“AS a team we have created an identity for ourselves and together we strive to fulfill this culture to be the best team,” said JP Duminy.
The #ProteaFire campaign was officially launched to South African cricket fans on Thursday, October 9.
#ProteaFire is all about the Proteas team identity and culture. It’s about their team ethos, their mantra and their belief in each other and the nation. It’s their mission statement.
Proteas fans will have the opportunity to watch the National team playing and working together to remain on top of the game in each and every match they play.
Cricket South Africa has worked closely with the National Team over the past year to make the #ProteaFire campaign come alive.
The #ProteaFire TV Commercial was aired for the first time on SuperSport on Thursday evening and will be shown on various platforms over the next few months.
“This is a truly unique and authentic campaign because it is exactly what the Proteas believe in. It comes directly from the team and it is no creative or marketing campaign,” said CSA Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat.
“No country has been through what SA has and our country needs all the inspiration it can get. Clearly the Proteas are our inspiration. As a team they have invested time to understand what it means for them to represent South Africa, and now the team wishes all South Africans to know more about who they are, whom they play for and what it means to be a Protea. We respected their wishes and that’s why we got right behind them to ensure this campaign came to life,” said Lorgat.
Castle Lager Proteas ODI captain, AB de Villiers, is excited that the team identity has come to life. “This is a special day for the Proteas,” De Villiers said. “#ProteaFire has lived within the team environment for the last four years, and today we get to share it with our fans and our country. We hope this campaign will give the 60 million South Africans we represent a better idea of the people we are, and what the Proteas team environment is about. We have created an incredibly special environment, and we look forward to sharing more of it in the lead-up to an important season for us.”
JP Duminy hopes South Africans will be able to draw inspiration from #ProteaFire. “It is about humility, resilience, courage, adaptability, unity and respect; these are key attributes of our rich and diverse country. #ProteaFire isn’t just about what happens on the field, it’s also about how we carry ourselves during our daily tasks. We hope that we can inspire and help shape our country by our actions on and off the field.”
Hashim Amla, the Castle Lager Proteas Test captain, said: “Despite the reality of our diverse backgrounds, religious beliefs and social upbringings, our common understanding has created a common purpose in the team that is built on our passion to represent South Africa. The real task is to get people to behave in a new way of thinking, rather than to think themselves into a new way of behaving.”
Faf du Plessis, the Blue Label T20 captain, said: “The Proteas have developed an amazing team culture and the joy of representing South Africa is the driving force in making us want to play for all South Africans.”
The initial #ProteaFire campaign will see a strong focus on the theme “What is #ProteaFire”.
For the next seven weeks, fans will see the message played on social media and TV, entrenching the team’s belief.
This will be followed by the launch of a second TV communiqué in the first week of December, which seeks to integrate the Proteas World Cup campaign with the players wish to get the country right behind the Proteas.
Phase 3, of bringing the #ProteaFire to life, kicks off in February next year, when the Proteas depart for the World Cup and cricket jersey Friday is introduced for the duration of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.
