An exhibit featuring past Olympic athletes with this year's
Olympic hopefuls, sponsored by Fuji, will be touring the nation
from now until the '96 Games. Fuji claims its "Images of
Excellence" exhibit "merely takes advantage of the country's
heightened interest in sports," but in this morning's WALL STREET
JOURNAL, Wendy Bounds cites Olympic sponsor Kodak's and ACOG's
concerns the campaign may cross the line of ambush marketing.
Bounds writes the Fuji promotion "shows just how blurry the line
between savvy marketing and blatant ambushing can become" and
notes that Fuji could give ACOG "one of its first tests" on its
stance against ambush marketing. Fuji's promotion will include
co-sponsorship with Nike, and both companies insist the exhibit
is not an ambush. Fuji officials point out the promotion does
not mention the Olympics and will continue after the Games. In
addition, the athletes used were selected before Olympic tryouts.
However, one Kodak official expressed concern: "Technically,
competitors shouldn't promote them during that time" (WALL STREET
JOURNAL, 10/31).
COUNTER-ATTACK: In the latest ADVERTISING AGE, Loeb & Loeb
Attorneys Ken Florin and David Carlin call for ambush protection
for Olympic sponsors in an op/ed piece. The two write that
sponsors should take preventive measures to help deflate ambush
efforts, including: calling for exclusivity; buying exclusive
airtime; and planning ahead to prevent ambush marketing
(ADVERTISING AGE, 10/30 issue).
