Doha organisers clamp down on ambush marketing
(Reuters)Updated: 2006-12-11 08:40
Fans aiding "ambush marketing" by wearing branded clothing or waving flags with logos will be ejected from Asian Games venues, organisers have warned.
The term "ambush marketing" refers to the situation where one brand pays to become the official sponsor of an event and another brand tries to connect itself to the same event, without paying any sponsorship fee or breaking any law.
During the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, sprinter Linford Christie was not allowed to wear clothes advertising his sponsor, Puma, because rival sportswear firm Reebok officially backed the event.
The Briton turned up at a news conference wearing contact lenses branded with his sponsor's logo and the image made front pages around the world.
Doha Asian Games organisers said terms attached to their venue tickets prohibited coordinated group promotion, advertising efforts or ambush marketing activities among other things.
Organisers commercial spokesman Ahmed Abdulla Al Khulaifi said that "the branded tops, caps and banners worn and/or carried by the Malaysian spectators attending their national team competitions constitute a substantial breach to DAGOC policies.
"We haven't yet applied the policy to ensure that we don't spoil the joy of the spectators. However, spectators have been advised," Al Khulaifi said.
"Any ambushing activities taking place within or around the Asian Games venues diminishes the value of the Asian Games commercial integrity and seriously damages the Doha 2006 partners' and sponsors' investments," a statement read.
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