Sponsor and ambush marketing during the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Twitter and Instagram

Purpose This research explores ambush marketing on social media during the 2018 Commonwealth Games held in Australia. Two social media platforms – Twitter and Instagram – served as the dataset to uncover how official sponsors of the Canadian and Australian Commonwealth Games teams were ambushed.Design/methodology/approach Employing a content analysis of all official team sponsors and their competitors, the study’s findings offer an original and multi-national look into social media ambushing.Findings Results indicated that promoting Games’ links was the most common social media post type used by official event sponsors, followed by sharing results of their endorsed athletes and behind-the-scenes information.Research limitations/implications In an effort to provide connection to the event, posts by ambushers focused on promoting athletes endorsed by their brand. All ambushers were more likely to use Twitter to promote their endorsed athletes. Instagram, however, was not fully embraced in their ambush marketing.Originality/value Discussion and implications of the results provide sport marketers with information on how to leverage one’s link with a major sporting event.

ANYONE FOR A GAME OF MONOPOLY™?* A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE EVERINCREASING COMMERCIALIZATION OF MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS PART 1: AN OVERVIEW OF AMBUSH MARKETING IN SPORT

This is the first part of a three-part article which critically evaluates the everincreasing trend of commercial monopolization of major sporting events by sports governing bodies and their commercial partners such as sponsors. This first part of the article will provide a background description of the various forms of protection against ambush marketing of events, as an area where such increased calls for the creation and ring-fencing of commercial rights to events have been (and remains) at the forefront. The second part of the article will evaluate the legitimacy of such protections (especially in the form of special legislation) critically in the context of such commercial monopolization, with reference to constitutional, intellectual property and competition-law arguments in the South African context, and will conclude with some observations regarding current developments elsewhere.

ANYONE FOR A GAME OF MONOPOLY™?* A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE EVERINCREASING COMMERCIALIZATION OF MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS PART 2: EXAMINING THE LEGITIMACY OF THE CREATION AND MAINTENANCE OF COMMERCIALLY-DRIVEN MONOPOLIES IN SPORTS EVENTS

This is the second part of an article published in three parts that critically examines the commercial monopolisation of sporting mega-events such as the FIFA football World Cup, and of commercial rights protection of such events. The first part of this article contained mainly a descriptive overview of ambush marketing and of the legal and other measures available to event organisers and sponsors to combat such practices. This second (and the forthcoming third) part of the article will continue to critically evaluate the legitimacy of a prime source of protection for these commercial actors, namely anti-ambush marketing legislation, with a specific focus on the SouthAfrican jurisdiction and the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.

Legal framework for the use of intellectual property in sports activities

Key words: sports activities, sports activities legal regulation, temporary laws, ambushmarketing, image rights, local rulemaking The article analyses the legal regulation of the use of intellectualproperty in sports activities. The relevance of the study is justified by the fact that theincome of the global sports industry is increasingly depending on the use of the intellectualproperty by sports organizations.The author notices that adoption of temporary laws aimed at protecting the intellectualproperty rights of sports organizations who organize major sporting events ina country are distinctive features of sports activities. There were two similar laws inthe Ukrainian legislation. Although these laws contained some gaps, this experienceshould become a basis for the introduction of the concept of ambush marketing on aregular basis in the domestic law.Analysis of international agreements in the sporting sphere shows that nowadaysamong the world sports organizations, only intellectual property of InternationalOlympic Committee has an exclusive basis of protection. At the same time, the factthat in general the use and protection of intellectual property is given too little attentionin international agreements in the field of sports gives greater importance tolocal regulations adopted by sports authorities.According to the established practices of foreign sports organizations, professionalrules and contracts between the athlete and the organization contains mutual restrictionsof the use of a number of intellectual property objects constituting the athlete’simage. To date, in Ukrainian practice, only regulations and contracts of several footballorganizations contain the similar provisions, which at the same time have a numberof shortcomings. One of the issues is terminological ambiguity in image rightslegal phenomena, which is still new to Ukrainian practice, and therefore requires theconsistency of definitions between different sports organizations.Thus, although Ukrainian legislation creates the background for domestic sportsorganizations to benefit from their intellectual property, it still requires the adoptionof some new important definitions.

Effect of Guerrilla Marketing on Guerrilla Entrepreneur Performance: A Study of Selected Businesses in Nigeria

This research study empirically assessed the effect of guerrilla marketing on guerrilla entrepreneur performance focusing on selected businesses in Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design which suites the research because of its descriptive nature. Multiple regression analysis using ANOVA was adopted to analyse the variables in the models under study. The result indicate that there is a positive relationship between Entrepreneur Performance (ENTP) and Ambient Marketing (ABTM) with a coefficient values of 0.621. Statistically, the Sig. value of 0.021 is lower than the acceptable significance value of 0.05. Also, Ambush Marketing (ABSM) has coefficient value of 0.685. Statistically, the Sig. value of 0.003 is lower than the acceptable significance value of 0.05. Furthermore, Sensation Marketing (SSNM) was observed to be positively related to Entrepreneur Performance (ENTP) with a coefficient value of 0.788 and a Sig. value of 0.017. Finally, Viral Marketing (VILM) has a coefficient value of 0.591 and a Sig. value of 0.448, indicating that VILM has a positive but insignificant effect on ENTP. We therefore conclude that for the guerrilla entrepreneur in Nigeria to be successful and sustain his business, he must show and implement empathy in his business. Also guerrilla entrepreneur must engage in publicity that is creative, innovative, and attractive even in terms of cost like the guerrilla marketing strategy.

INVESTIGATING THE STATE OF AMBUSH MARKETING IN FOOTBALL AND WRESTLING

One of the modern ways of investing in sports and advertising is through sports. Along with financial backers, the ambush marketing phenomenon has been around for three decades. In Iran, one of the weaknesses is the lack of rules and weakness in the implementation of marketing laws. Football and wrestling are popular sports in Iran and have significant sponsors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the situation of ambush marketing in football and wrestling. The present study is of qualitative type. The statistical population includes 12 professionals: professors of sports marketing, media officials, the Football Federation, and football wrestling and financial support. Research tools are semi-structured interviews and research methods, content analysis and thematic analysis using Nvivo8 software. The research results showed that the term hidden marketing should be used instead of ambush marketing, and strict legislation and heavy financial penalties are required by lawmakers. Although major sporting events such as the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup are more common in Western countries, we can also use their methods and rules to protect the rights of sponsors and prevent ambush marketing. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0771/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Ambush Marketing and Rule 40 for Tokyo 2020: A Shifting Landscape for Olympic Athletes and Their Sponsors

This study explores the historical development of the regulatory landscape related to Olympic and Paralympic athlete marketing activities, together with current restrictions imposed on athlete marketing, and discusses potential legal challenges to these restrictions. Specifically, this study analyzed various countries’ Rule 40 Tokyo 2020 guidance through a trans-national lens by comparing and contrasting the different approaches found in various national Olympic committees’ legal frameworks to combat ambush marketing. The potential legal challenges to the United States Olympic Commititee’s enforcement of new Rule 40 guidance are highlighted, with particular focus on discussing the restrictions and enforcement rights contained within the personal sponsor commitment agreement within the United States for the postponed Tokyo 2020 Games. Critical analysis of the potential impact of enforcing this agreement within the broader Olympic intellectual property and brand protection frameworks for Olympic stakeholders in the US is provided.

GAP ANALYSIS BETWEEN CURRENT AND DESIRED SITUATION OF THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE MANAGEMENT OF AMBUSH MARKETING RISKS IN MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS

The purpose of this study was to analyze the gap between the current and optimal status of ambush marketing risk management in major sporting events. The research method was descriptive-causal comparative. The statistical population was all people who had the experience of leading sports caravans and being a member of the executive board for holding major sporting events. From them 160 people (by available-random method) were selected as a sample. Data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of factors affecting the management of risks arising from ambush marketing, which was set in two parts: the current situation and the desired situation. The face and content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by professors and sports experts. The reliability of the questionnaire was obtained through Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.86. Frequency table, frequency percentage, mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the data at the level of descriptive statistics. Due to the normality of data distribution, correlated t-test was used to compare the current situation of marketing management in ambush with the expected limit and paired t-test was used to analyze the gap between the current and desired status in a significant way (α = 0.05). The results showed that among the factors related to the management of marketing risks lurking in sporting events, cultural factors, spectator factors, rule factors, sport event management factors and media factors were lower than expected (average) and factors related to sports marketing, factors related to sporting events and factors related to sporting event sponsors were higher than expected. Analysis of the gap between the current and optimal status of ambush marketing risk management showed that in terms of professors, elites and organizers of sporting events, the situation of all aspects of ambush marketing risk management in sporting events is relatively weak.