In an effort to dissuade companies from engaging in "ambush
marketing," ACOG has launched a $10M "provocative campaign" that
seeks public support in identifying violators. Henry Unger of
the ATLANTA CONSTITUTION reports that "as a pre-emptive strike,"
ACOG will launch June ads in Fortune, Sports Illustrated and Time
magazines, as well as select newspapers, comparing ambush
advertising to cheating and asking consumers to report misleading
ads to ACOG. A second series of ads will be used if ACOG cannot
persuade the offending company to stop running its ad. ACOG's ad
will picture the alleged violation along with headlines such as
"Stop, Thief" or "How Do You Feel About Cheating In The Olympic
Games?" and will ask consumers to call or write the firm's
chairperson. ACOG spokesperson Darby Coker: "This is sort of
like the A-bomb. You don't ever want to use it, but you may have
to." Coker noted ACOG has already won battles with the U.S.
Postal Service, FL Division of Tourism, GTE and Audi for
deceptive ads although some of ACOG's targets have criticized the
committee for being "too quick to pounce" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION,
5/30).
NIKE NO-NO: Allen Myerson of the N.Y. TIMES writes that an
ad by Nike attacking Olympic sponsorships "may draw in the
Olympic cops." The ad, an eight-page fold-out insert in the
current issues of SI and Rolling Stone, begins, "We don't sell
dreams. We sell shoes," and features Olympians Michael Johnson
and Scottie Pippen as well as a parody of Izzy, the Olympic
mascot. Dave Fogelson, spokesperson for Reebok, an official
Olympic sponsor: "Shame on them. They're undercutting people
and companies and products and services that will go to make the
ultimate success of their own athletes, if they thought about it"
(N.Y. TIMES, 5/31).
