"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!

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. 

Olympic sponsors investigation: Worldwide Olympic partners (1)

Olympic sponsors: TOP programme on Dipity.

Continuing from the spreadsheet generated previously, it is important that you focus on specific elements when conducting further research. For example in this investigation information specifically about TOP and the worldwide partners has become the main point of focus and several forms of visualisation have been generated. In this post, a timeline has been generated to map the progression of worldwide Olympic partners historically. From this visualisation further explanations, visualisations and investigation should be conducted to give your audience the bigger picture. In this case I will use these techniques and tips to explain the investigation of TOP which relates to previous research presented on this blog.

What are Worldwide Olympic partners?

Worldwide Olympic partners also known under The Olympic Partners (TOP) programme was established in 1985 by the IOC. This was based of the product category exclusivity model utilized by Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games. This initiative created in coordination with 159 NOC's (National Olympics Committee) along with the Seoul and Calgary OCOG's (Organising Committee's of the Olympic Games) both of which also launched independent marketing campaigns. The IOC also required the OCOG to develop a joint marketing programme with the host countries NOC for the first time. This started the relationship between the Olympics and the high budget marketing and sponsorships campaigns.

TOP facts and figures - from www.olympic.org (2009)

This relationship and concept has developed over time resulting in ever increasing revenue from the selected partners. From the graphic provided you can see a correlation between the NOC'S and overall revenue. Additionally it is possible to make certain predictions about the revenue that will come from the London 2012 Olympics. With the London 2012 Olympics having 16 TOP's it could predicted by specialists within the marketing campaigns that a high revenue will be achieved. With the figures behind the cost of being an Olympic sponsor, in regards to London 2012, being heavily protected by LOCOG and other respective companies it is impossible to draw a correlation between spending and revenue but by researching around advertising you can develop a strong indication of how much TOP's spend on their marketing. For example in a news report posted in 2011 by Sports Business Daily stated that:

"Spending information is based on standard rate-card prices for specific national and regional live and taped sports broadcasts on English and Spanish networks. The staging of the Olympics and World Cup can skew year-to-year comparisons for companies, making two-year comparisons notable in some cases. For example, U.S. Olympic Committee and FIFA sponsor Coca-Cola increased its ad spending by 160 percent over 2009, a non-Olympic year, but just 20 percent more than 2008."

By discovering statistic such as these it is clear that TOP's invest a lot of money into their marketing campaigns which ultimately has an effect on the overall revenue, which then pays the sponsors and funds the Olympics - it's one financial and strategical driven cycle. This conclusion can be further strengthened by information supplied by Mischon who reported:

"Although there has been a massive increase in sponsorship revenue over the past 20 years (TOP sponsors paid $95million in 1988, rising to $866million in 2008), this has to be considered in the context of the growing costs of hosting the event over the same period (with estimates that Seoul 1988 cost $4billion, to Beijing 2008’s $40billion). Whilst modern Olympic Games can be profitable, this would not be feasible without the increasing sponsorship revenues. As such, the IOC is understandably  anxious to protect what has become a valuable asset."

The roles of TOP's

As stated within the Olympic Marketing Fact-file:

"The TOP programme provides each Worldwide Olympic Partner with exclusive global marketing rights and opportunities within a designated product or service category. The global marketing rights include partnerships with the IOC, all active NOCs and their Olympic teams, and the two OCOG's and the Games of each quadrennium. The TOP Partners may exercise these rights worldwide and may activate marketing initiatives with all the members of the Olympic Movement that participate in the TOP programme"

Source: Seguin, IOA, 2008 found through Slideshare

With this established power within the Olympic games and campaigns the Worldwide Olympic Partners have certain roles and responsbilities in alignment with the marketing campaigns. These roles and responsibilities are expected to be fulfilled by all Worldwide Partners and are listed in the table above. Some of these roles aren't necessarily visible to the general public but some of them are very clear. It is imperative that the sponsors full fill these criteria as it directly influences the success of campaign leading up to the Olympic Games. A lot of these listed are dependent of the success of their marketing campaigns which will explored in a follow up post.

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.

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.

BP Sponsorship Fallout

A glance at the comments accompanied by The Guardian's article retweets suggest that some people in the Twittersphere think they know why the company is playing a major role in the Olympics, with the above comment in particular mentioning a line amounting to 'money being unable to buy everything'.


He's right of course, it can't. But BP made $25.70 billion in 2011. If BP have agreed to sponsor the Olympics to the tune of even 1% of that, which is unlikely, then all of a sudden, from a business perspective, with events to organise and costs to pay, the deal looks incredibly attractive, especially in a capitalist world where budgets have to be met and profits will always be the number one priority.


When the Games begin, and millions are watching from around the world, and the British flag is being waved in anticipation of medal success, the cheers will be for putting on a Games that will make Britons proud. Those cheers won't suddenly turn to jeers come the closing ceremony, because we won't suddenly start thinking about the gulf of Mexico again, or even BP...


It's true to say that BP has attracted a fair bit of negative attention, and in truth, the ethical and financial whirlwind that is Olympic sponsorship can't truthfully claim to be squeaky clean either.


For the latest evidence of that, some might say unnecessarily, bold claim, you only need to go back 3 days to the above article.


The 34 signatories featured in the letter mentioned in the article above all, some would say rightly, take exception to the fact that the company formerly known as British Petroleum is officially listed as the major 'environmental' Partner for the Games.


The question on everyone's lips is a simple one... How on Earth can a company that was named as the 'responsible party' by the US Government who, just 22 months ago, filled the sea with an estimated 300 million barrels of oil, be suitable for an Olympic environmental sponsorship/partnership?


It's an uncomfortable one for BP, sure, but given the millions of people who will be watching the Games in the summer, it is an understandable deal from their viewpoint.


But for the IOC and the London organising committee, the 'understandable' section of that above statement can be removed, and they are just left with 'uncomfortable'.

Top Twitter contacts for the Olympics

This logo is not my own work. © 2012 Twitter

This is a list of useful Twitter contacts that can be used while investigating the Olympics.


General Olympics:
@gamesmonitor
@LO2012
@hannengland
@2012cushing
@Paralympic
@alexhuot
@DaveGordonBBC
@DCMS
@jacquelinmagnay
@ashlingoc
@Jeremy_Hunt
@mirrorolympics
@London2012Fest
@TimesLondon2012
@PressAssoc2012
@NickHopeBBC
@iocmedia
@UKA_athletics
@Lon2012don
@Telegraph2012
@BBCLdnOlympics
@SkyOlympicOrla
@youtholympics
@London2012HQ
@TeamGB
@sebcoe
@BBC2012
@London2012
@Olympics


Sponsor Accounts:
@UPS
@ThomasCookUK
@Deloitte (and @DeloitteUK)
@CiscoUKI
@ArcelorMittal
@AdeccoUSA
@AskLloydsTSB
@EDFofficiel
@BTLondon2012 (and @bt_uk)
@British_Airways
@BP_America (and @BPGlobalPR)
@BMWGroup
@adidasUK
@VisaEuropeNews
@SamsungMobile (and @samsunguk)
@pgthankyoumom (and @ProcterGamble)
@panasonic
@omegawatches
@McDonalds (and @McDonaldsCorp)
@generalelectric
@DowChemical
@Atos
@CocaCola
@CadburyUK

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

Dispatches

image via Dispatches website

Tonight on dispatches on channel 4 there is a great documentary revealing the undercover story of London2012 Olympics. There have been many issues surrounding the ticket process of the summer Olympics in the UK. 9.3 billion pounds has been put towards the Olympics by taxpayers within britain and this was meant to be a games for the people. However, many top businesses and companies have managed to secure premium seating and tickets within this supposedly "fair" ballot. Many are now questioning the legitimacy of the london Olympic games. Sponsorship is part of this legitimacy issue, multi national corporations have secured million pound sponsorship and exclusivity deals. When in actual fact many of those companies have little to do with the Olympic message conveyed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). I plan to delve further into scandals surrounding deals made within the summer Olympics and aim to contact many companies about what message their sponsorship is conveying to the general public.