Two New York Times’ stories today address different aspects of the marketing of the 2012 Olympics and the negative actions of some.
One story deals with the tactic of ‘ambush marketing,’ whereby firms that are not official sponsors try to imply that they are. As David Segal reports: “It is one of the fiercest contests at the Olympics, but it is not on any list of events. Every two years, the International Olympic Committee and the host city battle companies that want to bask in the Games’ prestige and global exposure but have not paid the small fortune required to be an official sponsor. Ambush marketing, as it is called, has been around for decades, and no company has practiced this dark art with more verve and success than Nike. The triumphs of the sportswear giant, and other ambushers, have compelled the I.O.C. to impose ever more stringent rules to keep corporate crashers away from the party.” Click here for the full article.
The other story addresses still another case of an athlete making inappropriate comments on Twitter, this time with a drastic impact on the athlete. As Mary Pilon writes: “A triple jump athlete was removed from Greece’s Olympic team on Wednesday for posting a comment on Twitter that was disparaging of African immigrants in Greece. Paraskevi Papahristou, 23, was not considered a medal contender in the triple jump, which is scheduled to start on Aug. 3. She posted the comment on July 23. When it was announced Wednesday that she had been kicked off the team, she posted an apology on her Facebook page. ‘I would like to express my heartfelt apologies for the unfortunate and tasteless joke I published on my personal Twitter account,” she said. “I am very sorry and ashamed for the negative responses I triggered, since I never wanted to offend anyone, or to encroach human rights.’” Click here for the full article.