World Cup gets wired for sound (and data)

Avaya, the networking spin-off from Lucent, has signed a multi-million dollar deal with FIFA to sponsor football's World Cup.

The company will provide networking and communications technology to the 2002 series jointly hosted by Japan and Korea, the 2003 Women's World Cup in China and the 2006 World Cup in Germany, landing itself the unwieldy title of 'Official Convergence Communication Provider'.

During the 2002 tournament, Avaya will link 20 venues, two international media centres and the organisation's headquarters with a secure voice and data network. Work has already begun to install switches and the basic infrastructure.

FIFA will also use Avaya's CRM services, messaging software and videoconferencing technology to organise and run the tournament, which was viewed by an estimated 34 billion people in 1998.

In return Avaya will appear on pitch-side billboards and television coverage, in a promotional campaign which the company hopes will establish it as a household name.

Yvonne Curl, chief marketing officer at Avaya, said: "Last year one in four people worldwide watched the World Cup final.

"What better way to build global brand awareness? People will walk away knowing the Avaya name."

The company is confident that football has shaken off its working class image and will appeal to its target boardroom audience, but Tim Grimsditch, analyst at Forrester Research, warned the company is making a big leap of faith.

"This is an interesting twist to business-to-business marketing, and about as gung-ho as you can be," he said.

The trend towards big budget television advertising, with exponents like Accenture, Andersens, EMC and HP, is an attempt to move away from trade shows and create an emotive attachment to business brands, Grimsditch claimed.

"It will be tricky to measure its success," he added, "but Avaya will at least have gained some mind-share and punched above their weight."

Originally Lucent Technologies' Enterprise Networks Group, Avaya was spun off as an independent company last summer after its parent company hit financial trouble. Since then, the company has sealed successful contracts with Microsoft and News International, and accused Lucent of being shortsighted over its future.

Avaya refused to comment on the financial value of the FIFA deal, but it is rumoured to be worth around $20m over the next five years.