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His universal recognition and appeal were the reasons South Africa’s fixed-line operator, Telkom, chose Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt ahead of local track and field athletes to promote its fibre broadband product in South Africa.
This was the company’s response to City Press’ enquiry following wide-ranging criticism of their decision to use the Olympic and world champion as the face of their “Boltspeed Fibre” campaign.
The outcry gained momentum, particularly on social-media platforms, after local sprinters – reigning world 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk and SA 100m record holder Akani Simbine – made the headlines again over the past few days.
The duo’s sub-10-second performances in the past two weeks ignited a bigger debate about sports sponsorship in the country and highlighted the plight of many of our South African track and field stars, who, unlike their football, rugby and cricket counterparts, do not enjoy much backing from local corporate companies.
“We decided to go with Bolt in June last year and, while we knew the ad would attract some criticism, we welcome divergent views; we also note the many South Africans who have shared their love for the campaign,” said Jacqui O’Sullivan, the company’s managing executive for communications.
She did not disclose what the telecoms provider paid Bolt, whose sponsorships and appearance fees are understood to be astronomical – his deal with chief sponsor Puma, which runs through the 2017 IAAF World Championship, is believed to be worth $10 million a year.
All O’Sullivan would divulge was: “The cost was market related and in line with the profile of the personality we were securing, while taking into account the limited time we had to film the advert.”
She said the commercial was filmed in just three and a half hours in Bolt’s home town of Kingston, Jamaica.
O’Sullivan said sport sponsorships “historically have often worked the hardest for brands, particularly the use of global icons”.
And in Bolt, she said, the six-time Olympic champion’s global recognition and appeal were “rare and valuable traits, particularly when positioning a brand”.
She added: “Bolt’s universal recognition and the fact that he is the fastest man on the planet means that people who would never normally be interested in athletics or even sport are drawn to the charisma and abilities of this uniquely talented man.
“Our focus was to showcase the speed and excellence of fibre on South Africa’s fastest network and, as Bolt is the very embodiment of world-class speed and excellence, the fit was perfect.”
In an interview with Eyewitness News Afrikaans this week, Van Niekerk joined the debate when he said that as much as he respected Telkom’s decision, it was “quite sad knowing that we’ve got such great athletes and sportspeople in South Africa ... and they’re not getting opportunities or the offers that they can”.
One Twitter user, @Kuben_K, even created a “WaydeSpeed Fibre” spoof using a picture of Van Niekerk with the caption: “There @TelkomZA, I fixed your ad for you.... cc @WaydeDreamer.”
Shortly after Simbine broke the national record at the Athletics SA Nite Series in Pretoria a fortnight ago, 2013 IAAF World Championships 1 500m bronze medallist Johan Cronje tweeted: “I would much rather get myself some @AkaniSimbine ‘New Generation of Fast’ dear @TelkomZA. Now maybe a sponsor for the @ASAathletics series?”
As if to ward off the public pressure, O’Sullivan revealed that Telkom would reward Team SA’s medallists at the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“We will continue to show our love for local sportsmen and women through our Telkom incentive initiative for the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games. We will announce those incentives in June, when the Olympic team is announced.”
Telkom’s multimillion-rand sports sponsorship portfolio includes the Telkom Knockout soccer tournament, which has a total prize purse of R14.2 million per competition, and it also sponsors a professional road and mountain bike cycling team.
