Between 25 May and 8 June, Hollywoodbets partnered as one of the official sponsors of the COSAFA Cup (along with eThekwini Municipality and the South African Football Association).
This partnership showed much progress as it was Hollywoodbets’ first time sponsoring an international tournament. Hollywoodbets became the official advertising sponsor, securing not only the COSAFA Cup, where all 21 matches were shown live on SuperSport, but also the procured the privilege to sponsor the COSAFA Women’s Championship.
The amount of quality exposure that the brand received cannot be undervalued. Hollywoodbets’ brand got quality in-stadium exposure with four perimeter boards which had that unmistakable purple pop. In addition to this, SuperSport afforded the brand 30-second commercial spots, squeeze back adverts and on-screen logos during match broadcasts.
In typical Hollywoodbets spirit, community engagement was at the top of the list of priorities. Our Teams started with pre-tournament activities including joining the panel for the press briefing which included government officials and COSAFA representatives. Then, partnering with COSAFA and the eThekwini Municipality, journeyed on a Trophy Tour to hot spots in uMlazi, KwaMashu and central Durban. Ending the trophy tour off at Hollywoodbets Team Support and the Hollywoodbets Yusuf Dadoo branch, where Team Members had the opportunity to win a VIP Experience for two to the COSAFA Cup Final.
This experience (chance to win a VIP experience for two) was also extended to the public. They were able to enter the competition by betting R10 or more on soccer and following specific steps for a chance to win. This initiative was evidently received positively, with over 25 000 entries.
When speaking on Hollywoodbets’ involvement in this year’s COSAFA Cup, Sue Destombes (Secretary General of COSAFA), has gone on to say that “Hollywoodbets is a fabulously enthusiastic ‘all hands-on deck’ sponsor who believes in investing in soccer to leverage their sponsorship investment.” This was on display more so as soon as the tournament started.
During the tournament, the brand had a plethora of activities going on in-and-around the stadia. From the Abanqobi (which means ‘to conquer’) supporters donning special Hollywoodbets-COSAFA Cup t-shirts, with their vuvuzela’s and other promo items, to matchday ticket giveaways, promotional item giveaways, football freestylers at the half-time segment of some games and the fan-favourite, Crossbar Challenge. The Crossbar Challenge garnered some great exposure and gave the brand a chance to engage with the community more. Budding supporters would have to place their entry upon arrival to the stadium for the challenge, and if selected, attempt to hit the crossbar to win their share of the R50 000 (each matchday, our Team would give away R3 000 and R10 000 at the three Moses Mabhida matchdays).
Other advertising included adverts airing for 15 days on Vuma FM, Gagasi FM, and Ukhozi FM, with legendary brand ambassador, Jerry Sikhosana, being interviewed on Vuma FM’s breakfast show. This was not Jerry’s only inclusion in the events though, as he, along with Brian Baloyi and other Team Members, were afforded the opportunity to handover the Man of the Match Awards post game. In total, our Team had eight handovers altogether which included Team Members titles and names mentioned on SuperSport.
All-in-all it showed to be a great partnership and we look forward to the COSAFA Women’s Championship that will be held in Port Elizabeth between 31 July to 12 August.
