Business engine

Ambush marketing has been rife in recent years.

Small businesses have been putting up Olympic-related decorations outside the venues or in shops.

There are a variety of ambush marketing tactics, ranging from "hit squads" of company representatives giving away free products, advertising near the venue, to handing out unofficial programs or unfurling banners within the venue.

At the 1996 Games in Atlanta, Nike placed advertisements near the stadiums and established a "Nike Village", though it was not an official sponsor. This year it has already launched online videos highlighting its shoes for Beijing.

Visa Inc sponsored the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, but it archrival American Express ran a campaign saying Americans did not need a "visa" to travel to Norway.

Some regard ambush marketing as parasitic and ethically dubious; others say it is the product of imaginative thinking.

The BOCOG's Chen stressed on June 3 that any violator would be punished, though he did not elaborate on what the punishments might be.

"Given the strong authority rule in China, I think they (the BOCOG) actually have a better chance of controlling it than places like Athens or Atlanta," says Seth Grossman, communications planning director for Carat China, a media agency under international market survey and analysis firm Aegis Group.

He cites Li Ning's case as an example. The leading Chinese sportswear company had signed an agreement with Olympic Sports Channel, affiliated with State-owned China Central Television (CCTV). Under the deal, journalists, presenters and guests appearing in the studio would wear Ling Ning's clothes with visible logo in the whole year of 2008.

(China Daily August 18, 2008)