London 2012 on ‘ambush’ alert
Love them or loath them, you can’t ignore them, and ambush marketing campaigns are bound to be as big a part of the 2012 Olympics in London as they are around any other major sporting event.
And the man tasked with the responsibility of keeping the multi-billion pound sponsors of the event happy, candidly admits that the event will be hit by ambush marketing.
Ambush marketing is when a firm tries to create unauthorised association between their name or brand and a major sporting event, detracting from the rights of official sponsors of the event.
Recent classic ambush campaigns have included branded orange Lederhosen given to Dutch fans by brewer Bavaria to wear at the 2006 World Cup - official beer sponsors Budweiser were not amused.
Other firms which have successfully ambushed big events in recent times include Nike, Puma, Benetton, and American Express.
“Ambush marketing is a form of sports marketing, it is on the extreme unauthorised side of the line,” says Dalton Odendaal, senior manager of sponsorship for London 2012.
“It becomes a problem when [a company] tries to create an unauthorised association between its name, its brand, and the Olympics.
“It is trying to obtain an ill-gotten association - riding on the back of the event without paying for it.
“We take it very seriously. We have an obligation to our sponsors to tackle ambush marketing.”
‘Crude attempts’
So seriously in fact that there are currently three people working full-time as the 2012 brand protection team, and that team will be “ramped up” over the coming four years.
Traditionalists may not like it, but the Olympics is a business and it and its sponsorship partners - who have paid handsomely for the privilege of association with the games - need to be protected, like any other business.
Whether ambush marketers are seen as parasites or creative pranksters, there is no doubt attempts will be made to hijack the official 2012 marketing efforts.
“I don’t think we will stop it, or at least I acknowledge very creative things will be done,” Mr Odendaal told the BBC at a C5 sports business event.
“But what we would like to stop are the crude attempts.
“I am under no illusions that there will be ambushers making attempts.”
But why is London so concerned about ambush marketing at this early stage?
“If you cannot guarantee exclusivity to your sponsors in their product category then the price will be driven down,” says Mr Odendaal.
“Companies are aware of ambush marketing, it has become a bit of a buzzword, and they want assurances about how it will be dealt with.
“We, as an event, need to be aware of it.
“I can’t think of another major sports event with no advertising on-site - our partners are instead paying for the right to use our logo on their products.
“If someone uses the London 2012 logo it is easy for us to deal with it, it is blatant and obvious, but there is a whole gradation of ambush techniques that can be used.”
Legal rules
Many will be aware that there is now legislation in the UK which protects companies’ association with the games.
Mr Odendaal says having this strict framework means companies who might have thought they would “wing it” may now have second thoughts.
However he admits the new legislation has not yet been tested in an actual case.
“We don’t want to be seen to be heavy handed - we will choose a case carefully,” he says.
Last autumn there was a minor furore surrounding a Dorset sausage maker who put up a sign feature a five-rings-logo - featuring sausage links - with the words 2012.
Mr Odendaal says: “If we had taken legal action against the sausage maker it would not have looked very professional.”
Instead other methods are being used, he says.
“As well as comprehensive publicity, education and information programmes, we will have people circulating in the stadiums to make sure people are not taking in the wrong soft drinks, when there is a sponsor in that category.
“We want to get across that ambush marketing is harming the event and the public, the taxpayer, if the money to run the games cannot be run from the sponsorship deals.
“We need to also be liaising with our sponsors and explaining what the options are in any situation.”
At Wembley and other stadiums that will be used, the current signage, and partner logos there - such as Umbro at Wembley - will have to be removed or covered for the duration of the games.
‘Educating consumers’
The 2012 organisers have gone as far as to take an option on 99% of advertising space around the Olympic venues, which they hope to sell on to the event sponsors.
“They will have first refusal,” says Mr Odendaal, “and I think they will want to take that up, they don’t want to run the risk of one of their competitors buying it up.
“By taking the advertising space they will be able identify themselves with the games to people walking from the tube to the stadiums, for example.
“Between now and 2012 we will be endeavouring to impress the public that ambush marketing is bad.
“I think it will come down to how effective we are in our education programme, and educating the consumer.”