"My dad's cousin was died by disaster"

I have interviewed with an Indian lady who is a member of the family affected by the disaster 25 years ago. She does not feel comfortable to give her real name. She lives in India, so I rang her up and I interviewed with her by phone.

I have asked the same questions in this interview as I asked to Hasan Suroor before, because I would like to show different answers by different views about Dow Chemical. This is the original transcript of the interview.

- Who is the person of your family affected by the disaster 25 years ago?

He is my dad’s cousin. He has died after for a while. I was really young. I have a dim recollection of it, but I remember that it was terrible days.

- What do you think about Indian people's reaction to Dow Chemical as an Indian?

The reaction to most Indian people was one of disbelief and one of hate at the same time.The root cause of the disaster was Indian politicians; a law was passed in India saying that at least 50% of the board of any company doing business in India had to be Indian nationals. So Union Carbide was forced to hand the control of the plant to a board dominated by Indian nationals, and that was when corruption set in and safety standards at the plant started to slip. After a decade or so of this decline, the disaster happened, and the Indians tried to blame the US Company. It’s a development that could lead to a diplomatic crisis between India and the UK. Dow Chemicals, which has yet to shake the Bhopal gas tragedy off its back, has now been named as one of the sponsors of the 2012 London Olympics.

-  How would the people and athletes of India react if Dow Chemical sponsorship went ahead?

The reputation has and would still come into disrepute. The Olympics is a sacred event for all the nations that take part in this prestigious event. Dow chemical will always be remembered for the Bhopal Disaster that happened nearly 25 years ago. Yes, arguably many say that sport should reunite and let sportsman bring the best into any nation or sponsor, but the effects of this disaster are so catastrophic that if they were allowed to sponsor then many Indians and athletes would be condoning what had happened.

- Do you think the bad publicity will affect the Indian athlete’s performance at the Olympics?

I do not think that it would affect their ability or their performance as they are professionals in their own right. I feel that it would have hindered their performances if the sponsorship would have been allowed. Bad publicity could have come in many forms but one for the Bhopal Disaster is immense for any Asian be it an athlete or a civilian. Fortunately, Indian athletes can now concentrate on the job at hand and do their utmost best for India.

- How will the cancelled Dow Chemical sponsorship affect the Indian economy during the Olympics?

The cancelled sponsorship will be catastrophic to the Indian Economy. However, the lives of those and affected and those who have died have, and should not be in vain for the economy of India’s Government. Admittedly, to sponsor something as big as the Olympics would be brilliant, however, the Indian athletes and the people of India has been put first.

- As Indian who knows someone affected, generally how do you feel about the situation? And what is the general feeling within the Indian community?

Dow chemical may pretend that they care but what they really created hear was simply a mirage. They try to cover up what they did by fabricating a vision to which stock holders of Dow chemical feel is the true vision of the company when really that vision is of nothing but Greed! Money once again has played its part in destroying life by letting fat cats in high places ignore what has happened in return for a tidy sum to buy that car they will never drive or that house they will never use!

Athletic endorsement in the Olympics

“No competitor who participates in the Olympic Games may allow his person, name, picture or sports performance to be used for advertising purposes during the Olympic Games". 

This quote comes direct from the Olympic Charter of 2007, Rule 45. It clearly states how sportsmen competing within the Olympic cannot be used at the same time in company advertising.

Many may have seen numerous televised adverts using athletes within them for promotional purposes. The Visa Advert with different athletes training and using their Visa card to save time. As well as the current Virgin Media advert with Usain Bolt imitating Richard Branson.

Now what many will read this charter as saying that the use of Olympic competitors within advertising must end on the day of the official opening Olympic ceremony. Therefore no advertising will be occurring as quote “during the Olympic Games”. It will be interesting to see if come July 5^th this is the case and many of these adverts who had cashed in on known sporting stars will have been changed to comply with charter rules.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpNtntHVrkc

“During the Olympic Games, virtually all the athletes carry a huge number of advertisements on their clothes. Numerous outfit companies such as Nike, Adidas or Oakley provide sportsmen with new equipment and clothes designed to facilitate movement and improve performance and at the same time advertise their new products to millions of viewers. Athletes can have various kinds of deals, while some are paid for appearance in a definite outfit, others just get them at no cost. Generally, skis, snowboards, skates and other equipment needed for Olympic games is considerably expensive, and the only opportunity for many athletes is to get sponsored by a sports-outfit company to cover the cost of their equipment. The companies greatly benefit from such deals since by this way their equipment is advertised by the world's most famous sportsmen. Often the companies modify the models of their outfit used by sportsmen to decrease their price and adapt them to the condition of consumers."

This quote found on the website for The Sports Journal, further supports our investigation within our feature article.

Top international companies are figuratively bribing athletes with free merchandise as a way of advertising. It is appreciated that clothing and equipment within certain sports can be very expensive. However, these companies are cashing in on an athletes talent and vulnerability and passion for hat specific sport. It leaves the athlete with no choice, either take the free merchandise or you cant afford to compete.

It seems a shame, but the Olympic Games just feels like one massive promotional stunt by multi national corporations. You don’t really see many small unknown sponsors at the games as the contracts are too expensive. So all you see when watching any event is a stadium bill boarded with four or five big well known companies constantly prying for your custom.

If the Olympic Charter states that:

“No competitor can be used for advertising purposes during the Olympic Games”, 

then why can they be seen competing with obvious branding on their shorts, tops and equipment? Surely that is advertising during the games?

It can be appreciated that without these massive sponsorship deals the Olympic Games would never be able to afford itself, which would obviously be a shame as they are a uniting presence for the whole world to share in. However, more must be done to stop letting the elitist companies be the majority sponsors within the games. 

Olympic sponsors investigation: Marketing (2)

If you were to visit each Worldwide Olympic partners website you will see a direct reference to their role in the Olympics which are related to their company values and messages. This alongside a long string of marketing campaigns and advertisements promotes individual sponsors and the entire Olympic brand. An official Olympic websites states that marketing is:

"Olympic marketing helps perpetuate the work of the Olympic Movement, by providing resources, programmes and financial support. All programmes and actions of a partner should be designed to enhance and protect the Olympic image and Olympic values"

This can be really explored by looking as specific examples of sponsors and analysing their campaigns. TOP's are the main sponsors of the games and according a news source FT:

"The investment required is a significant one - tier one domestic sponsors of London 2012 pay £50m on average, and worldwide Olympic partners around $100m (£61m)"

Coca Cola 


Coca Cola have been sponsoring the Olympics since 1928 and their most current advertising campaigns the presence of their own brand identity as well as the Olympic brand and values, and also athletes (see the examples below - TV advert found through Youtube). Additionally Coca Cola encapsulates and reiterates continually on their website their positive influence on the Olympics and a future past the London 2012 games. An official statement on their Olympic Games page states:

"Coca‑Cola is already working closely with London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) to understand how we can promote recycling within the venues and are looking at every aspect of our Olympic Games plans - from the uniforms our staff will wear to the type of fridges we use to chill our drinks - to ensure we reduce our environmental impact wherever possible."

Monorex, a photo by cocabeenslinky on Flickr.

As you can see from these examples Coca Cola infuses its brand (bright red, vibrant, exciting) with the Olympic values and athletes. These variety of advertising campaigns correspond and follow the values the London 2012 Olympics wants to portray as the say on their website

"London 2012 will create the most accessible and participative Games. It will touch people as it has never done before, stimulating people to do more and to try new things and reassess what we are all capable of. London 2012 has sport at its heart and London at the centre, but it is more than London and more than sport. It is a Games for London, the UK and the rest of the world, for sport and culture, for volunteers and business."

However some their marketing campaigns have met criticism, for example on Flickr one user said in regards to cocabeenslinky's photo:

"It should never have been there. What was there before was so much greater"

Despite this the marketing campaigns have been successful with their Youtube channel having over 60,986,548 views (as of 23:52pm on 05/03/2012) with their combination of brand identity, entertainment and celebrity. Being the only TOP to focus on drinks their exclusivity to the games provides a large point of revenue and something their competitors don't have. The only other food and drink company in the TOP's is McDonald's who themselves stock Coca Cola products. 


Coca Cola as a business is fully aware of an evolving global economy and the up rise of social media and technology with their marketing director Claudia Navarro saying in Adage's article published in September 2011 on the release of their advertising campaign:

"We are using London's rich culture and diversity as a backdrop. We've partnered with Mark Ronson because he's someone special - he's a London icon who can bring our creative vision to life. The athletes only met for the first time yesterday, but already they are buddies and are tweeting each other"

This shows an understanding of social media, global relations, creativity and celebrity that each sponsor replicates throughout their Olympic campaigns. 

What kind of companies are represented in London 2012?

Breakdown of companies - Pie chart generated by me through Chartgo

In the previous spreadsheet worldwide partners were categorised by sort of companies they were. From this information a pie chart was generated to visualise percentages and what kind of company was most dominant within this group.

From this pie chart it is apparent that technological companies are the most represented within this selection. This coincides with an innovative perspective the games is trying portray. Additionally there is also a wide selection of other types of companies represented.

So from this further investigation which originated from a culmination of a wide variety of information I was able to find out reasoning behind marketing campaigns, the history of the Olympic games and how all this is all incorporated in certain brands. It is clear that branding both within the companies and within the Olympics is essential to a successful Olympic games if success is measured by a bigger spectacle, consumption, finance and audience satisfaction.


These forms of investigations and visualisations can be replicated to any pieces of information and any investigation by using specific Google searches/Google documents and websites such as Gliffy, Dipity and ChartGo.

What do sponsors bring to The Games

In this tough market any sponsor of the 2012 Games have to do things to really stand out, to really get their name across and increase revenue in terms of customers and business.  It takes a lot of thinking and hard work for the employees of these big brands to think of that special something that will make them stand out. I have been looking at some of the biggest names in the sponsorship line up for 2012 and finding what they have come up with.


P&G

P&G, owners of Covergirl, Gillette and many more are one of this year’s proud sponsors of the Olympic Games. The company have come up with a scheme called “Proud Sponsors of Moms”. The Ohio based company will be paying for the mothers of the Canadian athletes to join them in London.  P&G have committed themselves to provide $500,000 to the families of the athletes so that they can feel complete whilst representing their country.  


The company want to be seen as being socially responsible; this ploy to connect with their audience will reach them on an emotional level. The consumer will see P&G as a company who are really trying to help others and its almost too good to fault them, especially when it comes to mums!

You may wonder why target mothers? Well as major manufacturers of consumer goods, P&G see mothers as the target audience when it comes to buying a lot of their goods. As part of this campaign, the official P&G website has also adopted a system where anyone can upload pictures and videos thanking their mums or simply sending them messages. As a result this will encourage people to visit the website and is a great way of advertising.

https://www.pgproudsponsorofmums.co.uk

Coca-Cola
Coca Cola have said that they are committed to ensure the 2012 Olympic Games are sustainable and environmentally friendly.  One of their ways of doing this is by placing 260 brand new Coca Cola branded recycling bins all around the city centre of Westminster. It has been said that 11,000 tonnes of waste is produced in London every day, this is Coca Colas way of trying to make sure its dealt with in the right way. As one of the Games longest serving sponsors, Coca Cola plan to keep this recycling system going before, during and after the Games.

One of Coca Colas main goals throughout the 2012 Olympics is to motivate young people to get more in touch with the Games. As part of their pledge to make a difference in the UK, the Worldwide Partners want to encourage teens to live healthy lifestyles, be active and try out different sports. What better way to connect with today’s youth than through music.


 Coca Cola have teamed up with one of the U.K’s greatest talents at the moment, Katy B and Grammy award winning producer Mark Ronson.  Together they have become part of the “Move the Beat” campaign, in hope to bring together peoples love of sport with their love for music.  The campaign is split up into four parts:

·         The official Coca-Cola song for London 2012

·         Documentary- Following Mark Ronson travelling across four continents to meet five Olympic athletes

·         Facebook app “Track the Beat”- Allows young people all around the world to keep up to date with the campaign, see snippets of Mark Ronsons travels and share with friends.

·         Coca Cola Olympic Games Pavilion- A building which can be found in the Olympic Park that allows visitors to listen to the official Coca Cola song and make beats of their own

Coca Cola are also hosting another campaign called “Future Flames” which allow inspiring young people to carry the Olympic Flame in the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. In a bid to get the teens of London more connected with the Olympics, Coca Cola are providing sporting opportunities to young people in disadvantaged areas. They are teaming up with national charity “StreetGames” to give teens work experience with themselves at the 2012 Olympic Games.

http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/olympicgames.html

McDonalds

McDonalds are also focusing a lot of their attention on today’s youth. They are trying to encourage healthy eating and a balanced diet. For the first time they will be serving Happy Meals in The Olympic Park.


McDonalds Champion of Play is a programme that is running throughout The Games which will be bringing children from all around the world to be a part of this unique experience. The programmes website will have features by famous athletes encouraging them to take part in sport and be healthy. The Happy Meals will include fruit, yoghurt and sporty fun books.

Being the Official Restaurant of the 2012 Games, McDonalds will be serving food to athletes, trainers, staff, volunteers and spectators.

http://www.olympic.org/sponsor-mcdonalds


For a full list of sponsors and info check out http://www.london2012.com/about-us/the-people-delivering-the-games/london-2012-olympic-games-partners.php

Main feature: Sponsor deals and your career

This is a feature piece about the sportswear company Adidas and their relationship with individual athletes and sponsorship deals they have with them. Within this feature are quotes from a separate interview with Ann*, a national athlete who is competing in this years London 2012 Olympic Games for Team GB.

On speaking with the Press Team of Adidas Corporation they believed this interview “expresses the good nature of our company and how we respect our clients. Our sponsorship deals are freely available if the public request, like most companies we have an exclusivity term within our contract. However we do not feel this deters clients from their role within the sporting field they represent, we are merely assisting and aiding their profile.”

Sponsor deals and your career

Adidas are a worldwide known brand, with over 10 billion dollars in assets and 40,000 global employees. They are pioneers within the sporting industry and were recent sponsors for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

What strikes a cord within in the UK is their commitment to rising athletes, they fund and sponsor young runners, gymnasts, swimmers and many more in this country. Without the likes of these sponsors many amazing and talented sports stars would never of been found.

However, is being sponsored by a worldwide company really all it seems? Perks of the job also come with restrictions and limitations, many of which could ruin the dreams and aspirations these athletes once wished for.

I managed to get an exclusive interview with *Ann, a young up and coming athlete breaking into the world of professional sports people. She is part of the GB Team for this years London 2012 Olympic Games. But as she reveals, wanting those big sponsorship deals, come with a heavy price and an even heavier fall if things don’t go the way your sponsor wants it to.

Ann started off in her sport at a young age, like many athletes she was focused and knew one day she wanted to be a professional, getting paid to do the one thing she loved in front of thousands of people supporting her. “Adidas have sponsored me for a while now, they turned me into the professional athlete I am today, without them I would still be at my local running club.”

In a way, many would think she is one of the fortunate ones, got a big secure sponsor who can provide for her so she can focus on the sport rather than finding enough money to live. In this case, yes Ann is the lucky one; she tells us of a running partner she knew who has had her dreams shattered by not abiding by the terms of her contract. “It was horrible, the company called her in a sued her for thousands, they didn’t drop her as they cant, but the price was so extortionate she could afford to keep running professionally without another income. So she gave it all up, she is still paying back what she owes them to this day.”

On speaking with her it is obvious this story has haunted Ann, many sportsmen are tied into exclusivity deals with big fines potentially able to destroy a future successful career within your sport. “These deals do have their set backs, you have to be careful what you wear, where you eat, what you are seen doing, you are basically a walking billboard for that brand. But they pay your wages, you can’t blame them, you just need to be careful.” Ann reveals her contract is similar to this exclusivity deal, “I do adverts and campaigns for them on a regular basis which gets in the way of training quite a lot. But its mainly just the clothing deal, I have to wear at least one clearly branded item of there’s every day. It is a right pain especially when I’m having my relax days, but I just keep reminding myself who pays my wages.”

Adidas is a company that prides it self on being part of the Olympics and this year they have teamed up with fashion designer Stella McCartney in producing a new clothing range for Team GB. Nick Craggs, Adidas Marketing Director, said how Adidas are “bringing together the best British Athletes performing at the Olympic and Paralympic Games and combining that with the best British designer.”

With this recent news Adidas stock shares have increased along with sales for the company. With so many adverts all showing Adidas as the brand to wear, is it any wonder sales have increased? Ann has to always display the Adidas brand when she is competing or training, this just reiterates to spectators that this is a supreme brand even if that may not be the case. “If people recognise me and ask for advise on what running shoes they should start off with, or if I can recommend a comfortable sports bra, I have to say Adidas. Even if I don’t agree, I hate that, I don’t like lying to people but I have no choice. Usually its true, I could recommend some of their kit as exceptional, but honestly, everything in life has flaws and even some Adidas stuff isn’t the best.”

Adidas is one of the few decent companies, many have been known for being much tougher on who they sponsor and the rules and restrictions within that deal. However that is not to say they do not act differently with other clients they sponsor. For best advice when signing any contract deal with any company is to read all small print detail, get a trusted family member to speak through any issues you may feel you have and entrust a lawyer so you have piece of mind that you wont end up like Ann’s friend if it all goes wrong.

For the full interview with Ann please see the “An interview with an Athlete” blog post further down the page. Please note the names have been changed for the confidentiality and anonymity of the interviewee. 

Adidas investigation: How do they treat their athletes?

This interview I got with an athlete who is in the line up for the London 2012 Olympic games. I rang her up and this is the original transcript of the telephone interview we had. Due to the nature of certain material she disclosed to me I have decided to omit her real name and provide a pseudonym within the interview. However, all words expressed here are true and have not been edited for the nature of the research.

An interview with an athlete.

Please note, a pseudonym name has been used to protect the confidentiality of the interviewee.

So Ann, how are you, how have you been keeping in the run up to the Olympics? It’s not long to go now do you feel prepared for it all?

Heya, yeah I'm really good ta, I feel as ready as I will ever be, I have been out training everyday and am really focused. It has come up really soon I cant believe it, but my body is in shape and I have had no injuries so feel strong and prepared to go out there and run my best.

That’s good to hear, the country is behind you and supporting your every step.

That means a lot; I don’t what I would do without the help and support of all my friends and family. My team is great as well; we help each other through everything. You kind of have to get on as you basically are with each other all the time. They become like a second family to you and you talk with everyone about any thing that is ever on your mind, you have a bond and a trust with each individual.

How do you fit it all in, as I know you have to do promotional campaigns for your sponsor ‘Adidas’ as well?

Yeah it is a lot. I do photo shoots or ad campaigns with them all the time. But its mainly just being recorded when running which is what I love to do so doesn’t bother me too much. Spend all day running in time with a metronome sound so they can splice one seconds worth of material of your shoe or something into an advert. But its fun and without them I wouldn’t be where I am today so in a way, its part of my job.

Are you thankful to have a sponsor? I know for some people it takes years to get even a minor one and you landed quite quickly with a major contract?

Oh my without having a sponsor I would still be running round my town on the odd day and at my running club some evenings. They have been sponsoring me for some time now and its because of them I am where I am today, they turned me into a professional athlete. I feel sorry for some people who have to pull out of their dream due to a lack of funding and support. I don’t know what I would do if that were me, I am very lucky.

Does it not have its downsides though? Your contract must have a lot of stipulations, which may sometimes get on your nerves?

Well yeah, of course it does. One thing that is really annoying is my clothing deal. I am lucky ‘Adidas’ provided me with loads of top of the range training gear and running clothes and shoes, the lot to be honest. But part of the deal is I have to wear at least one clearly branded thing of there’s every day. That’s a pain as even when I'm having my relax days I still have to abide by that. At the end of the day though, they keep me in my job, its part of life. Quite a lot of the time I make sure I always am wearing my ‘Adidas’ watch, that way I am still tying to my contract.

Have you known people who have been dropped from their deal due to breaking their contract?

I don’t know anyone personally who has been dropped. I did know of this one girl when I was breaking into the professional ranks that had a massive fine. She was like me, just starting to make a name for herself, bagged a similar ‘Adidas’ deal as me but two months into her three year contract she was competing in warm up trails, basically just friendly competition to see who you may be up against in nationals. Well, she turned up to these, not only not wearing ‘Adidas’ but also actually wearing a completely different brand. Naturally you can’t do that, especially at high-level events, apparently the company called her in a few days later and sued her for thousands. I felt so bad for her, they didn’t drop her but she couldn’t afford to live her dream of athletics and pay them back for breaking her contract. So she stopped it all, went to work as a receptionist or something and is still paying them now. Moral of the story, don’t break your contract…

Oh my god that is horrible! So what she doesn’t run anymore?

She runs in a local club but she doesn’t want to train up to a national standard again, I think it has put her off competitive sports completely. It’s a shame as she could have really been something.

Does that not scare you that the same could happen to you?

That’s why I am always so careful with it. These companies will have people watching you all the time. They are paying for you; they don’t want to see you are ruining their good nature by going out on the piss every night, or promoting their oppositional brands. You will be sending out the completely wrong message to what they want. It is scary, this sport is a cutthroat world, and you have to play on the right side if you want to survive.

So what exactly are your contract terms? What stuff does you gave to do for ‘Adidas’?

Well mainly just wear their clothing and branding, when training, when competing, when out and about in general. It just shows if people see you they associate your success with that brand. I cant go out drinking, I miss the day of being drunk at 3am, but to be honest, I am serious about my sport so the no drinking has made massive improvements on my fitness anyway. If people ask me what running shoes I would recommend or fitness bras I use etc I have to always say ‘Adidas’. I hate that rule though as I have some really nice fitness gear from other companies, which I actually prefer but I cant ever, say…

Is the pay good from these deals? I bet some really top athletes get a massive sum of cash every month from their sponsorship deals.

Oah definitely, I am happy with what I get, I never have to buy any sports kit at all as they send me new clothes every week to try and promote and use. So that has saved me thousands, you wont believe how many running shoes I have in my room; some have barely even been used! I get a basic pay for the contract I am on and then additional money if I am used in their adverts and campaigns. What I get though is nothing to others. My mates deal is incredible, she gets holidays, meals out, hair and make up done weekly, not just running clothes but designer labels too for if she is out at an award show or something posh like that. But it becomes a dream and a goal, I want to improve my self as an athlete, so I can work up towards a massive high profile sponsorship deal.

What message would you have to those just starting out in the professional circuit with sponsors hounding them?

Its easy, ask your parents, they are the only ones who really know you and know what you can cope with, some deals are so pressurised it can destroy you. Get them too look at the small print, every page of the contract and no matter how tempting it may sound, just wait and never rush into anything.

Ann, thank you for taking some time out of your schedule to talk to me. We all wish you every success in your training and good luck for London 2012 and future events.

Adidas Olympic background info and history

At first glance, Adidas don't seem to have a lot of history with the Olympics. Even on the London 2012 partners page of the website, they are only listed as a 'London 2012 Official Partner' rather than a 'Worldwide Partner', but that would be a wrong assumption. 

Adidas have slowly become more prominent at the Olympics, and it started to become a major partner at Beijing 2008. This has grown more and more until, for the 2012 Olympics, it was revealed that Adidas have actually invested in training facilities in the five London Olympic boroughs. 

So Adidas have been doing rather well at contributing to the London 2012 legacy and being part of the Olympic family, but what's in it for them?

Well, from a branding point of view, the 'eyes of the world' will definitely be a good start, as will their association with Team GB and athletic success throughout Olympic history in general, as this Adidas heritage page points out well.

It seems that, given the attention Adidas will receive as an Olympic partner, they are hoping to harness it to become the 'biggest sportswear company in the UK'. They are currently in second, place behind only Nike. 

So, Adidas's investments and partnerships aren't entirely about creating goodwill. Although no-one  can condemn the fact that Adidas's facilities will be free to use to the public after the games, there can't be any doubt that it is just a part of Adidas's plan to try and make the UK an even more lucrative marketplace for themselves.

Ambush Marketing

In a matter of months we will be seeing the launch of the much-awaited 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The event is being classed as one of sports mega events, with an estimated cost of over £9.3billlion.  For businesses and major brands this is a great opportunity for them to get their names out there. Even companies that are already doing really well for themselves, being an official sponsor of the Olympics can be a huge bonus.  Not everyone can become a sponsor; it is done through a bidding process.  The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is predicted to make £2.7 billion from the sale of the rights for London 2012 broadcasting and sponsorship.

Sponsorship Value

Obviously with companies bidding for sponsorship rights, a lot of money is being made, revenue is constantly increasing.  The IOC has to protect the sponsorship deals and the message they are sending out, they operate a “clean venue” policy.  When we watch events such as the World Cup there is a lot of advertising opportunities for the sponsors whilst the matches are being played. Whereas the 2012 Games will show events taking place in venues that are free of advertising when being broadcasted. Which means sponsors will not receive television exposure. Some might think it pointless to be a sponsor if you’re not getting television exposure, but this is where the IOC are under pressure to ensure the investors receive as much value for their investments as they can.

Competing sponsors/Ambush Marketing

There are many companies who don’t win bids for Olympic sponsorship and they find other ways to get their brands through to the Games. This is known as “ambush marketing”.  This means that other companies associate themselves with the Olympics, but still abide with the legislations that surround Olympic sponsorship.

There was one example that a lot of people will remember which occurred at the World Cup in South Africa 2010. Bavaria, who pulled this famous stunt, bought a whole load of seat to a game between Denmark and The Netherlands, and filled it with blonde women in orange dresses. For people who new the brand, the women’s clothing was recognizable to them as the Dutch beer company.

http://bit.ly/A8cIUj

A lot of people disagree strongly with ambush marketing, which is understandable. For companies who have forked out huge amounts of money to be sponsors, they obviously want exclusivity.  When other brands come along who haven’t got sponsoring rights and try to get their brand out their, official sponsors don’t react kindly.  Examples of how ambush marketers work are as follows; Distribute promotional materials at Olympic-related events, Launch new product lines with Olympic-related names and Operate promotional vehicles as close as possible to Olympic venues

Ways to prevent ambush marketing

The IOC claim to take ambush marketing very seriously. From their point of view, companies are injecting millions of pounds into sponsorship, therefore the IOC have to do their best to support them and make sure they receive as much advertisement opportunities as possible. This effectively means responding to the threat of ambush marketers. There have been some techniques used by the IOC to implement the seriousness of ambush marketing, for example naming and shaming the companies who are guilty of it.

Dalton Odendaal, senior manager of sponsorship for London 2012 explained, “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... Between now and 2012 we will be endeavoring 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”

Due to the fact that a lot of the companies who resort to ambush marketing, stay within the legal boundaries surrounding the Olympic sponsorship, it is often hard to take legal action against them. Problems such as ambush marketing are seen as unnecessary issues that get in the way of the real reason as to why we have the Olympics. Some may argue its become one big publicity money making event. Are sponsors taking over the original message behind the Olympics…?

http://e-comlaw.com/sportslawblog/template_permalink.asp?id=483

BP branding becomes graffiti target

Showing that, even in times of protest, the Brits are capable of displaying a sense of humour and wit, billboards depicting BP's slogan, 'fueling the future', have been changed to "f***ing the future", as it was revealed that, all across London, BP's signage has become the victim of graffiti. Presumably the irony of the 'artists' f***ing up a sign on the way to creating that message wasn't lost on them, although it has become the basis for a website of the same name, but the response by the community at large has been staggeringly predictable.

Regardless, the stunt has done an impressive job of creating awareness about BP's sponsorship deal with the games, with activists stating their aims as being: "[To] escalate public debate of BP’s sponsorship after headlines in recent months had focused on the Dow controversy."

There have also been various Tweets promoting the news, with standout links coming from here and here, to give an example of just two.


While it is probably to be expected that the news would be greeted positively by protest and action groups alike, and that it would be seen as good that people are apparently showing up the fact that money is triumphing above 'true' ethics, there is a serious point to be raised about how these messages influence the public.


These protests are meant to show up BP's supposedly indecent actions, but when these messages become carried, celebrated and promoted by people with Twitter accounts called Agentur Radio Utopie or the London Anarchists, for example, there is a danger of the debate becoming poisoned.


Why? Well, Twitter may hold the answer to that question. The Agentur Radio Utopie account has just 470 followers, and isn't even based in Britain, it's based in Berlin. The London Anarchists account is marginally more popular, being followed by 1,406 people. So, there's a worst case scenario of 1,876 people who want to be associated with terms like 'anarchists' and 'utopia'.


What's the problem with that? Anarchy and utopia are terms that are more often than not seen as extreme and divisive, due to the movements they are associated with. They are terms that the majority more than likely won't back. Take the London Anarchists for example. Nearly 8 million people live in London, and 1,406 people follow their Twitter page. Even assuming that all of them live in London, there's 7,798,594 people unaccounted for there, or they represent 0.01803% of London's population, whichever you prefer. A minority? You bet, resoundingly.


The very fact that they are such an invisible minority will not help their cause, and it's the exact same reason why their backing of such a campaign will do them no favours. Our entire society is based on the idea of majority rule, from General elections to strike action to deciding what sport is played in a PE lesson. Will 7.8 million people see the point of a campaign backed by 1,406 people. No, because the maths just doesn't add up.

Olympics & Dow Chemical

Dow Chemical, which is the world’s second largest chemical manufacturer, signed an agreement with the International Olympics Committee in 2010 to become an official World-Wide Partner for London 2012 Olympics. Dow has paid £7m for the 900m London Olympics stadium wrap.

Dow has links to the firm behind the deadly Bhopal gas disaster in 1984. The gas leak was one of the world's worst industrial disasters. Campaigners say the gas leak killed some 25,000 people.

Socialympics: the power behind the name

An event called Socialympics happening in London this morning has already caused a wave of new responses regarding the importance of social media within Olympic Games. The main speakers in today's panel consist of a former Olympic athlete Chris Tomlinson, Gordon Lott the head of sponsorship at the official London 2012 partner LLoyds TSB, Chief sports reporter of the Daily Telegraph Paul Kelso, Hugh Chambers the Chief Commercial Officer of the British Olympic Associated and finally Alex Miller CEO of Engine’s social agency Jam. 

We are interested in firstly, the influences of each of the panellists in terms of their relationship with the IOC and LOCOG and 2) what authority do they have to speak about the use of social media in this particular way?

It seems apparent that they all have a certain invested relationships in the contribution and overall success of the outlook of the 2012 games. All involved are making themselves experts on the Olympics, which they clearly are from the nature of their job titles, but what does this say about the audiences and the alternative messages of the games. For example, Carsten Thode (@SynergyCarsten) the director of consulting at Synergy, who are highly influential in the Olympic Games marketing, suggested that in the Athens Olympics in 2004, there was no use of social media during this time – despite web 2.0 being on the rise during this time.

From tracking the tag ‘socialympics’ on Twitter using @mhawksey‘s archive spreadsheet and it’s becoming more apparent that their invested interest is the only reason they’re pushing the Socialympics and generating hype on Twitter. Each individual represents a brand or a PR company who will positively benefit from the games so should we really listen to these representatives or are simply telling us what they want to tell us.

What do you think? Have you been involved in the hash tag frenzy? Tweet us @olympicsponsor or leave us a comment and we’ll get back to you.

Should Mcdonalds continue to sponsor The Olympics?

As we all know Mcdonalds have played a huge part in sponsoring the Olympic Games since 1976, but I want to know whether it’s a good idea for fast food companies to sponsor sporting events such as The Olympics.

http://bit.ly/xhJDy4

It has recently come to light that McDonald’s has extended its global Olympic sponsorship for eight years and will remain one the high level sponsors throughout the 2020 Summer Games, being The Olympics Official Restaurant. Other sponsors such as Coca Cola Omega and Visa have also signed up for another 8 years.

"We are very proud of our long-standing partnership," said Don Thompson, McDonald's president and chief operating officer. "It's great to see how we evolved from a national sponsor to a worldwide partner over these years. Every dimension of our partnership shares the same values: excellence, teamwork, giving your best."

The fast food chain is known all over the world and will always be in demand. Even though McDonalds have tried introducing healthier options such as salads and grilled burgers, customers are still partial to a McChicken Sandwich or Big Mac.

McDonalds are making millions through the sponsorship and have even said that their extended partnership has encouraged them to introduce more relevant and meaningful programs within the company. But with a nation that is constantly growing fatter and unhealthier, how will this be possible?

  http://bit.ly/4LPobZ

McDonalds executive vice president, Kevin Newell has said these new ideas will be focused on balanced eating and fun play for children. They will also be involving children from all over the world and teaching them about The Olympics.

Throughout The Games McDonalds will be supplying food to competitors, spectators, trainers, staff etc. Is it right that people at The Olympics are going to be surrounded by companies such as McDonalds and Coca-Cola that aren’t particularly good for you. We look at The Olympics and think of healthy fit people who are all in good shape. Yet as we sit there and  watch these people we are subjected to being tempted by McDonalds.  

Fast food is and easy, convenient and accessible option, there will always be a demand for it. But are they sending out the right message, or is it all just to make money….

http://www.junkfoodnews.net/mcdonalds-olympics.htm

Sponsorship clash over athlete's footwear

After a clash between two of the biggest sportswear sponsors of the 2012 London Olympics, it has come to surface that the athletes may have to step up to the podium with no shoes on.  This is all so that they avoid contractual issues with personal sponsors following a row they had with the British Olympic Association (BOA) over marketing rights.

 http://bit.ly/zHpP1D

As we know Adidas are sponsoring Team GB’s official presentation outfit, yet some athletes are being sponsored by leading competitors Nike. The BOA has been told that if Nike’s athletes are forced to wear Team GB’s official ‘presentation outfit’ they may be in breach of their sponsorship contracts.

A representative from Nike told the BOA that the athletes might have to take off their shoes before walking out to the presentation dais. They have agreed that it would be chaos if this rule was agreed and that the athletes are happy wearing the Adidas tracksuits but should be able to wear footwear of their choice.

The BOA has said that the rule that the athletes must wear Adidas’s footwear at all time, including presentation ceremony’s, would be strictly enforced. The rules also state that this rule does not apply whilst athletes are competing as footwear is classed as technical equipment.

GB athletes such as Paula Radcliffe, Dai Greene and Cavendish, who have been loyal to Nike up until now, may find themselves torn between their longtime supporters and their rivals Adidas. A spokesperson for another athlete has said that enforcing these kinds of rules at this time could prove to be a distraction for the athletes and isn’t necessary.

http://bit.ly/xB3CJU

The BOA has said that under the Olympic regulations, they had the right to prescribe and determine the clothing worn by the athletes and the equipment that is used. Due to the legalities, the BOA has to stick to this agreement and the rules outlined in them.

The athletes also have to sign a heavy weighted contract stating that they will agree to wear and use the team kit as supplied by or agreed in writing by the BOA or the BOA’s official suppliers at all times during the Games period. This also includes footwear, in or at the Olympic Venue, which is also the podium.

There have been disagreements by agents and sponsors about this rule. They have argued that in past years there had been a “gentlemen’s agreement” between the footwear companies, and no one really made a big deal about it.

The BOA responded by saying that the rules and regulations had been in place since 2004 and that other Olympic Committees have similar requirements.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9067763/London-2012-Olympics-GBs-medallists-may-be-barefooted-on-podium-after-BOA-take-tough-stance-over-sponsorship.html