The London 2012 Olympics: Brought to you by... CoverGirl??

This week the IOC announced a new sponsorship agreement with international conglomerate Procter & Gamble, a ten year pact which will see P&G join the IOC's TOP sponsorship programme for the 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2020 Games. As well as being amongst the biggest and longest sponsorship agreements in Olympic history, the P&G sponsorship is intriguing on a number of levels.

First and foremost, Procter & Gamble as a parent company own a portfolio of over 40 brands internationally. Whilst the rights allocated to P&G have not been made widely available and known, it will be extremely interesting to see what allowances the company have secured from a marketing perspective, and how the company intends to leverage the IOC affiliation from a marketing perspective. One of the key issues Olympic officials have encountered in recent years (and in some ways, created for themselves), has been the proliferation of marketing clutter surrounding the Games. Ambush marketing, despite their best efforts, continues to grow internationally, and show no sign of abating. Moreover, the growing number of official sponsorship opportunities available with the Games (the 2008 Beijing Olympics boasted no less than 63 official corporate partners are various levels), has further complicated the sponsorship environment around the Olympics, and added further complexity to an already difficult industry. How an added 22 officially associated brands - should P&G have the rights - will only compound an already crowded market.

Second, over the past two summers P&G, and specifically chips brand Pringles, one of the key brands expected to benefit from the Olympic sponsorship, have become rather prominent and ambitious ambush marketers. Their campaigns around the 2009 Wimbledon Championships and 2010 FIFA World Cup were much celebrated within the ambush community, and seen by many as a signal of intent. How P&G, Pringles, and the IOC now manage that reputation and brand image should prove worth monitoring.



P&G have been involved with the Olympic Games in the past, specifically in sponsoring the US Olympic Committee, so certainly the foundations exist for a successful partnership. Moreover, few companies boast the international portfolio and awareness as P&G, which bodes well for their own marketing efforts and sponsorship activation. However, in adding another 40+ official brands to the Olympic stable, including a recognized and growing ambush marketer, the challenge has been set...