Ambush Marketing

It is impossible for any cricket fan to have missed the slogan ‘Nothing official about it’ that later became part of the advertising folklore. As it happened, Pepsi cheekily overshadowed Coca-Cola (which was the official sponsor of the 1996 world cup) by virtue of its inimitable catch phrase.
Well, that’s what the common folk would think. In the world of marketing, however, such attempts, especially during events involving megabucks will be labelled nothing short of an ambush. Ambush Marketing is a marketing campaign that takes place around a event but does not involve payment of a sponsorship fee to the event.
Another case in point is the 1984 Olympics where Fuji was the worldwide sponsor, but Kodak became a sponsor of the ABC television broadcasts and the official film of the U.S. track team, thereby directing attention away from Fuji. Other examples abound, as ambushers create confusion in consumers' minds about who the "official" sponsor really is. Frequently, ambushers do nothing illegal and do not use official logos or trademarks, but merely imply association with an event. Sponsors' only recourse may be to purchase all the rights to an event, including broadcast rights. Ethical issues are harder to define; does using an image of downhill skiing, for instance, imply sponsorship of the Winter Olympics?
The imminent danger from ambush marketing due to hazy guidelines and no proper legislation to avoid such sticky issues, is that, we may be headed towards a major showdown as India readies itself to play host to the Commonwealth games in 2010 and the ICC Cricket world cup in 2011.The stakes today are far higher, for both the organizers and sponsors and both seem likely to end up fighting tooth and nail to get their pound of flesh.
Experts opine that there really isn’t a black-and-white moral or ethical argument against ambush marketing; the case for legislation must be made on rational economic grounds in the public interest and in the specific Indian context. The eventual success of the anti-ambush law will be in the success of the events protected and the fostering of an environment that promotes many more similar events finding a home in India. Importantly, if one is to reconcile the public interest with limits on freedom and curbs on creativity and innovation engendered by an anti-ambush marketing law, the protected event should not lose the spirit of the staging in trying to enforce laws with hyper-technical precision. Hence, a well-balanced law and its thoughtful implementation will be crucial.