MTN, the South African –based  GSM operator wants to be the first off the block when it comes to South Africa 2010—the next Football World Cup. Last week, MTN kicked off a yet low key Press ad campaign reminding Nigerians about football’s top competition which would be staged in South Africa. Never mind that football’s most prestigious event is still a clear one year or 12 months away.

Typically, the marketing and publicity that go with the World Cup is  a frenzy. Big businesses and even governments round the world want to key into the klieglights  of the World Cup. Imagine your goods and services been seen for the first time by billions and millions of people round the world.

For MTN there are some obvious reasons why it should weave a publicity web round South Africa 2010.Host country is its home turf. And it would want to leverage on that. But more so, MTN in Nigeria is in a very competitive field,with rival GSM operators—Globacom, Zain and Etisalat.

Globacom in particular has shown a knack to exploit the strong emotional bond which football-crazy Nigerians have for their favourite teams and star players.

Globacom sponsors the Nigerian Premier league and also the high profile CAF/Globacom African Footballer of the Year Awards. This year’s edition of the awards was staged last month in Abuja ,Lagos with Globacom and its Glo brand shinning like a thousand stars in the publicity surrounding the event.

There is evidence that Globacom has upstaged MTN in certain sporting events. MTN it was that started a half Marathon event in Lagos, which was targeted at journalists but today Globacom has run with it. Only few weeks after it savoured the glow of staging the African Footballer of the Year Awards, Globacom was again, sponsoring an international Lagos Half Marathon, in which prize money was a handsome $ 50,000. To heighten publicity

And corporate goodwill generated by the half-marathon, Globacom invited celebrated world champion marathon runner,Haile Gabreissalasie to serve as brand ambassador for the event.

Andrew Okeleke, MTN’s External Communications Manager agrees that the GSM Operator wants to be the first off the block in corporate publicity campaigns tied to the World Cup. He puts it this way, ”Yes it is good to start early ,provided you can sustain it. And I think we can sustain it.”Leading ad agency,DDB is working hard on MTN’s extensive campaign brief for the impending World Cup competition.

But other GSM operators are not likely to fold their arms and let MTN seize the momentum. Industry sources say Globacom which already has an edge over other operators in sports is planning big for the South African World Cup. Zain the deep –pocketed Middle East-based GSM operator is also brainstorming on its South  Africa 2010 publicity plans. Etisalat, another rich Middle East GSM operator which started in Nigeria last year is believed to be massing up a ‘war chest’ to battle it well-entrenched rivals before and during  the football fiesta.

Typically, a football event campaign would be divided into three parts. One, the Build Up, during competition, and post event. The din is traditionally very high during the build up ,runs through the competition and peters off ,in the post-event period. Advertisers round the world are going to pour billions of dollars into World Cup 2010 advertising and promotions.

Can MTN leave other GSM operators playing catch up with its early start? That is the big question.