In sharp contrast to the G4S security scandal, it appears that staffing has not been an issue when it comes to policing the interests of official sponsors including Adidas, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola.
According to the Independent newspaper, around 300 staff will be checking shops and offices to clamp down on “ambush marketing” or firms associating themselves with the Games when they are not in fact official sponsors.
The rules state that businesses that are not official sponsors cannot use a list of banned words including “gold”, “silver”, “bronze”, “summer”, and “London” in their advertising or marketing campaigns.
This includes a ban on pubs including the names of beer brands on blackboards that advertise live TV coverage of the Olympics.
The Olympics Delivery Authority and London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games has insisted the rules are key to protecting brands, despite complaints from many corners that the rules are excessive.
The huge operation comes hot on the heels of last week’s fast food scandal, when it was revealed that visitors to the Olympic Park will not be able to buy chips from any outlet aside from McDonald’s – unless they are buying fish and chips.
The Independent reports that £1.4bn of the Olympics’ £11.4bn budget comes from private sector sponsors such as McDonald’s.
If you thought that was bad, we’ve discovered a long history of the Olympics’ dodgy corporate dealings – with one story including ‘immense amounts’ of Viagra.
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