Ambush

Marketing

By,
Dr. Rahul

AMBUSH MARKETING
It is the unauthorized association of a
business or organization with the
marketing of a particular event-gaining
benefit for the marketing right or
licensing fee applicable in order to be
associated with an event, such as
sporting event.
- Jerry
Welsh

Highlights of Ambush Marketing

History
2000 Sydney Olympics :
Qantas The Spirit of Australia
Ansett Air Share the spirit
2002 Boston Marathon:

As Adidas-sponsored runners come off

the course they are treated to spraypainted swooshes honoring the day
of the race, but not the race itself.

Forms Of Ambush Marketing

Advertising Spend:
1984 Los Angeles Olympics,Nike v/s
Converse(Official Sponsor)
Deliberate Promotion :
In 1996,General Motors scored over the
official sponsor Toyota in terms of brand
recall by promising a Golden Holden car to
all gold medal winners.

Forms of Ambush Marketing

Being Suggestive :
1994 Winter Olympics, American Express
cards launched a campaign stating, If you
are traveling to Norway this winter you will
need a passport but-you do not need a
Visa.

Around 66% of the respondents of a

consumer poll identified American Express
as the official sponsor instead of Visa.

Forms of Ambush Marketing

Block Out:
1992,Barcelona Olympic Games - Reebok (Official Sponsor)
Nike sponsored Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley
who came to the podium by covering the Reebok logos
on their tracks with the US Flag due to their personal
obligations with Nike

Pulling Stunt:
Also known as Guerilla, Stunt or In Your Face ambush
marketing.

NIKE
2002 World Cup Adidas (Main Sponsor)
Nike sponsored top teams like Brazil & in
the same year sponsored the US hockey
team at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
This resulted in brilliant exposure for
Nike despite not paying the Olympic
Organizing Committee a penny!!!

NIKE
The ambush of all ambushes
1996 Atlanta Olympics - Saving the US$
50 million that an official sponsorship would
have cost, Nike plastered the city in
billboards, handed out swoosh banners to
wave at the competitions and erected an
enormous Nike center overlooking the
stadium.
A December 2001 study found that, from a
list of 45 likely sponsors of the 2002 World
Cup, 20 percent of those polled picked Nike.

Ambush- The Indirect Ways

i. Sponsoring the broadcast of the
event 1984 Olympics Fuji & Kodak
ii. Sponsor Subcategories within the
Event - world cup football match,
rival companies
iii. Purchasing Advertising Time
Around - buying the advertising
time

The Indirect Ways Contd

iv. Engage in Major Sponsorship
Promotions

iv. Making a Sponsorship-Related

Contribution to a Players Pool
Ian Thorpe by Nike with Adidas

Ethical Issues
subverts the integrity of an event
and its ability to entice future
sponsors.
Ambushers create confusion among
consumers, for that reason, negating
the official sponsors

Ethical Issues Contd

where does the law stand in such
cases of ambush marketing?
It does not involve infringement or
illegal use of trademarks or symbols

virtual necessity in modern

competitive business practice

Beijing Olympics08
More than 5 billion listeners & viewers
Aired across 200 countries and regions
China is booming consumer revolution
Previous Olympic experience hence strict
rules
Beijing Regulations on the Intellectual Property
Protection
educational campaigns

Ambush Big Bazaar

Keep West-aSide. Make a smart choice !

Shoppers! Stop. Make a smart choice !
Change Your Lifestyle. Make a smart choice !

Ambush Go air &

Kingfisher

Ambush Audi, BMW

Cricket & Cola

1996 World Cup
Nothing official about it
2001 Sharjah Coca Cola Cup
Ballooning the Pepsi way

2003 World Cup

Official Sponsors:
Hero Honda, Pepsi, LG Electronics,
South African Airlines
Other Sponsors:
TVS Victor, Coca Cola, Samsung, Sahara
Britannia Khao, World Cup Jao

ICC tries to stop Ambush

Only official sponsors would be allowed to
use video clippings from any world cup
matches.
Only official sponsors would be allowed to
use the World Cup logo and use the event
in their marketing campaigns.
A cooling off period was introduced, which
restricted players from endorsing brands
other than those of official sponsors for a
period of over 100 days (a 60-day period:
30 days before the tournament starts and
30 days after the tournament).

Tussle between ICC &

Players
Players had long relationship with
sponsors
Lose of money for players sponsors
So, few cricketers threatened to pull
out of World Cup
Finally ICC had to made changes in
its clauses of agreement

Conclusion
Healthy Competition
Successful ambush strategies feed
on ill-conceived sponsorships and
inept sponsors
It is probably just the next step on
the marketing evolutionary ladder
And at times the only option left

Thank You