Ambush Marketing Ed p122-125

8/6/2019 Ambush Marketing Ed p122-125

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It began as a run-o-the-mill World Cup Group E encounter be-

tween eventual nalists Holland and Denmark at Johannesburgs

Soccer City stadium this summer. Less than 24 hours later, the

hot talking point wasnt Hollands distinctly uneventul two-nil victory but rather the hoo-ha surrounding a marketing ambush

executed by Dutch brewer Bavaria. Soon aer kick-o camera

lenses ell on 36 young nubile ladies in the crowd sporting skimpy

orange mini-dresses associated with amily-owned Bavaria. Tey

were on their eet chanting and clapping while garnering the attention

o male Dutch supporters around them and millions watching on V. It

didnt take long or ootball s governing body, FIFA, to cotton on that th is

was a marketing ploy. Security swooped and ejected the alleged models

masquerading as ans, even making arrests and conscating passports.

Te ofcial sponsor o the month-long tournament was Budweiser

the US beer giant paying an undisclosed ew million euros or the privilege.

But much to the chagrin o the so-called King o Beers, a plucky European

rival had suddenly stolen the limelight or a small raction o its spend.

Soon web and social networking sites were awash with chatter surround-

ing the stunt and it became the did you see that? conversation over theofce water cooler. For a very reasonable investment, Bavaria was the most

talked about brewer at the World Cup, says Herbert Krabel, CEO o Guer-

rilla Communications. Te story gained more mileage aer it emerged that

a V ootball pundits allocation o tickets had ended up in the hands o

Bavarias emale ans. He was immediately sacked by the UKs IV.

But the question is this: did FIFAs heavy-handedness merely create

more publicity or Bavaria? Aer all, this is a company that has orm or

this kind o marketing ploy, aer having sent supporters wearing orange

in lederhosen to the German World Cup our years ago. Te attempts by

FIFA to stop the guerrilla marketing eorts actually helped Bavaria to get

even more exposure because without the arrests and the circus surround-

Why shell out millions sponsoring a high-profle event when you can just ambushit, usurping your competitors and whipping up a media storm in the process. JulianRogers examines why this brazen orm o guerrilla marketing is a weapon thatshould be in every CMOs armoury.

Behind

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ing the aair most people wouldnt have noticed it, says Krabel. Ten

it became gossip around the world and people everywhere looked it up.

In no time at all Bavaria had become the most searched or beer on the

internet, despite the act that the mini-dresses didnt eature any logos or

even the name o the brewer.

However, the plan backred to some extent in that armchair ootball

ans heard a lot more about the ofcial sponsor. Te stunt may actually

have helped Budweiser too because people ound out who the ofcial spon-

sor was, suggests Krabel.

Continuing the sporting theme, last year Hugo Boss parked a sail-

boat emblazoned with the companys logo o the coast o Scotland next

to where the British Open gol tournament was taking place. Inevitably,

the boat provided the backdrop or many o the V camera shots o the

action. Tere are also plenty o examples o sportswear giants Nike, Adidas

and Reebok being involved in stunts to upstage their rivals at high-prole

events, particularly the Olympics. Perhaps the most notorious was at the

1992 Olympics in Barcelona when Nike sponsored the press conerences

with the US basketball team despite Reebok being the ofcial games spon-sor. Much to Reeboks rustration, the US players covered their Reebok

logos during ceremonies. Micheal Jordan, the jewel in Nikes crown at the

time, covered his Reebok logo when accepting his gold medal. Likewise,

sprinter Linord Christie wore Puma contact lenses beore the 100 metres

nal. Reebok had paid US$40 million or the privilege o being ofcial

sponsor. At the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway, American Express

ran ads saying Americans didnt need visas to visit the Visa-sponsored

games. And in 2000, Qantas Airlines slogan Spirit o Australia sounded

similar to the Olympic Games slogan Share the spirit. Ansett Air, the o-

cial sponsor, was none too pleased.

Some may deem this orm o marketing clever and just part o the

marketing game, while others may see it as overstepping the mark, but as

Bavaria proved, the exposure can be priceless i the stunt is successul.

However, dont just assume that guerilla or ambush marketing is a

cheap alternative to traditional advertising, says Krabel. Tere is a gen-

The idea is To ouTsmarT

The compeTiTion versus

ouTspending ThemHerbert Krabel, Guerrilla Communications

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eral myth that guerrilla marketing is cheap or

ree, and that is not true. It can be more aord-

able, but the idea is to outsmart the competition

versus outspending them. But or brands without

the marketing might o the big boys, slick gue-

rilla marketing is oen the only option. Wellsee more and more attempts by brands to be

more clever than their competitors because most

brands dont even have the option to do standard

marketing, Krabel explains. Tey are orced to

do something outside the box i they want to make

an impression.

Donovan Neale is the ounder and Executive

Director o the CMO Council a global network

o 5000 marketing and branding chies. He says

the key here is to push the boundaries to get the

publics attention. Its guerrilla warare so you

have to attract attention in bizarre, absurd or in-

ventive and imaginative ways. Wherever there is a

large gathering o people or highly trafcked en-

vironment, marketers are going to see an oppor-

tunity to put their brand out there because there

is an afnity created when somebody does some-

thing thats really strange, bizarre or radical. He says todays digital age

magnies the interest in a marketing ambush. Most people carry mobile

phones, and most mobile phones have digital cameras so i you experience

something then you are going to share it theres immediacy to it.

Its not just sporting events that can all prey to the ambush marketers.

US President Barack Obamas Democrat primary election rally in 2008 was

ambushed by three people directly behind him in the audience wearing

Abercrombie & Fitch -shirts. Te large logos over Obamas shoulder dis-

tracted V viewers and led to a heap o publicity or the clothing company.

Clearly product placement works. Product launches too can be hijacked byrivals. In 2007, Sony held a lavish launch party or its Playstation 3 console

in Paris. VIPS, the media and gamers were all in attendance by the capitals

iconic Eiel ower. However, Silicon Valley behemoth Microso, makers

o Playstation 3s rival the Xbox 360, decided to gatecrash the party by

sailing an enormous barge boat up the Seine. On the side o the vessel in

massive lettering was Xbox 360 You. What do you think was the most

photographed object that evening? says Krabel rhetorically. Te events

location was quite stunning but it allowed Micro-

so to get a oot in the door. Tis marketing stunt

created quite a buzz Sony spent a huge amount

o money and the eorts by Microso certainly

werent cheap either, but Microso got the most

bang or their buck.Similarly, Donovan says some consumers

appreciate a bold statement like the one Micro-

so made that night. Microso isnt short o a

ew euros, but to hire the barge and create the

slogan was thinking outside the box. I you

dont have the resources then this could work

because your product or brand could appeal to a

consumer who appreciates cheekiness or some-

thing that is cool or hip. You want to connect

with the consumer and make a statement. But

the organisers o global events are ghting re

with re, because without sponsors the World

Cup or the Olympics would never happen. South

Arica passed a law in the run-up to the 2010

tournament making ambush marketing a crimi-

nal oence. Te London 2012 Olympic Games

has also passed similar legislation banning un-

ofcial sponsors rom using t he words 2012, games, gold, silver, bronze.

Tose marketers ound in violation o the 2006 London Olympic

Games and Paralympics Games Act could ace a UK20,000

ne. Te problem or the organisers is that pursuing a

conviction just creates more publicity or an oending

brand and underlines the act corporate sponsorship can

be a waste o money. Te Chartered Institute o Market-

ing (CIM) published a report entitled the Te event that

speaks its name in which the CIM crit icises the Act as being

draconian. Te paper says the blanket ban on ambush mar-keting prevents SMEs rom gain ing any benet rom the presence

o the games in the UK. Te trick with most guerrilla marketing

stunts is to explore grey areas and avoid breaking the law, says Krabel.

Asking or orgiveness versus permission is a good mantra here.

Te ethics over whether ambush marketing is considered ac-

ceptable will rage on. Marketing is a cutthroat business with

brands all vying or a ckle consumers attention, even more

so in this tumultuous economic period. Sometimes

a company has little choice but to get dirty with some

guerrilla warare, particularly i advertising budgets are

tight. Te rewards or ROI always have to be balanced against

the risks. Bavarias CMO must have been eeling pretty smug

with all the attention the brand received but it would have been

tinged with apprehension aer news broke o the arrests al-though no charges were made as well as threats o legal action.

Sometimes you need balls o steel to mastermind a stunt like this

but its still a gamble; you never know or sure what the outcome

will be. But the proven eectiveness o ambush marketing doesnt

spell the end o traditional marketing and sponsorship. Tey will

continue to coexist with the guerri lla marketers coming up

with bigger and bolder stunts to outdo their competi-

tors and capture the public and the medias attention.

odays CMO just needs to keep an open mind to the

value o an ambush when opportunity ar ises. Aer all,

its war out there. n

Creates global exposure i

executed properly

Can be considerably cheaper

than sponsoring an event

The stunt goes viral and the

brand penetrates new markets

Revenues increase

The ambush could backfre

and be largely ignored

Legal proceedings againstyour company could ollow

Te pros and cons ofambush marketing

Documents

Ambush Marketing Ed p122-125