The good news: Tourism Fiji and Air Pacific are helping sponsor the Flying Fijians on their European tour. They are in turn tapping into the national rugby team’s huge publicity power.Nothing gets Fiji into the mainstream media more in markets like Europe than a tour by the Flying Fijians.
The bad news: The team responded by giving their sponsors a kick where it hurts.
They decided not to do the traditional cibi war challenge before kickoff any more.
Why does a ritual like the cibi matter? Plenty of reasons.
Value one:
To sponsors
From a purely commercial point of view, the cibi adds value. It helps attract sponsors like Tourism Fiji and Air Pacific.
Nothing from a Flying Fijians tour gets more close up exposure on TV than the challenge issued through the cibi. Imagine shots of men like Deacon Manu doing the cibi with Tourism Fiji’s fijime.com branding across the front of their jerseys.
That’s what sponsorship and marketing is about in modern sport. It’s what helps attract the sponsors Fiji Rugby Union so desperately needs right now. Chairman Bill Gavoka, a man with his own tourism marketing background, surely does not agree with the no-cibi decision.
Tourism Fiji chief executive Jo Tuamoto and Air Pacific general manager sales and marketing Mike Nacola must feel badly let down by the move. When they signed on to support the Flying Fijians they were given no indication the cibi was going to be kicked to touch.
Who could have imagined it could be?
Value two:
To Fiji rugby
The cibi has been an integral and inspirational part of Fiji rugby for generations. The late Ratu Sir George Cakobau was amongst those who introduced it. It helped motivate one of our earliest and most successful touring teams, the unbeaten 1939 side Ratu George captained in New Zealand.
The cibi became synonymous with Fiji rugby. It has always been done before matches like today’s test against Scotland at Murrayfield, Edinburgh.
Why would sponsors like Tourism Fiji and Air Pacific care about the cibi on this tour?
Easy. They put their support into the tour because they want to promote Fiji as a destination for tourists from Europe.
They saw value in being associated with the Flying Fijians. The media exposure the cibi brings is an important part of that value.
It attracts the television cameras and excites interest in Fiji as a destination. In an intensely competitive market like Europe it helps differentiate Fiji, as somewhere exotic and interesting.
Tourism Fiji and Air Pacific want all the marketing help like this they can get. Their aim is to build on Air Pacific’s launch next month of services to Hong Kong.
These flights bring Fiji real opportunities in Europe. The code- share connection Air Pacific has developed with Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways opens up Europe as a tourism source market.
We will become just one seamless stop away from European centres like London. London-Hong Kong-Nadi. Just like that.
What about the role of the Flying Fijians coach and captain in this? you ask.
National coach designate Sam Domoni and captain Seremaia Bai are undoubtedly deeply religious men. They unabashedly come from the “new” way of Christian thinking.
They should be respected for that. But they should not then impose these beliefs on the Flying Fijians and do away with the cibi.
It’s all very well for them to say the team supported the no-cibi decision. But how many players are going to go against their coach and captain when asked to put their hands up in a team meeting?
Who is not going to worry they risk missing selection in future if they go against the coach?
Was Fiji Rugby Union consulted and involved in such a major move? Apparently not.
Taking on leadership roles like coach and captain brings responsibilities to both Fiji Rugby Union and all who support the Flying Fijians.
If you do not want to maintain the values upon which Fiji rugby is founded, there is a simple solution. You should not take on such roles.
If you are going to undermine Fiji rugby’s branding when it needs all the sponsors it can get, you should not be there.
Win or lose against Scotland today, someone needs to talk strongly with Mr Domoni, Mr Bai and the team. The message should be clear: Bring back the cibi.
For the sake of all who care about Fiji rugby and believe in it. Not forgetting those all-important sponsors like Air Pacific and Tourism Fiji.
Brewing now:
A beer battle
Why was Joe Rodan, marketing manager of beverages heavyweight Foster’s Group Pacific, at the Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa, Denarau, last week?
There was an added reason Foster’s Pacific was so strongly represented at Fiji Islands Hotel and Tourism Association’s Hotec trade show there.
New competition is coming.
The innovative Islands Brewing Company at Kabani Road, near Nadi International Airport, might only be what is known as a boutique micro-brewery. But it is targeting the tourism and hospitality industry with an emphasis on premium beers.
From their headquarters brewery at Walu Bay, Suva, Foster’s Pacific executives are working on counters to this. They want to make sure Islands Brewing doesn’t sip into their market share.
Foster’s Pacific struck early. It forced a rebranding of Islands Brewing’s planned launch beer, Taki Premium Lager.
Foster’s Pacific pointed out that it already had the Taki name registered.
That’s something an Island Brewing search apparently did not pick up.
Now Foster’s Pacific is preparing to respond to Islands Brewing’s plans to push into the premium draught beer market.
It has developments of its own coming up.
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