Brendon Knott

The Nation-Branding Legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup for South Africa

There has been a growing awareness of the potentially significant impact that hosting sport mega-events, such as the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, can have on a nations brand. Within the broader context of nation branding, this article explores the specific tourism legacy that may be achieved from sport mega-events and details an exploratory investigation that aimed to identify brand perceptions and changes in perceptions of international visitors to South Africa during the mega-event. The tourism legacy of the event appears to be the degree to which brand perceptions of travelers changed and formed as a result of visiting the nation. The value of these changed perceptions manifests in important behavioral intentions, such as repeat visitation and positive word-of-mouth promotion. The study concludes that mega-events provide an opportunity to elicit tourism legacies for a nation, especially in terms of nation-brand development for the host.

A sport and sociocultural legacy beyond 2010: A case study of the Football Foundation of South Africa

This study investigated the sport development and social legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It assessed the impact of an event-themed legacy project on Gansbaai, a non-host, small-town community in the Western Cape, South Africa. The Football Foundation of South Africa (FFSA) was established to capitalise on the increased excitement about football as a result of the 2010 mega-event, aiming to leave a sport and social development legacy in a region that might not otherwise directly benefit. The FFSA embarked on a project to accelerate social change and community integration in a racially divided community through sport. The short-term results indicate that the community has experienced an increased level of intangible legacies, such as youth development, social integration and community pride. The FFSA is leaving a sport and social legacy for the community beyond 2010. It will be necessary to monitor the impacts on a more long-term basis.

Sport mega-events and nation branding: Unique characteristics of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa

Purpose Sport mega-events have received much criticism of late. However, there has been increasing awareness of the brand-related benefits from hosting a sport mega-event, with their hosting being a deliberate policy for many nations, most notably among emerging nations. One such nation is South Africa, which explicitly stated its nation branding ambitions through the staging of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Through this single case, this paper aims to identify the unique characteristics of the sport mega-event that were leveraged for benefits of nation branding. Design/methodology/approach An interpretivist, qualitative study explored the insights of nation brand stakeholders and experts, elicited using in-depth, semi-structured interviews (n = 27) undertaken two to three years after the staging of the event. Findings Three characteristics of the 2010 sport mega-event were deemed by stakeholders to be unique in creating nation branding opportunities: the scale of the event that created opportunities for transformational development; the global appeal, connection and attachment of the event; and the symbolic status of the event that was leveraged for internal brand building and public diplomacy. The paper proposes that while sport mega-events provide nation branding opportunities, the extent of these benefits may vary according to the context of the nation brand with lesser-known, troubled or emerging brands seemingly having the most to gain. Originality/value While acknowledging the critique of mega-events, this paper highlights a pertinent example of an emerging nation that leveraged the potential of a sport mega-event for nation branding gains. It extends the understanding of sport mega-events and their potential for nation branding.

Leveraging nation branding opportunities through sport mega-events

Purpose – This paper aims to indicate a shift in focus from legacy to the leveraging of event impacts, and previous papers have indicated a growing awareness of the brand-related legacies associated with sport mega-events for a host nation. However, none have explored this in relation to the strategic activities of nation brand stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach – The case of South Africa and the 2010 FIFA World Cup was selected, as this host nation clearly stated its aim of using the sport mega-event to develop its brand. A qualitative study explored the insights of selected, definitive nation brand stakeholders and experts, elicited using in-depth, semi-structured interviews (n = 27) that took place two to three years post the event. Findings – A thematic analysis clustered the leveraging imperatives into seven key strategic focus areas, namely, the media, local citizens, stakeholder partnerships, the tourism experience, design, sustainable development and urban transformation and event hosting. ...