This section looks at the perceptions of stakeholders regarding the Cape Town brand compared to national and global cities. It was important to extend this comparison
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internationally as the Cape Town brand was consistently viewed by stakeholders as a globally competitive city.
4.6.1 National comparisons
There were four South African cities referred to by stakeholders, namely Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria (Tshwane). Responses across the entire group of stakeholders, regarding the comparison of the Cape Town sport brand to these national cities, showed a number of similarities. However, although these cities were perceived
“powerful in their own regard”, Cape Town was viewed as “more all-rounded” (Marketing Director, Adidas).
The majority of respondents were in agreement about Cape Town city being perceived as a
“well known sporting destination” (Marketing Manager, ACT). A key distinguishing feature appeared to be the “natural setting that Cape Town could offer” (Marketing Director, Adidas) compared to other national cities. Referring to the natural environment of Cape Town city, a perspective illustrating this competitive advantage and the impact thereof upon attracting global sporting federations is given below:
“I‟m not far off the mark when I claim that Cape Town is in fact the city of choice for the majority of international federations. We have had interactions with representatives of international federations that made it absolutely clear that they are coming to Cape Town rather than to other cities, the other major metros in South Africa” (Director of Sport and Recreation, COCT).
However, another respondent believed that Cape Town city “cannot rely purely on its beauty to constantly win things” (Director, CTCTT). He recognised that the city of Durban “spends a lot of money on promoting sport”. When compared with Cape Town city, he identified the absence of commitment from Cape Town authorities to invest in sport, which indicates a possible advantage for the City of Durban in being a “front runner” (CEO, WPCA) when bidding to host sport mega-events.
Further implicating the brand positioning of the city, a respondent indicated that the commitment to invest in sport is essential. Again the City of Durban was the prime example:
“Durban has somehow managed to be much better positioned in terms of how the city supports sport...there is a whole sporting precept there...most importantly the city invests in sport”(CEO, WPCA).
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Also emphasising the city‟s brand positioning, a respondent stated: “Durban likes to position themselves as an events destination and I think they have acknowledged that they needed bigger budgets in terms of event support” (Director, CETRA).
A key comparison was made in relation to outdoor sporting activities which Cape Town city can offer as a result of how the city is structured compared to other national cities e.g.
Johannesburg. Often perceived as “the business hub” (Director of Place and Destination Marketing, COCT), the city of Johannesburg was seldom linked to a typical sporting destination. The following quotation is representative of a few responses:
“In Joburg (Johannesburg) people live in suburbs and there is concrete and highways, whereas in Cape Town you can go up on Chapmans peak (mountain) running and cycling. So Cape Town is a massive sporting destination for serious people” (Communications Manager, WPRA).
Interestingly, although respondents mentioned other national cities such as Port Elizabeth and Pretoria, there was no elaboration as to why and how they are competitive compared to the Cape Town city brand. This led the researcher to believe that the city of Durban and Johannesburg are the city‟s top competitors with regards to sport.
4.6.2 International comparisons
Stakeholders were specifically asked, “In your opinion, how does Cape Town‟s brand compare to international cities?” The cities of Melbourne, Dubai, Barcelona, London, and New York were global comparative examples mentioned by respondents. Responses were not in agreement and presented a diverse set of findings. While there were a number of respondents who believed the sport brand of Cape Town compares favourably with international sporting cities, there was another group who considered other global cities to be more effective sporting cities.
Consistently, respondents perceived the city of Melbourne as the “number one city in the world” (Sports Branding Manager, Peninsula Beverages) in terms of its global sporting competitiveness. This particular stakeholder noted that, “purely from the range of sport Melbourne has and the crowds that they get...they obviously have a lot to offer” and, therefore, was considered the number one city of sport. He also linked Melbourne city‟s competitiveness to its excellent sporting facilities which are believed to accommodate over 100 000 people per match. He stated:
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“For a cricket game they get 120 000 people into the stadium, for an Australian Open tennis tickets are sold out every day, and for a rugby game they get 115 000 people into the stadium”.
The Barcelona sport brand was also noted, as being one of the leading cities of sport. This was mainly due to their strategic vision for the city‟s brand positioning. One stakeholder revealed that despite their knowledge of the “financial burden” which the 1992 Olympic Games placed on their city‟s economy, “Barcelona city authorities strategically decided to continue to invest into sport for the city” (Director of Sport and Recreation, COCT). Beyond their investment, another respondent noted the “brand association” of their Football Club,
“that does incredibly well” (Marketing Manager ACT) both on and off the field which further positions the city as a leading sport city.
New York City‟s sport brand was also noted. This city was mentioned by a number of respondents as a globally competitive city in sport as a result of their unique sports i.e., the National Football League and National Baseball Association. However, as these sporting events are not universally participated in, respondents did not further elaborate on the city‟s competitiveness. A response that was typical of a few stakeholders reveals: “New York is also a big competitor but they don‟t play sport that we take part in...” (Sports Branding Manager, Peninsula Beverages).
The next section now outlines the competitive advantages of Cape Town‟s brand as perceived by stakeholders.