Bavaria scores big, thanks to massive media coverage

"The value of the South African newspaper and broadcast news coverage is R756 728 but this excludes magazine coverage and online coverage," said Oresti Patricios, CEO of brand and reputation analysis and intelligence company Ornico.

"It is irrelevant whether Bavaria staged the spectacle or not; the media clearly positioned the Dutch brewery and the women wearing the bright orange minis as the hero of this story. FIFA was undoubtedly cast as the villain of the saga," said Patricios.

"The news value of the event was so compelling and the volume of the coverage so overwhelming that the matter instantly became a talking point for the media, opinion shapers and for people focusing on the world cup.

"Shape the national discourse"

"More importantly, the event was covered by most of the local media that influence or shape the national media agenda. These are newspapers, radio and television news programmes that influence the national debate, and largely shape what we're talking about or arguing over. They are media like City Press, the Mail & Guardian, Sunday Times, Beeld, Rapport, 702 Talk Radio, e.tv News, The Daily Maverick and other powerful media that shape the national discourse," he added.

Ornico monitored and analysed all mentions the word Bavaria and then audited the coverage to ascertain the advertising value equivalent of the coverage. This is the value Bavaria would have paid if it had placed adverts in the same media that gave them coverage. "We have a very exacting and robust methodology and we use advertising parameters to determine the right values," explained Patricios.

"When the final tally for local publicity is done, it is likely that Bavaria will have scored well over a million rand worth of local media publicity, if not more. That's not even looking at international coverage, which has been massive and in all the right media."

FIFA less than amused

Bavaria and the colour orange caused an international and local media storm when a legion of predominantly blonde young women attended the Holland vs Denmark match. The women caused quite a few heads to turn, including that of FIFA, which was less than amused by the orange mini-skirted onslaught.

The orangeanistas were frogmarched from Soccer City in Soweto and two 'ringleaders' were held and charged in terms of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Special Measures Act (2006) and the Merchandise Marks Amendment Act (2002).

The offence committed in terms of SA law that had been purposefully amended for Fifa so that the soccer body could entrench its marketing fiefdom for the world cup? "Unauthorised use of a trade mark at a protected event" and "entry into a designated area while in possession of a prohibited commercial object".