Non-Olympic sponsors have "bought the majority of advertising space"
within Olympic venue zones, giving them
"more visibility than sponsors who have paid millions to be associated
with the Games," according to Vanessa Kortekaas of the FINANCIAL TIMES.
Outdoor advertising partner for the London Games, CBS Outdoor, said
that billboards, posters and digital sites "around Olympic venues had
sold out in the past few weeks, and that more than half of the ads would
feature non-sponsors." Advertising "within a few hundred metres of
Olympic venues was originally reserved for sponsors." However, amid slow
sales, LOCOG agreed to let CBS Outdoor "offer space to companies from
the music, film and theatre sectors, among others -- deemed
non-competitors to Games’ sponsors." CBS Outdoor U.K. Dir Jason
Cotterrell said the non-sponsors would get “very close” to the Olympic
audience. When asked how much of the vicinity space was initially taken
up by sponsors, Cotterrell said, “Frankly not a lot.” He said that
sponsors “had not shunned the traditional ad space, but rather chose
‘large impact’ campaigns, such as wrapping a red double-decker bus or a
whole tube station in a poster” (FINANCIAL TIMES, 7/16).
COVER IT UP: CNBC’s Ross Westgate noted with the start
of the Olympics less than two weeks away, we are "now going into the
blackout period where individual athletes will no longer be able to show
their own sponsors off.” Westgate said to U.S. track and field athlete
Nick Symmonds, “You’re known because you’ve got this tattoo on (your
arm) which you sold for about $11,000.” Symmonds noted it is a temporary
tattoo of Hanson Dodge and said, "Domestically, I’m allowed to display
it but internationally ... I have to tape over it. So in competition
you’ll see me with a piece of tape on my left deltoid, but everybody
knows Hanson Dodge Creative is the sponsor.” Westgate asked if this was
“going to be the future” for athlete marketing. Symmonds said, “I sure
hope so. We train for four years for these events and we come here and
all these sponsors have helped us throughout the years. ... When we get
to the Olympics, where we can give them a return on their investment,
they’re suddenly not welcome anymore. I just think it’s terrible” ("Worldwide Exchange," CNBC, 7/16).
