The serialised soccer comic kicked-off from a small production studio in Cape Town in 2001 and is now broadcast as a multilingual 26-part half-hour series on channels including Disney Asia and ESPN StarSports.

When we started out we wanted to combine the demand for a great home-grown South African story with the need for alternative media opportunities in the marketplace,” says Bruce Legg, Supa Strikas’ Creative Director.

“We had the idea of offering advertisers the opportunity to make their brands part of the story through product placement and branding within the comic and went from company to company pitching the idea to them. In the early days many of the marketers and budget holders had a very low awareness of Supa Strikas and limited knowledge of the emergent market to understand just how popular Supa Strikas was becoming in the mass South African market. However, when we finally approached Chevron we found that we had a partner in seeing out our vision and soon other big name brands followed suit”, explains Morgan-Grenville

“From the start, Chevron was intrigued by this opportunity to access their market in a novel and engaging way. From day one they shared our vision and soon other big name brands like Spur, Sunday Times, Metropolitan, SANRAL and Coca-Cola followed suit”, explains Morgan-Grenville.

With only a few sponsors in each country, the brands associated with Supa Strikas enjoy a very high level of association and recognition. Sponsors leverage this relationship with promotions, events and merchandise.

With the enormous popularity of the print comic it was only natural for it to find new avenues in which to interact with its fans. In 2008 Supa Strikas exploded onto TV screens in Africa, Latin America, Europe and South East Asia. The animated series took the Supa Strikas brand to new levels of popularity. Today the series is the second most watched youth show in South Africa and is aired on one of the world’s most recognised channels, Disney, in 18 countries around the world.

Supa Strikas’ success is a direct result of offering sponsors a new way to win hearts and minds through compelling storytelling and art.

“Our success so far has been due to the passion we all have for our product. Whether it’s the sponsors, Strikas’ fantastic creative talent or the fans, this project is about passion and dedication.” says Legg.

“Supa Strikas sponsors get great exposure and they are also very loyal to the brand. This stable environment has helped us focus on leveraging their sponsorship while also getting Supa Strikas to more people around the globe,” adds Morgan-Grenville.