Marketing body CIM attacks restrictions used to protect Olympic sponsors

by Gemma Charles, Marketing 17-Sep-08, 14:14

LONDON - The UK legislation protecting Olympic sponsors from ambush marketing has been condemned as 'restrictive and unreasonable' by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).

The industry body claims that the country's marketers will find it difficult to benefit from London 2012 because of the stringent regulations laid out in the London Olympics Games and Paralympics Games Act 2006.

Launching its latest agenda paper, The event that dare not speak its name - marketing the 2012 Olympics, CIM head of research Mark Stuart said: 'We think the extent of the act is too wide,' before slamming it as 'restrictive and unreasonable'.

'There's a difference between preventing ambush marketing and making it difficult for small companies to benefit from the games,' he added.