World Cup 2010 – Will corporations score for Africa?

Corporate Social Responsibility can be applied on many levels from smaller business to the largest ventures on earth. I think in 2010 we will see improved understanding on a corporate level that CSR is not an expense but an investment. Being competitive takes on many guises but failing to adjust to changing priorities is stubborn and can prove costly as you promote your business. This Summer the largest sporting event on earth takes place (in terms of viewers) and I wait to see what the FIFA World Cup 2010 is planning in terms of giving back to the community and continent of the hosts in South Africa.

Comprehending the investment in the World Cup when you remember its still ‘just’ a sporting event is a staggering proposition. The entire tournament is expected to have a combined viewership of all matches in excess of 38 billion people, with such high stakes large corporations have spent years looking to maximise their return but also to incorporate CSR. The World Cup only occurs every four years so its realistic to assume that corporations have further changed their emphasis from pure advertising to building something enduring that will last longer than a commerical break.  What makes this more unique is that this is the first World Cup ever to be hosted in the continent of Africa.
Avoid your cynicism and step back a moment, Africa as a continent provides greater opportunity for businesses to impart genuinely positive social programs on a broad scale and corporate decision makers are actively aware of that. Football/Soccer has worked actively with numerous charities in Africa for many years and the World Cup can finally bring this into sharper focus for the millions who will be watching at any given time. Local, regional and national campaigns that support education, healthcare, HIV aids awareness and education in addition to numerous urgently required improvements to basic infrastructure – when the opportunity for postive change is looked at objectively CSR becomes less an option but just more simply a logical step.

I’m positive we will see very positive and bold initiatives promoted via advertisers who invest in the World Cup this Summer and the residual impact is what really matters. After the fans fly home and the stadiums are empty will the continent have gained more than some television exposure? For every schoolroom that is built and bottle of medicine distributed the answer will be yes. For every road that is improved and crop that is irrigated the answer will be yes. This summer the opportunity presents itself and due to a better understanding of CSR the dividends will be more far reaching.