A quarter of consumers believe that Olympics sponsor McDonald's is "a poor fit with the Games, raising questions about the long-term sustainability of sports sponsorship by high-calorie food and drink brands," according to Nicola Clark of MARKETING MAGAZINE. Research commissioned by Interbrand for Marketing has revealed that McDonald’s "prompts the greatest division of opinion," followed by Coca-Cola. A quarter of consumers either "strongly or completely disagreed" that McDonald’s is a "good fit" as an Olympics sponsor. Meanwhile, 10% of respondents "strongly or completely disagreed" that Coca-Cola is suitable. Meanwhile, 32% of consumers said that McDonald's involvement "conflicts with what the Olympics stands for," and 39% believed that its products and services "are not relevant to the Games." Adidas was ranked as the most appropriate Olympics partner, with 59% of consumers agreeing that its sponsorship "is a good fit." However, in better news for McDonald’s, it was "the second-most spontaneously recalled sponsor." The brand came second only to Coca-Cola in recall rate (MARKETING MAGAZINE.co.uk, 7/3).
