Olympic Updates

Attempting to control what is said about your brand in 2010 may seem like an attempt to put toothpaste back in the tube, but that isn't going to stop The Olympics organizers from trying. The Olympics have very specific rules about what can and cannot be said about the Winter Games and the athletes participating in them.

But rather than focusing on the minutia of violators, the group would do better to focus on a bigger issue — brands don't feel like advertising with NBC or with the Olympics directly is worth the money.

The U.S. Olympic Committee dictates that brands unwilling to fork over the millions necessary to become one of the Olymics sponsors cannot associate themselves with the games or the athletes participating throughout the Olympic festivities.

According to Lisa Baird, chief marketing officer of the U.S. Olympic Committee, brands that don't pay to advertise at the Olympics "are barred from referring to the Games and their athletes in name, likeness or imagery that evokes the Games in any media without a waiver from the committee." (....continue reading....)