("Annual Report," 2009). Tbe figure was placed on a background resembling tbe sbape of the African continent painted in the colors of tbe Soutb African flag. Similarly to tbe two previous logo designs, tbe FIFA World Cup Tropby was fc atured in a circle in tbe top right corner. Tbe soccer ball came back to tbe picture, but as a supporting element ratber tban tbe main focus. Tbe FIFA brand's blue colors complemented tbe design and again, tbe full Official Name of the competition appeared on tbe emblem.

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Figure 3. The FIFA World Cup Official Emblems: 2002 Korea/Japan, 2006 Germany, 2010 South Africa. Printed in compliance with the 2010 FIFA Public Guidelines. All three designs feature the FIFA World Cup Trophy and references to the Host Countries through symbols and the application of color.

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Figure 4. The FIFA World Cup Official Posters: 2002 Korea/Japan, 2006 Germany, 2010 South Africa. Printed in compliance with the 2010 FIFA Public Guidelines. All three posters feature the Official Name, Emblem and dates of the tournaments. The connection to Germany is not as apparent in the middle design where the organizers chose more global application.
2002 FIFA WORLD CUP

Figure 3 presents all three Official Emblems. It may be noticed that the image of the World Gup Trophy along with the Official Names of the tournaments form an integral part of each of those designs. Furthermore, the designs are all inspired by the destinations where the events take place, especially through the choice of color. However, in comparison to the suggestive references in the first two designs (especially in the case of Germany focused on changing the existing perceptions rather than looking for an inspiration in them) the 2010 FIFA World Gup emblem drew directly from the South African and African cultures while expressing the dynamism and love for the game on the continent. The South African logo was also the only one designed by a local company, the situation repeated in relation to the graphic representation of the 2014 FIFA World Gup Brazil.
Posters

Since 1930 every World Gup has had an Official Poster promoting the event. The Official Poster design for the 2002 FIFA World Gup was reflecting the culture of

soccer and the two host nations. The art of brushstrokes that the main poster was designed with was to represent the values of drama, speed, agility and beauty found in the game of soccer. It was a result of the cooperation between two artists from Korea and Japan ("The Official Logo & the Official Poster," 2002) who looked for inspiration in their respective countries. The Official Poster of the 2006 FIFA World Gup Germany was chosen by the host nation for the first time in history. Over 50,000 of phone calls and messages were received with the vote for one of the five shortlisted designs ("Official poster for 2006 FIFA World Gup unveiled in Stuttgart," 2004). The poster was supposed to depict the sparkle and the signification of the event in an emotive way. In addition, to the Official Poster of the event, all the host cities revealed their individual posters carrying the 2006 World Gup logo a few months before the tournament. In 2010, the hero of the Official Poster was chosen by South Africans from the shortlisted four candidates. It portrayed the continent in the shape of a man heading the ball. The design depicted the relationship

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between soccer and the African continent while also highlighting the passion of South African people ("2010 Poster a Symbol of Africa," 2007). The poster was designed by the same South African agency responsible for the artwork on the 2010 FIFA World Cup Official Emblem. In addition to that, all nine host cities in South Africa revealed individual posters promoting the event around the country 500 days before the event. The three Official World Cup Posters accompanying the tournaments in Korea/Japan, Germany and South Africa are displayed in Figure 4. All of the designs were inspired by the game of soccer and to a certain extent by the destination. Nevertheless, although the German poster was chosen by the host nation, apart from the Official Emblem it does not seem to be inspired by the destination, whereby in the case of the other two posters that connection seems clearer. Characters The 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan had three computer generated mascots called The Spheriks. Their collective name was supposed to create a unique and wonderful atmosphere around the World Cup ("The Official 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan Mascots," 2002). They were three eccentric characters coming from the planet Atmozone where Atmoball was practiced that resembled terrestrial soccer. The creators of the mascots, Interbrand, gave them the names Ato, Nik and Kaz which were chosen by a vote of soccer fans in McDonalds across Japan and Korea and announced 400 days before kick-off ("The Official 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan Mascots," 2002). The mascots were promoting the World Cup for the first time through a computer animated television series which made them famous even before the event took place. They also appeared as life-size characters in the stadiums and during activities preceding the event, like the Official Trophy Tour passing by all of the 20

host cities. The futuristic mascots were chosen to reflect the technological advancement of Korea and Japan, homes to some of the leading global electronic and automobile brands. However, despite their commercial success, it may be argued that the abstract character of the mascots made them disconnected from the host nations of Korea and Japan and the original inspiration may have been lost (Grant, 2002). The 2006 FIFA World Cup went in another direction, unveiling the life-size character of the lion GOLEO VI at an official press conference. The name derived from I he mascot's father's cries: "Go Leo, Go!" during soccer games while the number was added by FIFA as GOLED was the sixth applicant for the Official Mascot ("GOLEO VI - Official Mascot of the 2006 FIFA World Cup," 2004). GOLEO was unique in a way that he could talk, dance and had a talking soccer ball. Pille, as his partner. The mascot was the winner of the 2008 FIFA ballot for the most popular mascot of all time, especially among the German fans ("Goleo VI takes lion's share of vote," 2008). Although rated so highly in 2008, back in 2006 at the beginning of the tournament the mascot failed to capture hearts of soccer fans (Scott, 2006). In May 2006, a German plush toy manufacturer filed for bankruptcy due to poor sales ("First World Cup Casualty," 2006). One of the reasons behind it was claimed to be its lack of relevance to Germany ("Top Designer Says World Cup Design Just Embarrassing," 2006) where the national symbol is an eagle, not a lion. Those disappointing sales results were even in spite of GOLEO's animated television show and busy marketing appearances schedule before the World Cup. Last, the World Cup in South Africa followed the route of GOL1O, with some unique exceptions. Leopard Zakumi's name came from ZA, standing for South Africa, and Kumi which means Win various African languages. His character was another life-size

Figure 5. The FIFA World Cup Official Mascots: the Spheriks, GOLEO VI, Zakumi. Printed in compliance with the 2010 FIFA Public Guidelines. Local inspirations seemed to be lost in the design of GOLEO VI, while Zakumi represents one of the Big Five animals of Africa and carries the name of the country on his shirt.

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figure, this time limited in his performance by staying silent. Zakumi did not have its own television show, like his predecessors, and did not speak or give interviews, like COLEO VI. What distinguished the mascot from other characters marketed by FIFA in the 21^*^ century were his South African and African roots. FIFA described the character as a 'mascot with attitude' ("Zakumi: Spirit of South Africa 2010," 2010). Leopard is, beside lion, rhino, buffalo and elephant, one of the Big Five, Africa's greatest wild animals. The creators gave him a birth date tooJune 16, 1994, symbolized the day and month of the Soweto youth uprising and the year of the first democratic elections in South Africa respectively ("Zakumi: Spirit of South Africa 2010," 2010). Zakumi participated in many promotional activities before the World Cup, including the Official Trophy Tour and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. At the same time the mascot did not escape negative press when a Chinese factory producing the toy was temporarily shut down due to hard working conditions (Corcoran, 2010). FIFA was also criticized for overpricing the product and taking its manufacturing to China instead of choosing a local company ("Zakumi merchandise too expensive," 2010). Figure 5 presents the pictures of all three mascots. Comparing these images, one may assume that only Zakumi represents a local inspiration behind the concept. Although the Spheriks' futuristic design can be seen as a reference to Asian television programming and technological progress of the region, the challenges related to co-hosting prevented a more relevant outcome. GOLEO VI missed any associations with Germany, the host of the 2006 event. It may be due to the creators trying to change the perception of the nation still carrying a stigma of the Second World War. After all, the national symbol of eagle was also used by the Nazi regime and that may be one reason that justified the choice of a lion. Nevertheless, the neutral GOLEO VI seemed too unattached to build any meaningful associations with the Host Country. Eventually, FIFA found the right balance with Zakumi, a leopard proudly displaying his South African and African roots.
' J 1 _, ..

On the other hand, the Official Slogan was an important element of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany brand. A time to make friends complemented the Official Emblem of the event. It reflected the atmosphere during the competition where the main goal was to show the world that Germany was a hospitable nation and the country was fun (Eberl, 2007). Most recently, the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa's slogan was Ke Nako. Celebrate Africa's Humanity. Ke Nako in Sotho means It is time and those words were reflecting the long awaited first tournament on the African soil. Ke Nako was implemented in various marketing communications and Official Posters of the tournament. Ke Nako was also a FIFA quarterly magazine available for free in the Organizing Committee's headquarters and some areas surrounding the World Cup stadiums. Thus, looking closer at the Official Slogans of the previous three World Cups, it appears that only Korea/Japan did not take advantage of incorporating this element in branding of the tournament at the time. Their lack of an Official Slogan missed on the regional inspiration. In 2006 the brand looked within the Host Country to produce a slogan supporting the messages carried on the Official Emblem. Similarly, in South Africa the enthusiasm behind the slogan represented the readiness of the nation and the continent. Originating in Sotho, Ke Nako expressed the hope of the country sharing the turbulent past of the African continent (Clarke, 2010). In 2010 Africa was ready.

2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil

Brazil launched an official bid to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup in December 2006 ("Brazil to make 2014 World Cup bid," 2006). According to FIFA's rotation policy at the time, the tournament was to be staged in South America. Brazil was the only bidder from the continent and eventually was awarded with the hosting rights on October 30, 2007 ("Brazil bid," 2007). Brazil is the fifth largest country and the fifth most populous country in the world, inhabited by 190 million people. It stretches for almost half of the continent with an Atlantic Ocean coastline of over 4,500 miles. It is the only country that has participated in every single World Cup since 1930, and it also has the richest excellence of soccer in the world. For the second consecutive time FIFA revealed the Official Emblem of the following World Cup only days before the preceding event concluded. The logo of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil was unveiled in South Africa in July 2010. The timing was importantFIFA used media scrutiny of the competition held in South Africa to leverage their 2014 brand and maintain the event brand continuity. Similarly to the previous

Slogans The 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan did not have any tagline attached to it. The strong rivalry between the two Host Countries to have the Official Name of the event featuring their respective nations first (Korea/Japan vs. Japan/Korea) resulted in FIFA demanding one name to be used in both countries in the same manner (McLauchlan, 2001). In such an environment, the creation of a slogan promoting the tournament never materialized.

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World Cups, more brand elements are to be developed at a later stage ("2014 FIFA Public Guidelines," n.d.). Brazil's Tourist Board, Embratur, launched a global marketing campaign Brazil Is Calling You across multiple media platforms in July 2010. The main goal of the campaign was to invite the world to visit the country. Brazil was also aggressively promoted at the airports and main tourist hubs of Johannesburg and Cape Town during the 2010 FIFA World Cup ("World Cup 2014," 2010). FIFA currently promotes the Host Country and the host cities in the Destination section of the official 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil website.

Conclusion
The purpose of this case study was to recognize how the Host Countries inspired FIFA's chosen brand elements in the three most recent World Cups in order to establish how local themes maj be incorporated in theTahle 1. Characteristics of the FIFA World Cup Brand Elements Before 2002 Brand name

branding of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil. Table 1 presents the summary of the analysis of the FIFA World Cup brand elements before and after 2002. The most striking difference is the branding approach, or lack thereof, between the two eras. The lack of consistency and focus dominated throughout the decades of the 20th century. The easiest to observe was different nomenclature referring to the Official Name of the tournament for almost 70 years. The last decade brought a new direction. The consistency in the name has been striking since 2002, which has created clear understanding about the official naming of future tournaments. The logos and posters, which in the past had been inconsistent in their portrayal of the event and its Host Ciountry, became the key trademarks in the 21st century. The mascots have provided more promotional opportunities since 1966, but only recently have they been incorporated in various brand activa-

AI ter 2002 Consistent - co-branded with the destination. Official full name of the tournament is composed with the year of the event (i.e. 2010) event brand (FIFA World Cup) and a destination brand (i.e. South Africa): 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Consistent - The FIFA World Cup Trophy always in a logo; full name of the tournament, references to the host destinations in design and coloring

Inconsistent - in various languages called Soccer World Championships, World Cup, sometimes only carrying the name of the host country and the year in the name (i.e. Mexico 86); no references with exception of 1974 when the FIFA World Cup name was used

Logo

Inconsistent - various languages used, dominant role of a soccer ball, the actual World Cup (then the Jules Rimet Cup) appeared only in 1966; irregular references to the Host Countries - i.e. Brazilian colors in 1950, no references in Mexico 1970 Inconsistent - dominant theme of a soccer ball. no consistent references (if any) to the Host Countries (especially prior to 1966), no FIFA World Cup Trophy Most often carrying references to the Host Countries through the design or the name; accompanied by a soccer ball

Poster

Consistent - logo always on a poster, full name of the tournament with dates; references to the Host Countries not always
afparent (Germany 2006) .

Character

Most often carrying references to the Host Countries through the design or the name; accompanied by a soccer ball; the Official Mascot also appears as a real figure in the stadiums and during promotional events The Official Slogans in 2006 and 2010 were an opportunity to tie the event with the host destination

Slogan

None

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tion strategies of FIFA and sponsors and bave vast entertainment opportunities in tbe stadiums (altbougb tbeir cboice and local inspiration bave been at times questionable). Finally, tbe slogans have tied the event and the destination together and are now additional drivers to promote tbe FIFA World Cup and the destination brands. | : Brazil will be hosting tbe tournament in June and July of 2014. Altbougb the country tbat once gave tbe world Pele seems to be tbe perfect matcb witb tbe World Cup brand, tbe analysis of tbe previous tbree World Cups showed tbat tbe marriage of FIFA World Cups and Host Countries through a combined set of brand elements can be a daunting task. We know tbe Official Emblem and tbe Official Name of tbe next World Cup, more brand elements will follow. Nevertheless, the question still stands as to bow local inspirations may be incorporated in tbe branding of tbe 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil.

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Official poster for 2006 FIFA World Cup unveiled in Stuttgart. (2004, September 30). Retrieved from http://www.nfa.com/aboutnfa/federation/releases/newsid=94313.html Preuss, H. (2000). Economics of the Qlympic Games: Hosting the Games 1972-2000. Sydney, Australia: Walla Wall Press. Scott, S. (2006, June 10). Mascot fails to capture heart of World Cup fans. Weekend Edition Saturday (National Public Radio). Solberg, H. (2004). Sport broadcasting. In I. Beech & S. Chadwick (Eds.), The business of sport management (pp. 368-393). Harlow, England: FT Prentice Hall. South Africa 2010 - Final report, (n.d.). SA 2010 World Cup Bid. Stahl, H., Hochfeld, C , & Schmied, M. (2006). FIFA green goal legacy report. Frankfurt/Main: Organizing Committee (OC) 2006 FIFA World Cup. The official 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan mascots. (2002, May 18). Retrieved from http://www.nfa.com/aboutfifa/federation/releases/newsid=86215.html The official logo & the official poster. (2002, May 18). Retrieved from http://www.fa.com/aboutfifa/marketing/releases/newsid=86219.html Ticketing process explained. (2009). Retrieved from http://wvfw.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/southafrica2010/organisation/tic keting/news/newsid= 1149274/index.html Top designer says World Cup design "just embarrassing." (2006, June 12). Retrieved from http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,2049898,00.html TV data. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/marketing/factsfigures/tvdata.html Uggla, H. (2004). The brand association base: A conceptual model for strategically leveraging partner brand equity. Journal of Brand Management, 12, 105-123. World Cup 2014: Campaign "Brazil is calling you" reaches 100 countries. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.brasil.gov.br/news/history/2010/07/14/world-cup-2014-campaign-201cbrazil-is-calling-you201 d-reaches- 100-countries/newsitem_view?set_language=en Zaichkowsky, J. L. (2010). Strategies for distinctive brands. Journal of Brand Management, 17, 548-560. Zakumi merchandise 'too expensive.' (2010, March 16). Retrieved from http://www.sportindustry.co.7.a/news/view/1641/zakumi-merchandise%27too-expensive%27 Zakumi: Spirit of South Africa 2010. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.southafrica.info/2010/zakumi.htm

Editor's Note: Teaching notes for this case study are available at www.fitinfotech.com.

184 Volume 20 Number 3 2011 Sport Marketing Quarterly

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