‘081’
at heart of plans to drive new era of engagement with fans.
African
telecommunication giant Telkom announced today that 8.ta will be the official
mobile partner of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) for the next five years.
This
partnership opens an exciting new era of engagement between South Africa’s
football community and the League.
PSL
Acting CEO Cambridge Mokanyane told a media briefing today that that the new
deal is part of the PSL’s continuous pursuit to connect with South Africa’s
massive and passionate football community.
“The
PSL and Telkom share similar values and beliefs in that we both seek to connect
people all over not only in South Africa, but globally as well. Football is
about emotional connection while Telkom and 8.ta are about connecting people.
As the League, we always seek partnerships to enhance our product. Africa has
seen massive growth in both online and mobile network market. Pretty much
everyone now has a cell phone that enables them to develop and connect with
communities that share the same interests.
“With
8.ta, the PSL has secured a mobile partner that already has a high quality
network and that has built very strong brand connections with its customers. We
are very much looking forward to building this partnership in the coming years.
We see this relationship as critical to the PSL’s plans to build exciting new
channels and platforms for the fans who keep the game of soccer so vibrant,”
Mokanyane added.
The
agreement covers all mobile voice and data products to be used by the PSL under
the 8.ta’s “081” prefix and extensive branding and marketing activities. In
particular, the agreement provides 8.ta with exclusivity in the implementation
of additional mobile platforms, mobile payment offerings, fan community tools
and other mobile applications on behalf of the PSL.
Manelisa
Mavuso, Managing Director of Consumer and Retail Services at 8.ta’s parent
company, Telkom, says that this agreement enables the company to deepen and
extend its commitment to the sport of soccer and the local soccer community.
“Telkom’s
existing involvement in soccer through the Telkom Knockout has been highly
successful. The Telkom Knockout has also succeeded in rallying the soccer
fraternity, enabling them to enjoy not only the game itself, but also its
associated benefits in the coming together of people and sharing in something
larger than the individual.
“We
all know of soccer’s unique ability to bring people together; to create bonds
and cement friendships. Going forward, we can further harness this positive
social function with the 081 prefix. We will utilise the agreement to engage
with soccer fans, launch and promote new 8.ta products and build the 8.ta
image,” says Mavuso.
He
adds that the exposure for the 8.ta brand across traditional and online
platforms will ensure that there is continuing value being generated through
more and deeper connections with customers.
He
also notes that the PSL will benefit from 8.ta’s high-quality voice and data
mobile network and its proven ability to innovate and to be first to market.
“When
we speak of our convergence agenda, it is not only about technologies and
devices and platforms. Convergence is also about a coming together of people,
an exchange of ideas, a merging of potential.
“I
believe that with this partnership two entities that are entrenched in the
fibre of South Africa come together in a new way that will benefit both parties
and, above all, the soccer community.”
Future
of 8.ta brand
Mavuso
also spoke at the launch of the PSL–8.ta partnership about the future of the
8.ta brand. He said the plans for 8.ta were part of Telkom’s overall mission of
seamlessly connecting people to a better world.
“Convergence
is the wave of the future and our mobile network is a critical building block
to deliver this converged future. In this context, our commitment to mobile
remains steadfast.
“Going
forward we will serve some parts of the market through the Telkom Mobile brand
and some parts of the market through the 8.ta brand. Our offerings under each
brand will be based on the way customers actually use voice and data rather
than be limited by traditional marketing models. This decision was taken
following a great deal of investigation and deliberation. Market dynamics
formed part of the equation, as did the benefits of leveraging off the strong
Telkom brand equity in the context of our convergence agenda,” says Mavuso.
He
emphasised that 8.ta would not be discontinued, pointing out that since the brand
was launched in 2010, 8.ta had been successful, particularly in the youth
market. Mavuso says the brand is simply being repositioned.
Mavuso
pointed to today’s PSL announcement and other recent product innovations as
evidence of the continuing role that will be played by the 8.ta brand.
