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Marketing and Sponsorship

Ringing Endorsement: Olympic Blackout Period For Non Sponsors Goes Into Effect Today

The Olympics' strict marketing rules are back in the spotlight today with the launch of the Games’ controversial 28-day “blackout period,” which prohibits brands from running athlete ads unless they are official Olympics partners or have secured a waiver from the USOC. The waivers are a closely watched new wrinkle, created to appease athletes who claimed the old rules limited their endorsement opportunities. In order to get a waiver, a non-sponsor had to submit creative plans months in advance and cannot specifically mention the Rio competitions or use any Olympics intellectual property. The USOC says prohibited IP includes the word “Olympics” itself and social media hashtags #Rio2016 and #TeamUSA. The body also says waiver-holders cannot even report the outcome of their athletes’ events in Rio. Some copyright experts say both claims are legally dubious. Non-sponsor companies with waivers required advance approval for all creative, so they cannot change it to reflect evolving circumstances in Rio. Official sponsors such as Coca-Cola or United Airlines have no such restrictions, and would be free to launch congratulatory campaigns for winners. The USOC has refused to say how many waivers it issued, but more than 100 companies showed initial interest last winter, and USOC CEO Scott Blackmun said in March most requests had been granted. The most prominent companies expected to take advantage of the relaxed rules include Under Armour, which has a major Michael Phelps-anchored campaign, and Gatorade, which is running ads and selling special bottles featuring Serena Williams and Usain Bolt, among others. 

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

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On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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