USOC Contacts Subway over Phelps Commercial
The USOC has contacted Subway about a commercial with Michael Phelps that shows the gold medalist swimming across a map toward snow covered mountains and obviously, Vancouver.
The commercial shows Phelps swimming to a destination with only three letters showing on the map, “CAN”. The commercial ends by saying, “So he can get to where all the action is this winter.”
Neither Vancouver nor the Olympics are mentioned by names.
The disputed Verizon commercial shows two speed skaters racing on thick ice. It asks, “What does it take to stand out from the ordinary, to succeed in a place with the highest level of competition?”
While Subway and Verizon are not sponsors of the Games, Verizon is a sponsor of U.S. Speedskating.
The USOC released a statement yesterday saying that it was responding to “ambush marketing” of a few businesses that were trying to associate themselves with the Winter Olympics.
“It is incredibly disappointing to see American companies taking advantage of the spirit Olympic Winter Games for their own profit, and at the expense of America’s Olympic athletes,” USOC CEO Scott Blackmun said.
McDonald’s, the IOC’s restaurant sponsor and a rival of Subway, says it welcomes the jawboning by the USOC. .
“The International Olympic Committee and the various National Organizing Committees lead the Olympic Movement and, as such, are charged with protecting its valuable assets and sponsorship programs,” Jack Daly, McDonald’s Chief Communications Officer said in a statement.
“We support their efforts to protect their brand and defend against ambush marketing tactics, which only hurt the Olympic Movement and athletes.”
Mack Bridenbaker of Subway Franchisee Advertising Fund Trust told ATR last week that all executives were out at meetings and would be available this week. A new round of calls and emails were not returned Thursday morning.
McDonald’s and Subway are in a close battle over which is the largest fast food restaurant worldwide. Subway said last year that it would have more locations than McDonald’s by the end of 2009. It surpassed McDonald’s number of restaurants in the U.S. in 2002.
Verizon is an official sponsor of US Speedskating, but its largest competitor, AT&T, is the USOC’s official telecommunications partner through London 2012.
Asian World Series of Boxing Franchises Announced
Astana, Kazakhstan;Baku, Azerbaijan; Beijing and Delhi will host the Asian franchise cities of the World Series of Boxing. The cities signed their franchise contracts at the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Executive Committee meeting Wednesday.
Franchise cities will recruit the top amateur boxers to compete in AIBA’s WSB.
AIBA hopes the WSB will bridge the gap between amateur an professional boxing.
The competition will involve 12 teams in three regions competing for a place in the playoffs. There will also be a separate individual championship for the best boxers in each weight category.
The tournament starts in November 2010.
Slovenian Team Announced
The Slovenian Olympic Committee presented the 45 athletes heading to Vancouver on Wednesday. The announcement was held at Ljubljana Castle.
More athletes could be selected for the team, as formal qualification for the Games ends Jan. 31.
Slovenia did not win any medals in Turin.
Russians Blessed
The Russian Olympic team is appealing to a higher authority for the Vancouver Olympics.
The 175 member team went to a service at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow where the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, blessed them ahead of their travel to the Games.
Media Watch
Omega CEO Stephen Urquhardt looks back at the watchmaker’s Olympic sponsorship.
http://www.moodiereport.com/document.php?c_id=1134&doc_id=23027
The World Anti Doping Agency’s preview of the Vancouver Olympics is in the latest edition of the agency’s Play True magazine.
http://www.wada-ama.org/en/Resources1/Publications/Play-True-Magazine/
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Written by Isia Reaves and Ed Hula III.
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