SOCOG Goes For Guerilla's
7 July 1997Non-Olympics sponsors will find it even tougher to advertise around key Olympics sites during the 2000 Games as a result of a new campaign being organised by the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG).
In a push against unwanted "ambush" advertising, SOCOG has called for tenders from advertising agencies for a plan to protect official sponsors who have spent large sums of money to be part of the 2000 Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee defines ambush marketing as the promotion of an advertiser, who is not an official Olympics sponsor, taking advantage of a location close to an Olympics site, venue or event, or approved sign.
Nike, the United States-based sports goods company which was not an official sponsor of the Atlanta Games last year, tested the ambush marketing rules when it opened a large complex next door to the main Atlanta stadium.
A survey after the Atlanta Olympics showed more than 60 per cent of respondents believed Nike was an official Games sponsor - upsetting Reebok, which was an official sponsor.
In Sydney, ambush marketing will be harder to control as more events are held in venues away from the main stadium, such as the volleyball at Manly. This would make it hard to stop Pepsi, for example, from placing signs in an attempt to swamp its rival and official Games sponsor, Coke.
Other non-sponsors of the Sydney Games, such as Qantas and National Australia Bank, are running advertisements using Olympics sports stars. Although this is legal, it has upset official sponsors such as Ansett Australia.
SOCOG will retain its official advertising agency DMB&B Weekes Morris Osborn, but has asked about five other agencies to work on a special project. SOCOG's group manager of marketing, Mr Kris Donaldson, said the sponsor-support project would involve a campaign to promote Team Millennium Olympic partners, supporters and providers who collectively would provide hundreds of millions of dollars in support for the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic games and Australia's athletes.
