Ambush
marketing, is it unethical or is it just creativity?
I believe that
ambush marketing uses some of the most creative tactics in marketing. This was
shown with Nike at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and the Budweiser Red Lights
campaign. Isn’t the whole point of advertising to find creative ways to attract
customers? That’s exactly what Nike and Budweiser did, they found creative ways
to get their brand and message out there. I understand that when a company pays
for the rights to exclusivity for an event there should be a certain amount of
protection from other companies trying to benefit from the same event. There
are certain things that cross the line when using ambush marketing. Nike’s
presence at the 1996 Olympics had some great tactics that were very creative
and some that crossed the line. An example of some of the creativity that I
believe is ethical was the sponsorships of the athletes. Just because Reebok
had exclusivity for the Olympics, doesn’t mean they should force all of the
competitors to wear their products. An example of them crossing the line was
that they paid people in the stadium to wear Nike products and wave Nike flags
during the games. This showed purposeful intent to ambush the games, and use
them for their own promotional benefit. My opinion on ambush marketing is close
to that of Jim Andrews’ where he said:
“You throw
a bash in your backyard and hire a popular band to play during the party. Your
food and drink is average and you only have folding chairs for folks to sit on.
Your neighbor, who has a backyard where the band can be seen and heard, puts
out a high-class catered spread and has comfortable couches scattered around.
Pretty soon your guests ignore your offerings and wander next door. Did he take
advantage of something you paid for? Yes. Was he within his rights to do so?
Yes. Did he trespass on your property? No. You’re just mad because he did a
better job of entertaining the audience than you did.”
Ambush Marketing in Sochi
At the Olympics this year in Sochi, I believe there will be
many of the same tactics used that were used in the past. Just like in 1996
when Nike sponsored many athletes, there will be many athletes that are
sponsored by numerous different companies trying to get their names out there. When
the Olympic torch was being carried to the games it unexpectedly went out, and
someone re-lit it with a Zippo lighter. Zippo Jumped on the chance to take
advantage this and tweeted "Zippo saves the Olympics!” With the Olympics
being so widely televised now there will be many opportunities for companies to
jump on opportunities to ambush this years winter games.
Sources:
- http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2012/10/22/Opinion/Grady-McKelvey.aspx
- http://www.sponsorship.com/About-IEG/Sponsorship-Blogs/Jim-Andrews/February-2014/The-Ambush-Marketing-vs--Sponsorship-Debate-Spring.aspx#.UvkPNdAOWhY.twitter
- http://www.goodhonestdollar.com/ambush-marketing-smart-or-unethical
- http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/sochi-olympics-on-lookout-for-ambush-marketing-1.2537613
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