fb

Is this the best advert at the Olympics?

Is this the best advert at the Olympics?

So the Olympics are well and truly underway and whilst a lot of the athletes have been inspirational in terms of their performance there have also been some inspirational performances by businesses.

There are a number of official Olympic sponsors (for example, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, BMW and Visa). These companies have paid the Olympic authorities big amounts of money to be official sponsors.

LOCOG (the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) have been particularly vigilant in terms of monitoring for any unauthorised use of the Olympic name or Olympic logo by companies which are not official Olympic sponsors. For example, they have swiftly taken action against any company that has illegally used the Olympic name in advertising.

Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has got a reputation for, how can I put it but controversial or cheeky advertising.

A few days before the start of the Olympics, Paddy Power sponsored an egg and spoon race (a children’s race where children run whilst trying to balance an egg on a spoon).

This egg and spoon race took place in a small French town. The nice thing though was that this small French town was called London and as a result Paddy Power designed their latest poster advertising campaign with the following text:

“Official sponsor of the largest athletics event in London this year! Ahem, London France that is).”

LOCOG instructed their lawyers to get the posters removed but Paddy Power’s lawyers successfully pointed out that they had not broken any law and the posters remained in place.

A great example of gorilla marketing and a gold medal performance by Paddy Power.

Share this entry

Recent articles

View All Articles
Out of this world fashion.
Oct 18, 2024
Title
Out of this world fashion.
Excerpt

If you’re lucky enough to buy your clothes from Prada, will your next purchase be a nice dress, […]

Should we park this?
Oct 16, 2024
Title
Should we park this?
Excerpt

Getting the balance right between innovation and ethics is important in business. Frankfurt’s new parking portal offers an […]

Would a good liar make a good accountant?
Oct 12, 2024
Title
Would a good liar make a good accountant?
Excerpt

Do you have children? Have they ever told you a lie? Even a small teeny weeny lie? Well, […]

Was that true? Was that fair?
Oct 09, 2024
Title
Was that true? Was that fair?
Excerpt

I’ve been a qualified accountant for a fair few years now. I had the pleasure of bumping into […]

How much do Big 4 partners get paid?
Oct 03, 2024
Title
How much do Big 4 partners get paid?
Excerpt

Making it to partner at one of the Big 4 accounting firms—Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC—is considered by […]

Problems at Naomi Campbell’s charity…
Oct 02, 2024
Title
Problems at Naomi Campbell’s charity…
Excerpt

The Supermodel Naomi Campbell was recently banned from serving as a charity trustee for five years. This all […]

Lego – building strategy blocks…
Sep 29, 2024
Title
Lego – building strategy blocks…
Excerpt

Many a parent has felt the pain of standing on a Lego brick which their son or daughter […]

Famous accountants, but not for accounting…
Sep 27, 2024
Title
Famous accountants, but not for accounting…
Excerpt

Accounting, often called the “language of business”, has served as a foundational skillset for many who’ve achieved greatness […]