By Nangamso Mabindla
19 July 2007

WITH 1 058 days until the kick-off of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup™, Buffalo City is not leaving its participation to chance; it is busy preparing a brand that will help the city boost its chances of being part of the soccer showpiece.

And, to ensure that the municipality and its partners create a truly Buffalo City brand that will highlight the area for sustainable growth and investment opportunities, the City wants to involve the public and other partners in the initiative.

Talking about public involvement, the City's communications manager, Darby Gounden, said that to market the project, the municipality needed to target as many sectors as possible.

"We also want to create a better understanding of the process, particularly with respect to municipal officials who are viewed as the city's ambassadors. We want to involve citizens by inviting them to SMS their views about the city in a local competition, with various prizes to be won."

Gounden said that with over 450 cities in the world, it was imperative for cities like Buffalo to be clearly defined and marketed to attract visitors, especially given that South Africa was hosting the world's biggest sporting event in 2010.

"Branding allows cities to clearly distinguish themselves from the next. At present Buffalo City is known by a variety of names and logo representations, but branding will allow for a uniform look, feel, slogan and overall marketing and communication strategy."

With the football World Cup fast approaching, Gounden said completing the branding campaign was urgent to prepare the city for the fierce competition for recognition it could expect from other cities.

"It's time Buffalo City starts being viewed as a serious contender for investment, tourism and development, particularly in light of the World Cup. We have all the right ingredients for great city brand and now it's time to harness them as one city brand."

Some of the features that separate the city from the rest are its unspoilt beaches, marine life, ancient footprints in Nahoon, the original coelacanth discovery in 1938 and the statue of Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko in front of the East London City Hall.

To ensure that it took all its stakeholders on board, the City held a number of workshops to discuss the branding process. It also invited the keepers of Brand South Africa, the International Marketing Council, to take part.