Vodacom, MTN to test 2010 ambush marketing rules

Quite simply, MTN is a local FIFA sponsor for the 2010 FIFA World Cup event and as such neither Cell C nor Vodacom will be able to make any mention in their adverts of even the vaguest reference to 2010, soccer, Football World Cup, FIFA and myriad other names that are in the process of being registered by FIFA.

And as South Africa is the host country, the question is whether MTN will then be able to call them "Bafana Bafana" ?

If Vodacom's sponsorship of SAFA extends to 2010, it could end up in the crazy situation where in advertising terms, Vodacom won't be able to say anything at all while MTN can say anything it likes – except to call the South African Football Team by the nickname everyone knows it as.

It's going to be fun watching how the two teams of lawyers handle things.

This week the ASA ordered MTN to withdraw a series of its print advertisement that appeared in the Sunday Times of 10 June 2007, following a competitor complaint from advertising agency FCB South Africa, on behalf of Vodacom. One of the advertisement was headed, “Turning young men into Bafana Bafana.” and also states “MTN, proud sponsor of the MTN cup”.

Vodacom is the sponsor for the South African Football Association (SAFA) and of the men's soccer team which is known as “Bafana Bafana”. The advertisement implies a connection between the MTN and Bafana Bafana, to which it is not entitled.