If you thought ambush marketing was for the big boys, think again – SME marketers could be set to ambush the Olympics and other events without even realising it, says CIM’s Mark Blayney-Stuart
What are you going to get out of 2012? Marketers will be hoping that some of the £9.298bn hosting and infrastructure budget of the Games paid for by the public purse will offer them a boost to business next summer.
But with official sponsors parting with huge sums to get in on the act – there are seven “tier one” sponsors, paying a minimum of £40m each – legislation is being passed to protect sponsor investment generally at major cultural and sporting events. The Institute supports this in principle, recognising that companies that have invested heavily in sponsorship should have that investment protected from those who want free publicity, or “ambush” marketers.
However, the Institute questions assumptions that ambush marketing is a parasitic process. Ethically this may not always be the case. Defining what counts as an “ambush” is explored in this abridged version of Ambush marketing and the law, a CIM guide to what companies can and cannot do during sporting events. The full report is available at www.cim.co.uk/resources/emergingthemes/home.aspx.
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