AMBUSH MARKETING

'Ambush marketing' occurs when a brand pays to become the official sponsor of an event and another brand tries to connect itself to the same event, without paying the sponsorship fee and without breaking any laws.

Contents

Famous ambush marketing

Future of ambush marketing

Famous ambush marketing

★ 1984 Olympics; Kodak sponsors TV broadcasts of the games as well as the US track team despite Fujifilm being the official sponsor.

★ 1988 Summer Olympics; Fujifilm sponsors the games despite Kodak being the official sponsor.

★ 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona; Nike sponsors press conferences with the US basketball team despite Reebok being the official sponsor. During ceremonies, the players covered their Reebok logos.

★ 1994 Winter Olympics; American Express sponsors the games despite Visa being the official sponsor.

★ 1996 Cricket World Cup; Pepsi ran a series of advertisements titled "Nothing official about it" targeting the official sponsor Coca Cola.

★ 1998 World Cup; Nike sponsored a number of teams competing in the Cup despite Adidas being the official sponsor.

★ 2000 Sydney Olympics; Qantas Airlines’ slogan "The Spirit of Australia" sounds strikingly similar to the games’ slogan "Share the Spirit." despite Ansett Air being the official sponsor.

★ 2002 Boston Marathon; as Adidas-sponsored runners come off the course Nike are treated to spray-painted messages honoring the day of the race, but not the race itself.

★ 2003 Cricket World Cup; Indian players threatened to strike over concerns that the anti-ambush marketing rules were too strict. Of particular concern was the length of time before and after the cup that players were not allowed to endorse a rival to one of the official sponsors. Players argued that if they had pre-exisiting contracts that they would be in breach of them if they were to accept the ICC's rules.

★ 2006 FIFA World Cup; fans of the Netherlands had to disrobe Bavaria Brewery's leeuwenhosen because Budweiser was the official beer sponsor.

Future of ambush marketing

For the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the 2015 Cricket World Cup, New Zealand is planning to enact laws to combat ambush marketing, according to Sports Minister Trevor Mallard.[1]