“Let’s do a campaign around the Olympics,” is going to be a phrase used by many marketers in the run up to London 2012. But the IOC’s aggressive protection of its sponsors is going to mean that any Olympic campaign needs to be planned with care. There’s a great Olympics ambush marketing lockdown article on the Marketing Law website (registration required). Perhaps the most important fact from this article that anyone who thinks they can ignore the legislation and hope for the best should know is:

…Regulations effectively reverse the normal “innocent until proven guilty” presumption for directors and other senior officers of businesses whose brands appear in unlawful ambush marketing activity

… you have been warned!

Author

  • Mike Maynard

    In 2001 Mike acquired Napier with Suzy Kenyon. Since that time he has directed major PR and marketing programmes for a wide range of technology clients. He is actively involved in developing the PR and marketing industries, and is Chair of the PRCA B2B Group, and lectures in PR at Southampton Solent University. Mike offers a unique blend of technical and marketing expertise, and was awarded a Masters Degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from the University of Surrey and an MBA from Kingston University.

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