Staff at sportsmarketing.ie have observed the growing problem that Wimbeldon staff have encountered at this years Championship. Ambushing involves the rivals of event partners, or official sponsors, trying to either pass themselves off as official event sponsors or deflect people’s attention away from the official sponsors.
At this year’s Wimbledon tennis Grand Slam, Andy Murray has already been accused of engaging in ambush marketing by drinking Highland Spring branded water on court rather than the water provided by official sponsor Evian. Fans entering Wimbledon have also been asked to dispose of, or consume before entry, the branded products of companies that are not official Wimbledon sponsors, leading to concerns being expressed by some fans that they should have the right to choose what they consume inside sporting venues.
Over the last 18 months, Coventry University researchers have built a database of almost 400 cases of ambush marketing.
The cases that have been observed include a number at last year’s UEFA European Championship in Austria and Switzerland. Instances that have been analysed include: Burger King, which introduced a “red card” advertising campaign in the host countries, featuring silhouettes of celebrating fans, even though McDonalds are the official sponsors. Heineken created marching band-style hats for Dutch fans to wear, branded with the Heineken logo and name, whilst Carlsberg are the official sponsors.
“Sporting mega-events are becoming as interesting off the field as they are on it,” said report co-author and Coventry University Business School researcher, Nick Burton. “Ambushers are becoming ever more savvy as they seek to ensure that official partners and sponsors don’t have things their own way. We are seeing ambushers engaged in activities ranging from rival advertising through to the distribution of free gifts and the use of images deliberately designed to mislead consumers about who the ‘official’ sponsors are.”
Nick added: “Host countries are undoubtedly learning the value of legislation to protect official sponsors at past Olympic Games, and the importance of appropriate legal action. As part of the protection process, event rights holders are being given the right to create exclusive marketing zones around venues. Events and sponsors are also placing ‘ambush police’ around venues; such a ‘police force’ is then given the authority to protect their sponsors’ investment, in order to prevent ambushers from capitalizing on the attention surrounding these mega events. This can mean that fans have items confiscated from them before they enter a sporting venue.”
In a new report, ‘A Typology of Ambush Marketing: The Methods and Strategies of Ambushing in Sport’, published by CIBS this week, almost 400 cases of ambush marketing are analysed. Beginning with the first cases of ambushing that became evident during the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the report catalogues the development of ambushing and the implications of it for sports biggest events.
Ambushers historically have engaged in activities such as the execution of stunts, smuggling products into event venues, and using star performers who are not signed to endorse products for event partners. During the last FIFA World Cup a leading brewery attempted to ambush the official beer of the tournament by handing out orange lederhosen. Stadium officials forced fans to remove the promotion outfits, leaving some fans to watch the game in their underwear.
Professor Simon Chadwick, Director of CIBS and leader of the ambushing project, states: “Just as sponsorship has become big business, so too has ambushing. Corporations that have missed out on the big sponsorships are going to great lengths to undermine their rival’s sponsorship of sporting mega events.”
“Recent research demonstrates that as many as 50% of consumers may be led to believe that ambushers are official sponsors. In such cases they are more likely to recognise and recall ambusher brands. Official sponsors will be susceptible to almost half of the benefits they expected from their deals being appropriated by other companies.”
“Countries staging major sporting events must take ambush marketing seriously, using legislation where necessary. Failure to do this will seriously affect their chances of hosting similar events in the future because of their inability to attract sponsors, who will question whether event sponsorship is the most beneficial way of spending their marketing budgets. Without this considerable investment organisers will not be able to cover the cost of staging major sporting events.”
Chadwick continues: “There are serious lessons to be learnt from what is now happening at major sporting events, and what is going to happen in the run-up to London 2012. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) will be taking a zero tolerance approach to ambushing. It is essential that businesses are aware of what is deemed to be ambushing and what the ramifications will be of being identified as an ambusher. Ambushing is a serious matter that we all need to understand otherwise it will prove incredibly costly, financially, for some people in the not too distant future.”
“My view too is that the public will become more aware of ambush marketing as time goes on. Evidence from Wimbledon this year shows that checks on fans are being made before they gain entry to sporting events. As we head towards the 2012 Olympic Games, fans will increasingly have to get used to such checks – indeed, the 2006 Olympic and Paralympic Games Act gives LOCOG legal powers to stop what it believes is ambushing. Clearly the checks will therefore raise a number of significant issues for fans, notably what they carry, what they consume, where they consume this and how they react when event officials ask them to leave items outside the entrance to an event.”
Free copies of the report, ‘A Typology of Ambush Marketing: The Methods and Strategies of Ambushing in Sport’, can be obtained downloaded from the Centre for the International Business of Sport’s website: www.coventry.ac.uk/cibs (click on working papers).
