3. WHAT IS AMBUSH MARKETING?
‘It is the unauthorized association of a business or
organization with the marketing of a particular
event-gaining benefit for the marketing right or
licensing fee applicable in order to be associated
with an event, such as sporting event’.
- Jerry Welsh
4. HISTORY OF AMBUSH MARKETING
The word “Ambush” as used in the expression
ambush marketing means “An attack from a hidden
position” and is derived from the old French word
embuschier having the meaning “To place in a
wood”
The term ambush marketing was coined by
marketing strategist Jerry Welsh while he was
walking as the manager of global marketing efforts
for the American Express Company in 1980’s
5. PERCEPTIONS OF AMBUSH MARKETING
Ambush Marketing is not illegal
• Few rules and only inexperience ambushers break them
Ambush is controversial but…
• Most brand marketers consider to be just another marketing option
• A strategic not ethical choice.
• Properties and media are much more likely to be calling “foul”
6. WHY DO AMBUSHER DO IT?
Sponsorship-type results with no rights fee
Sponsorship type results when they have no
access to the sponsorship itself.
Competitor is sponsoring.
Complete Creative Freedom.
• No partnership to manage.
• No approvals required.
• No sponsor hierarchy to respect.
7. THE ONLY RULES
Don’t breach property laws
Don’t call yourself a sponsor if you are not.
Some major events also have proximity rules.
8. TYPES OF AMBUSH MARKETING
Advertising Spend:
1984 Los Angeles Olympics,Nike v/s Converse(Official
Sponsor)
Deliberate Promotion :
In 1996,General Motors scored over the official
sponsor Toyota in terms of brand recall by
promising a Golden Holden car to all gold medal
winners.
9. Block Out:
• 1992,Barcelona Olympic Games - Reebok (Official Sponsor)
• Nike sponsored Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley who
came to the podium by covering the Reebok logos on their
tracks with the US Flag due to their personal obligations with
Nike
Pulling Stunt:
• Also known as ‘Guerilla’, ‘Stunt’ or ‘In Your Face’ ambush
marketing.
10. ADVANTAGES:
Advantage of a major event to increase brand
awareness while not spending the money to be a
sponsor
When there is an increase in competition the prices
go down
11. DISADVANTAGES:
It decreases commercial value of the event
It creates unhealthy competitive environment
It may adversely effect the funding of the event as it
will be beneficial for the company to be an
ambusher
12. AMEX VS VISA:
“1994 Winter Olympics, American Express cards
launched a campaign stating, ‘If you are traveling to
Norway this winter you will need a passport but-you
do not need a Visa.
Around 66% of the respondents of a consumer poll
identified American Express as the ‘official sponsor’
instead of Visa.
13. COLORTHEMORANGE……
During FIFA world
cup 2010 was when
36 women entered
the South Africa’s
soccer city stadium
for the Netherland
Vs Denmark match.
The official sponsor
was Budweiser, but
Bavaria very smartly
dressed up the
women in orange
(the Dutch national
colour. The reaction
of those in charge
however was swift
and ruthless. 2
women were
arrested and later
released. But was
the campaign
successful even
with its fair share of
collateral damage?
Bavaria..
14. PEPSI!!
T he most notable and
widely successful
ambush marketing
campaign of the past
decade was carried out
by Pepsi during the
1996 cricket world cup
where Coca Cola was
the official sponsor.
People still remember
Pepsi’s “Nothing
official about it”
campaign. With such
clever use of words,
and wise ad slots
during the world cup,
the campaign gathered
so much attention that
it almost became
synonymous with the
’96 world cup..
Nothing Official about it
15. AMBUSH-BIG BAZAR
Keep West-aSide. Make a smart choice !
Shoppers! Stop. Make a smart choice !
Change Your Lifestyle. Make a smart choice !
16. MUMBAIHOARDINGSCREAMING!!!
‘A Mystery
Shampoo!! 80%
women say is better
than anything else’.
P&G was prepping
up for a product
launch. Fair
enough. But the
flanks weren’t up.
HUL saw this as an
opportunity to score
an ambush in the
sky. In less than a
week even when
Pantene’s hoardings
were still standing
tall amongst the
Mumbai skyline,
there was another,
all across the city
that announced
‘There is no
mystery. Dove is
the No.1 shampoo’.
Ambush @ FMCG
19. CONCLUSION:
Healthy Competition
Successful ambush strategies feed on ill-conceived
sponsorships and inept sponsors
It is probably just the next step on the marketing
evolutionary ladder
And at times the only option left
