InMobi - the largest mobile advertising network in South Africa with more than 650 million mobile ad requests per month - predicts that the World Cup will result in an explosion in mobile advertising and brands engagement, since nothing connects Africa quite like football.
Under the first ever mobile rights distribution project for the World Cup, operators around the world will stream all 64 matches live to mobile handsets. Users will also be able to receive highlights and updates to their phones on a near-live basis.
In his address during the World Cup ceremony in Berlin, South African President Thabo Mbeki said that the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa would be the first event of this magnitude where the world would be able to participate via their mobile handsets.
And InMobi is gearing up for the occasion, announcing a partnership with South African advertising agency, MobiClicks, to engage South Africa with mobile advertising.
10 million mobile Internet users
South Africa has close to ten million mobile Internet users, and this is expected to reach fifteen million by 2013.
For many of these users, their mobile device is their only connection to the Internet, and 40% of the population has WAP-enabled phones.
These users are highly engaged on their mobile devices, and respond well to mobile advertising as measured by the click-through rates and advertiser return on investment.
InMobi now aims to expand the entire mobile ecosystem in South Africa by bringing global players into this market.
Jose Henriques, Vodacom's executive head of Internet services, says that mobile Internet is no longer a luxury in Africa, but has become a valuable tool of global development.
InMobi has expanded to other countries in Africa that are also beginning to show significant growth in mobile advertising.
"The success of South Africa is now spreading to the rest of Africa and has shown some promising results in countries like Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt," says Abhay Singhal, head of global ad sales at InMobi. "It is perceived that mobile is now accelerating the economic growth of the entire continent. The World Cup 2010 will be a catalyst for mobile advertising in Africa, and we're positioned to lead the market and connect brands and publishers to this emerging market."
Massive opportunity
According to Camerjam, an events company with a passion for all things mobile, there is no doubt that the 2010 FIFA World Cup presents a massive opportunity for brands, as demonstrated by the success of mobile marketing campaigns at the 2006 World Cup and UEFA European Championships in 2008.
Today, both the technology and the content are far more robust, sophisticated and widespread. Mobile stakeholders are now starting to understand users' behaviour and interaction with their mobile devices, and these stakeholders need to collaborate in order to successfully exploit the enormous opportunities on offer.
Sean Pashley, chief commercial officer of South African mobile agency, Starfish Mobile, says that the opportunities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup are enormous, with everything from World Cup SIM cards pre-loaded with content to advergames, instant messaging applications, tourism services (location-based services and translation services), entertainment services (what's on, where) and branded content.
comScore analyst Alistair Hill says that mobile media usage will increase by 25% during the globally significant tournament, and the time has never been riper for brands to sharpen their mobile marketing strategies.
"The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa presents the mobile industry with a unique opportunity," says Camerjam founder, James Cameron, adding that South Africans are extremely mobile savvy and some of the most innovative mobile campaigns to date have come from this region, such as Vodacom's The Grid and the country's first location-based ads.
"Whether it be via messaging, branded utility or by simply building a mobile web presence, brands must take advantage of the spike in mobile usage that will occur during the World Cup."
Maps and navigation
It's not only mobile advertisers that are climbing aboard the FIFA 2010 World Cup bandwagon.
ComputaMaps has announced the availability of 3D photorealistic models of all ten of the football stadiums.
Designed for use in various applications such as navigation, location-based applications, news and media, Internet platforms, visitor guides and on mobile devices, the advanced models provide customers with a 3D experience to browse and explore the 2010 World Cup venues.
And the mapping companies are being kept busy, especially in Durban - where street names are changed with little or no prior notice.
If the locals are confused, the 2010 visitors are going to have a hard time.
It's not much help having a new map if you're looking for an address printed on old stationery.
OpenStreetMap has updated most of the Durban map to reflect the new street names. NAVTEQ's map of Durban, however, shows both old and new street names, such as Che Guevara Drive/Moore Road, King Dinuzulu Road/Berea Road, and Chris Ntuli Road/Old Dutch Road - all major roads into and out of the city.
It's not only Durban, though. Many South African cities and streets are still undergoing post-1994, politically correct renaming exercises.
With the flood of football tourists expected in mid-year, South Africa presents a perfect opportunity for the deployment of location-based services, location-aware advertising and turn-by-turn navigation that rely on GPS and geography rather than political expediency.
