Ambushing China and the Olympics

April 01, 2008 | BY

clpstaff

Ambush marketers, by loose association with an international sporting event, can claim the same benefits of advertising as an official sponsor who will have paid a great deal for that status. This can result in the misappropriation of intellectual property, and allows a marketer to unfairly capitalize on the publicity surrounding an event, such as the Olympics. As China gears up for the Beijing games, this is an important issue that needs to be addressed.

By Douglas J. Wood*

Much has been written about the upcoming Olympics and how significant they are for China and its global image. There is no other international sporting event that gets more attention and attracts more participants and spectators than the Olympic Games. And by all measures, the 2008 Games in China will be the most widely publicized in history.

But beneath the politics of Steven Spielberg's resignation as creative director and human rights issues that could leave a black eye on the festivities, with so many consumers watching the competition, there is also the serious risk that ambush marketing may significantly diminish the return on the investments made by worldwide sponsors like McDonalds, VISA, Coca-Cola, and Samsung as well as Beijing sponsors like Bank of China, China Mobile, and Air China. Unlike any Olympics in the past, the marketing community is focusing on Beijing to see if sponsorships of such events, particularly in today's multimedia internet age, are really worth it. If ambush marketing is rampant in the 2008 Games, future sponsorships will be less attractive and, worse, the Olympics may lose vital funding. So much is at stake not only for China but for the Olympics as well.

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