Residents’ role in the co-creation of South Africa as a brand: A world cup event
With the World Cup just days away, excitement is building around the world. For the Marketing Department staff members on Monash’s South Africa campus, the event provides an opportunity for research due to the uniqueness of the event. The research is specifically aimed at investigating the role that residents in the country play in the event and in the perceptions of the country (South Africa).
The task of marketing is increasingly being regarded as being that of a facilitator and creator of mutual value. In this regard, Prahalad (2004) proposes an experience-centered, co-creation perspective where the brand becomes the experience – brand co-creation. Co-creation is a term that attempts to involve the customer as participants in the creation of a product or service. It is the “joint creation of value between the organisation and the customer” and the “creation of an experience environment in which customers can have an active dialogue”.
The world cup event as co-creation
As the 2010 football world cup (WC2010) is one of the first major sporting events since the brand co-creation concept started to enjoy prominence within marketing academia and practice, it is considered a rare opportunity to research brand co-creation as a phenomenon in such a large sporting event. Prior to the world cup event, The International Marketing Council of South Africa (Brand South Africa), Government, FIFA, the Organising Committee, South African Tourism, the SABC and a range of partners in the public and private sectors among others embarked on various marketing, communication and branding initiatives to promote the world cup in South Africa, but also South Africa as a brand. Residents also play a role in the co-creation of the brand. WC2010 can be regarded as a commercial experience. An experience comes about due to the co-creation that takes place between a subject (customer) and an object (experience provider). This has the implication that the co-creation experience is unique as it cannot be commoditised (Pralahad & Ramaswamy, 2004:9).
The purpose of this study is to explore the role of residents in the co-creation of the brand “South Africa” during the WC2010. The primary research questions associated with the study is to what extent do residents engage in co-creating the South African brand during an event such as WC2010?
Research Methodology
The study uses a quantitative survey research design and data is collected by means of self-administered questionnaires. The five-point Likert Scale questionnaire is divided into two broad sections according to the developed brand co-creation theoretical framework of the study, namely (1) co-creation and (2) brand knowledge. Specific constructs that form an integral part of the definition of co-creation include those of commitment and involvement. In the case of the brand knowledge, brand awareness, brand relationships and brand loyalty will be investigated. Convenience, quota sampling is used based on StatsSA’s population statistics to draw a sample of 1500 respondents (600 from Gauteng, 600 from Kwa-Zulu Natal and 300 from the Western Cape) which is generally representative of the country.
Possible findings
It is envisaged that the study will contribute, not only to the broader understanding of brand co-creation in light of such large international events, but also specifically against the backdrop of the diverse developing country that is South Africa.
