The marketing circus that surrounds the Olympic Games started months ago in anticipation of the Vancouver Games. Several brands across Canada have already been called out in the media over perceived ambush marketing campaigns, including Roots, Lululemon, Sony, and countless others.
This week, we can add a new name to the list: Subway.
While Olympic organizers and partners, including market rival and Olympic TOP sponsor McDonald's, will surely take a less gracious view of Subway's rather innovative and suggestive use of star American athlete Michael Phelps in their advertising, it is hard not to appreciate the ingenuity behind the campaign.
Expect to see many more examples of brands entering the Olympic marketing fray around the world over the coming weeks. While the Winter Olympics traditionally attract less interest and fewer ambush marketing efforts as compared to the Summer Games, the opportunities presented by the North American market, the incredible focus Canada-wide on the Olympic hockey teams' fortunes, and the competitive balance across winter sports nations that has emerged in recent years, should make this February an attractive prospect for sport marketers.
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