Black Like You by Herman Mashaba & Isabella Morris

Author:Herman Mashaba & Isabella Morris
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bookstorm Publishers
Published: 2017-04-03T10:40:04+00:00

By the early 1990s, Black Like Me had developed an excellent relationship with the SABC – it was so good, in fact, that we were called upon to sponsor many different programmes and events. One of these concerned super middleweight boxer Dingaan Thobela (“The Rose of Soweto”), whose next fight was to be in the US. The SABC had won the coverage rights, and they approached Black Like Me to sponsor the fight – an amount involving R500 000. This was a lot of money, but in return I negotiated R1 million worth of airtime, which they agreed to. Our association with the SABC was cemented after this, and Black Like Me sponsored several other fights, including British heavyweight contender Chris Eubank’s title fight in South Africa. I attended the fights with colleagues and friends, but my only involvement with the sport was as a sponsor and a spectator.

National television coverage was a huge boost for the company. But we also realised that being visible at a grassroots level was just as important, so we sought out marketing opportunities that would ensure a business profile.

The Zion Christian Church enjoys massive support among blacks in South Africa, and at Easter time hundreds of thousands of followers make a weekend pilgrimage to Moria, near Polokwane. When the SABC approached us to partner them in providing road safety measures over the weekend, it was obvious that this was an ideal opportunity for Black Like Me. So we hired a helicopter and also sponsored ground support crews. Branded in our black-and-white company logo, both the helicopter and ground support ensured that road safety was at the forefront of motorists’ minds along the route. The Black Like Me brand was spectacularly visible in a very worthwhile cause – but it had also blazed an advertising trail for black-owned companies in South Africa.

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